May 19, 2025 • 35 mins
Dr. Samika Cosey joins Sandra L to unpack the often-overlooked healthcare experiences of neurodivergent patients – those whose brains process information differently due to conditions like autism, ADHD, and dyslexia. Drawing from both personal and professional expertise, Dr. Cosey explains how healthcare systems frequently fail to accommodate these differences, leading to misdiagnosis, delayed care, and unnecessary suffering.
The conversation takes a powerful turn when Dr. Cosey reveals her own journey: as a child, she lost the ability to speak following a seizure. This transformative experience shaped her mission to ensure others receive the support she once needed, eventually leading her to found The Cozy Project – an organization providing critical resources to neurodivergent individuals and their families.
What emerges is a thoughtful exploration of advocacy's crucial role in healthcare. When doctors dismiss parents' concerns about their children's development or fail to understand neurodivergent needs, families must fight harder for appropriate care. This burden falls especially heavily on underserved communities, where information about available resources often fails to reach those who need it most.
Sandra and Dr. Cosey highlight how financial barriers create additional obstacles, with insurance limitations and program cuts making specialized services increasingly inaccessible – particularly for adults over 23, who face even greater challenges securing necessary support. Yet they offer hope through practical solutions, from navigating IEP processes to connecting with community resources nationwide.
At its heart, this episode embodies the "each one teach one, reach one" philosophy – reminding us that knowledge shared becomes power multiplied. Whether you're neurodivergent yourself, care for someone who is, or simply want to better understand diverse patient needs, this conversation offers invaluable insights into creating more inclusive, responsive healthcare experiences for all.
Connect with The Cozy Project at thecozyproject.com or 224-409-8811 to learn more about resources for neurodivergent individuals and their families.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Thank you.
Good day everyone.
Hopefully everyone is having abeautiful day.
Not sure what time of the dayor evening you're watching this,
so if it's in the daytime, I'mcertainly hoping that you're
enjoying your day.
If it's at night, I'm prayingthat you had a beautiful and
(00:48):
peaceful evening.
Thank you so much for joiningin on another episode of
Speaking with Sandra L.
It's all about the patientexperience.
As I stated before we came onto Dr Samika, who is our lovely
guest today.
You know so many times we youknow especially when I say we, I
(01:08):
should say I so many times Isay why they not invite in the
patients to the table to be apart of the conversation that's
going on about the patient.
You know, the guessing of whatthe patient wants versus what
the patient needs is so often.
You know the guessing of whatthe patient wants versus what
the patient needs is so often,you know, disconnected because
(01:28):
the patient is not at the table.
And some, you know I startedthinking and saying why don't we
create our own table and havethose that be the powers that be
say you know, we love whatyou're doing and we want to
bring if.
You know, we want to make surethat we're doing what we need to
do so that the patient canexperience the most optimal
(01:49):
healthcare.
And so let's start speakingwith Sandra L, which is under
the Choms Many Health Foundationumbrella.
And so today, and Dr Samika, ifI'm saying your name wrong,
please stop me and correct me,okay.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
No, you have it correct.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
Today we're going to turn that focus on the
neurodivergent patient, and Ihave a very close friend who has
three awesome, awesome when Isay awesome, awesome
neurodivergent children.
Two are adults and one iscoming up now and I often say,
(02:29):
when, with all of those thingsthat they do, how are they able
to do all this?
And that's supposed to beneurodivergent, because I'm
going to be honest with you, Imean I know somewhat what a
neurodivergent patient is and Idon't know what they look like.
What a neurodivergent patientis, and I don't know what they
look like and I don't know whatthey go through on an everyday
basis, especially when it comesdown to receiving medical care
(02:51):
of any kind.
So could you explain to theaudience what is a
neurodivergent patient?
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Well, thank you.
First I want to thank you somuch for having me on the show.
So when we think about the wordneurodivergent, it just simply
means, and it describes, someonewho learns differently.
So they process informationdifferently, they think
differently, they grasp onto thestimuli within the environment
(03:22):
different from what most peoplesay a neurotypical individual
would do.
And then the neurodivergentexperience is different for each
and every person and so itlooks different among, uh,
different individuals, justdependent on that person and who
they are.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
Okay.
So, with that being said, thenme looking at, like I said, the
two individuals who she'stalking about and I can't tell
whether they're neurodivergentor not when does that
neurodivergency issue like?
When does that come up?
When does that experience forthem come up?
Does it come up at differenttimes?
Speaker 2 (04:05):
When does that experience for them come up?
Does it come up at differenttimes?
And so it will just depend.
And so let's say, a lot ofpeople may look at someone,
let's say autism in particular,and so autism is a spectrum, and
so, basically, what one personwith autism looks like, another
person may not look like.
So a lot of people who areneurodivergent some people don't
(04:27):
know that they are unless theystate it to them, but that
doesn't mean that they don'tneed certain things within the
medical field or they don't needthe assistance, just because
some people may see them as notbeing neurodivergent.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
Okay.
So it's basically a silentmedical condition, a silent
health disease condition whenyou're neurodivergent.
A lot of times I'm not going tosay all of the times, but a lot
of times it's silent becauseit's something that's going on
internally that we on theexternal side, we just can't see
.
Correct.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
So it would depend.
It would depend on where theycurrently are.
So when we look atneurodivergent individuals, it
is individuals who have autism,people who have dyslexia or
anyone who has, like, adhd, andso it basically affects the
brain and how they respond toinformation and process that
(05:31):
information.
So we may have some childrenwho have, let's say, asd or ADHD
, and so you may be able to tellby some of the behaviors that
they exhibit, tell by some ofthe behaviors that they exhibit,
while others mainly due to noreal challenging behavior.
(05:52):
But their deficits may be morein the social aspect, in a
social environment.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
Okay, Now I'm going to ask you a question, and I
know it wasn't on the questionlist, but you just brought up a
really valid point that we needto have addressed, and that's
this is it only a chat like canadults become neurodivergent, or
is it like something that'sbeen hit?
They've always been that way,but then it's something that
(06:18):
doesn't come out until they getto adulthood.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
That is an amazing question.
I just had this conversationwith someone a few days ago and
so when I was growing up, myexperience I had an uncle who
was neurodivergent.
I had no idea anything abouthis condition because it often
wasn't talked about and itwasn't addressed in certain
(06:44):
communities.
And then we still haveindividuals who, when they were
younger, maybe they weren'tassessed or maybe the parents
did bring up things to thedoctors and the doctors didn't
go forward with that assessment.
And then in adulthood, as wehave more research and doctors
are, some doctors are going toassist a little more.
(07:06):
Now they're being assessed andthen their needs are being taken
care of.
But a lot of the times you mayrun into doctors to where you're
telling them some of the issuesthat you are facing and they're
brushing it off and so they'renot performing those proper
tests, they're not giving youbased on the whole person, and
(07:26):
so there are some adults whopossibly had different
conditions when they wereyounger and now didn't know it.
At that time their parentsdidn't know it.
They knew something was alittle different, but they
didn't know what it classified,as I actually had a friend of
mine who went through his entirelife and wasn't diagnosed until
(07:51):
he was in college because ateacher pulled him to the side
after school and talked to himabout what she was noticing.
And so that's also important,because there are times where
educators who can also seedifferent things and step in and
try to make assist.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
OK.
I thank you so much?
Yes, because that happens a lot.
It happens a lot with everyone,regardless of their culture,
but especially within ourculture.
Yes, because so many timeswe're being pushed over and not
looked at for things that aregoing on.
Simply because it's easier and,once again, the mission of this
(08:31):
, this podcast, is to letpatients know use your voice.
It's the most powerful schoolyou have.
So if you know you're goingthrough now I mean, of course,
if you're adult now you knowit's too late to say, okay, well
, when you was a kid.
But even now, if you arenoticing something within
yourself and noticing something,or someone mentioned something
(08:52):
to you, take the time toactually have the doctor address
that with you.
Don't keep letting them pushthings off.
They shouldn't be pushed offbecause it impacts you and,
bringing in the family history,part of this, it impacts you and
what it doesn't impact to youis it impacts your family.
(09:16):
So if you don't check thesethings early enough your kids,
your grandkids, yourgreat-great-grandkids, whoever
is in your family it has anopportunity to really negate any
progress that's made,especially when it comes to
medical care, because you'll belooked at and say, oh, that's a
non-compliant patient, thatpatient is not following what
(09:37):
they're supposed to be followingand it's not that.
It's that internally, andsometimes externally, you have
some things going on that arejust not being addressed and I
say it all the time and there'snobody coming to save our
community Absolutely.
So we have to do it right, wehave to do the work, and that
(09:59):
work means this here we need touse it.
We need to speak up.
We need to speak often and Isay speak loud.
And when I say speak loud, I'mnot talking about speaking like
going in there egotistical, likeyou want to rant and you got to
yell and scream.
That's not what I mean.
What I mean is speaking loudenough and with your own
(10:19):
precision, so that theyunderstand that, hey, I'm not
here to play, I'm here to takecare of my business.
So I thank you so much foraddressing that point with me.
Now the other question I havefor you is this what drives you
to help the neurodivergentpatient Like what's the must for
(10:40):
you or the mission for you.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
So my mission?
I will share a little bit moreabout my backstory.
So I do have an uncle Imentioned who is neurodivergent.
When I was younger, I had aseizure and I lost the ability
to talk.
They were able to help me to beable to speak how I'm speaking
(11:11):
today, and so I wanted to makean impact not just an impact on
me, but the impact on the livesof other people, and then, as
I'm helping them, I'm alsohelping their families.
One of the things that youmentioned earlier was the fact
that a lot of especially in ourculture a lot of our children
are diagnosed with differentthings at a later age, because a
(11:33):
lot of doctors don't hear outwhat the parents are saying.
They just brush it off as itbeing something else, and so I
want to educate the communityand ensure that our voices are
also heard and that we areadvocating for those.
A lot of the kids that I workwith, or adults.
They are non-verbal, and sowhat that means they don't have
(11:58):
those vocal skills tocommunicate.
Some may use sign language,some may use a communication
device, and so, but I want toensure that I am helping them to
not just advocate forthemselves, but also their
families to advocate for themtoo and you know and I so
appreciate what you just said,because what you just said goes
(12:19):
to another one of my models andmany people I would say all
people that talk to me.
Speaker 1 (12:25):
When it comes down to patience on any level doing
anything is this Each one teachone, reach one.
If that person hadn't taughtyou, you wouldn't be able to
reach someone else.
So you're taking that each oneteach one model that we so often
hear, that we don't push farenough because we drop off the
(12:46):
reach one we should be each oneteach one, reach one.
And in so doing, that empowersmore patients.
It empowers more caregivers,the internal network, that
support network that's soimportant to patients.
It empowers them, it encouragesthem, it causes them to be
(13:07):
educated about what's going on.
But if all we're doing is eachone teach one, okay, what you
want to do once you get taughtwhat you're doing with that
right, that gift that you'vegiven because you're taught how
to do something, that's aGod-given gift.
None of us are giving giftsjust to sit and hold on to it.
(13:29):
We are all giving gifts to share, which is why I'm thankful
again to you that you didn't sayokay, well, I was taught how to
talk, I ain't worried aboutnobody else.
You was like no, no, come ony'all and like you said some
can't talk I mean some cannottalk for various reasons but for
(13:49):
those that can talk, andencourages them to know your
backstory and to know that, hey,if she did it, I could do it
too.
So I thank you so much fortelling us that story, and I
also bring up an important partthat I want to add to this.
Is this what you're teachingnow and you're teaching young?
You know you're teaching youngpatients now, right, there's
(14:12):
programs that Dr Regina Beer andI got to give her a shout out
knows exactly who she is withkids.
That teaches children how totake and become something in the
healthcare field.
So you can be taught how to bewhat you know.
Do the job that Dr Samika posted.
(14:32):
You could get taught to do thejob that Dr Regina Beard does
and so many other people do inthis field to encourage our
youth, because when our youthare encouraged, they can
encourage their peers, theirpeers can encourage their peers,
and so it grows forth.
So I'm very thankful to youthat you took that model of each
(14:56):
one teach one, reach one anduse it.
And now we're showing othershow to use it in your own
special way, showing others howto use it to make sure that
they're able to make adifference.
Now I do want to ask youanother question, and that's
this Can you give us two storiesof patients, one good story and
(15:19):
one not so good story of apatient, a neurodivergent
patient that you because ofHIPAA I I'm not expected to say
any names if you could just giveus an example of, say, a good
story and a bad story of one, apatient that was neurodivergent,
that went to the doctor'soffice or emergency room, urgent
(15:39):
care hospital to receiveservices?
Speaker 2 (15:44):
and so one of the most difficult things I would
say is when families do go infor the assistance for, let's
say, emergency care, becausethere were high magnitude
challenging behaviors within ahome setting, and they go in and
they don't really get thatassistance.
(16:05):
A lot of the times when they dogo in, doctors are either trying
to medicate right away versusfinding out why the problem is
occurring for them, and thenthere's a lack of understanding,
a lack of research andknowledge on some healthcare
providers when it comes tounderstanding the experience not
(16:29):
just of the learner but also oftheir family and the things
that they are going through.
A lot of the time, some of themedication that they give out
let's say, one of the clientsthat I work with, the medication
may only work with them forthree or four weeks and then
we're back at this bigchallenging behavior and then
(16:53):
another situation I would saythat will turn out for the
better side.
I had a client who did go inand get help from the doctor and
that doctor was able to helpthem to sign up for what's
called a the PONS list, and amedical waiver, and so basically
what that is there's a waitlist typically for, but that
(17:18):
client put their name on thatlist and they were able to get
approved, and so with thatapproval means that the
government will help providefunding so that parents and that
family can receive therapyservices or they can receive
respite care.
And so those are two of theexperience that I have had with
(17:39):
two different clients.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
Thank you so much for that, and I do want to ask you
a question, because you broughtup something that we all need to
know about.
So, as far as the financialfunding and we all know right
now in this country we're going-through a cut across the board.
Is that impacting theneurodivergent patients who can
(18:02):
get medical waivers and theyweren't previously given medical
assistance?
Speaker 2 (18:11):
Yes, so there are different types of insurance.
So there is the Medicaid, andso that's more of government.
And then some people haveprivate insurance.
With private insurance also,there is typically deductibles
that the families have to payout, and so when deductibles go
(18:31):
up, it makes it more difficultfor the parents and the families
to receive those necessaryservices.
And then, when we think aboutthe Medicaid, a lot of providers
don't accept it.
Providers don't accept it, andso it makes it difficult for
families to be able to find aservice provider within that
area that they need that supportin.
(18:53):
And then there's also, due toeverything that is happening
within the government, a lot ofpeople have not either received
funding or there's a possibilityof certain fundings being cut
in the future.
Understand, some states,depending on where you are, are
(19:17):
doing what they can to ensurethat services aren't cut, but
it's important for everyone toknow, based on where they are,
what is happening within theinsurance.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
Okay, and I thank you so much for that.
So are are there supportnetworks that are out that are
not tied to the government,where patients can get help for
the services that they need thatmight be cut from the
government?
Speaker 2 (19:47):
Yes, there is a lot of different nonprofit
organizations that are out thereworking toward providing
different fundings to ensurethat clients are still able to
receive that services, eitherfor free or for a low cost.
I will say that for youngerkids it is typically a lot
(20:08):
easier for them to get servicesthan in adulthood, and so when
someone's an adult it becomesmore difficult for them to get
services because at a certainage most insurance companies I
believe it's 23, don't want toprovide certain services, and so
under 23,.
(20:29):
Some may do it under 21 yearsof age, but it becomes more
difficult for an adult to getthose services that they need.
Speaker 1 (20:38):
Thank you for that.
And what I do want to add towhat you just said is this
that's an unfortunate and it's areally sad part of our society
because, yes, our children areour future.
Yes, we need to pour all thelove and attention we can into
our younger, into our youngpatients, but on the other lip
(21:01):
side of that, which is why manyhelps does the work that we do,
is because the children are onlygoing to be as strong as the
parents are.
So if the parents are fighting,if the parents are not so much
fighting each other, but if theparents are fighting because
they need help and well, I don'tknow where I'm going to get
this help from and their stressand anxiety level is sky high
(21:24):
and through the roof becausethey got to take care of the
kids, they got to take care ofthe house, they got other things
they have to take care of.
So often they don't have thetime to take care of themselves,
whereas if we look at it and wesay, okay, well, you know, the
adults are, you know, equally asimportant as the kids, because
(21:47):
your kids are only going to.
You know, I hear from teachersall the time, and I used to be
teaching myself.
I hear from teachers all thetime that say that they're
having problems with these kids,or this kid is this and this
kid is that.
And then when you actually rollback the film to see why it is
they're having problems, it'sbecause something is going on at
(22:10):
home.
Speaker 2 (22:11):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
That is causing that is rubbing off on the kids, or
the children, and that's why thechildren are like that, because
everybody's lost sight of thefact that the parents are just
as important as the childrenthey really are.
They're that foundation,they're that base that allows
(22:34):
the child to grow, that allowsthe child to think, that allows
the child to see outside, justdown the street, right, they can
dream and they can, you know,think, because they actually
have someone at home that canhelp them to do it.
You know, and when we you know,and that's parents.
But then we got a younger adultwho you know, 18, you come off
(22:57):
of Medicaid.
So you're on your own right now, medicaid.
You're on your own.
But you're also beginning thatstage and sometimes it happens,
younger where you're havingchildren.
Well, guess what, if you don'tstart thinking about having
children before you had them,you're gonna hit it with, hit
with all that stuff in lifethat's going to literally take
(23:20):
you out, and it's going to takeyou out because you wasn't told,
you didn't know, and so fundingis important for adults to
receive, it's as important forthe child to receive.
So thank you so much for that.
And then my last question goahead, dr Samika.
Speaker 2 (23:38):
I want to just go back into what you were just
saying.
A lot of people have tounderstand that those children
who needed help become adultswho are also going to need help,
and so that's why it'simportant to ensure that we
still have that funding whensomeone turns into an adult.
Speaker 1 (23:57):
Yep, and you're so true, and I thank you so much
for bringing that point out.
My last question to you for theday is this tell us about the
Dr Samika Cozy Project, which iscalled the Cozy Project.
Tell us what people can getfrom the Cozy Project and what
(24:18):
exactly it is that you do.
Speaker 2 (24:21):
So I started the Cozy Project in 2018.
We originally just started asan organization for social
change, and so at that time Iworked in Naperville, schaumburg
area in Naperville, schaumburgarea, and then I had clients in
Chicago.
But I saw a difference.
So I saw that some families inNaperville and Schaumburg they
(24:49):
knew about like waivers and theponds list, but a lot of my
families in Chicago had no ideawhat that was, and those were
the families that could utilizemore of those resources and
services.
So we originally started as anorganization just for social
change.
A couple of years later, wetransformed our mission to
providing services, resourcesand services for those who were
(25:13):
neurodivergent, to help connectthem with therapists and then to
also connect them with thefinancial resources that they
will need.
And we also have a monthly mealprogram.
So a lot of our families may nothave the funding.
So we go out and the lastSaturday of every month we
deliver a healthy meal to them,and then we also do community
(25:37):
events.
So this month we are doingwhere we're having people to
nominate amazing mothers andwe're bringing all of those
mothers in and we're providingthem with different essential
items for themselves to ensurethat they're still taking care
of themselves as they're tryingto take care of their families.
(25:57):
We host a number of eventsthroughout the year, especially
in the summer we do a back toschool and make sure that all of
those that we serve have thesupplies that they need
necessary, and then we helpparents do the IEP process.
So the IEP process is typicallya little difficult, especially
(26:18):
for a new family and a newparent who had no idea what this
process will look like.
Because if they go in notknowing that they are also a
part of that team and they havea say-so in what goes on in
their child's education, itworks out better, not just for
them but also for the successand independence of that child.
Speaker 1 (26:43):
I thank you for that.
I do have a final questionbefore you go.
And I do know that you say that.
I just told you it was a finalquestion.
No, you're good, but youbrought up another final
question that I want to ask.
So I know that the project isfor those families that live in
Chicago.
Do you have a listing sayslives in, let's say, minnesota
(27:05):
and they're neurodivergent andthey're having problems finding
resources?
Does your agency, also yourorganization, do they also have
a list where they could do it?
Someone could say, hey, here'ssome places that you can call
that are on the list that willbe able to help you or should be
able to help you.
Speaker 2 (27:23):
Yes, and so we are physically providing services in
the Chicagoland area, but Ihave worked with families as far
as Indiana, minnesota, a fewyears ago, and so with that
we'll still connect them withsomeone in their area, and that
saves them from looking andtrying to figure out who to go
(27:46):
to or where to go, and so I willtypically make all the calls
and make sure that there's nolong wait list, because that's
another challenge that a lot ofour families face.
And then if there are suppliesneeded, like sensory needs for
the family, on our end we aresure to get that order and send
it to the family at no cost forthem, just to make sure until
(28:09):
those services are able to start, we have assisted them.
There is another family thatwe've worked with in Springfield
, to where we will meet withthem biweekly to provide free
services to them until they wereable to find some a therapist
near their location.
Speaker 1 (28:29):
So could you go ahead and give us your contact
information so that we canactually put it in the chat.
And I do want to say that youknow, if you're outside of the
Indiana area, if you're outsideof, say, the Minnesota area or
the Wisconsin area, if you'reoutside of those areas, don't
give up.
You could actually reach out tome and say, hey, sandra, I live
(28:52):
in and I need help.
Do you think Dr Samika and Iwill actually reach out to Dr
Samika and say, hey, we have afamily that, say, lives in New
York and they're facing somechallenges.
Do you have any resources thatwe could actually turn to?
So we don't want you to thinkthat there's no help out here
for you because charms is basedin illinois, we're based in
(29:17):
chicago, but we're a nationalorganization because we realize
that it's not just us in chicagothat needs, it's all over the
country If we have to.
I don't want you bombarding theCozy Project with your
questions when you can send itto me and say, sandra, could you
ask if they know somewhere orfind something for you that can
(29:40):
give you some assistance,because you brought up a really
good point, dr Zameka.
A lot of times these waitinglists, especially right now,
with the cuts.
These waiting lists areoverwhelmingly burdensome and
there are ways that we can getyou certain items as well to
(30:00):
actually assist you for a momentor two until you can get on
your feet.
I'm not saying gives youanything, because when people
get stuff it's given to them, alot of times they don't use it
or a lot of times they feel like, okay, well, they're giving it
to me, why should I keep going?
No, this ain't about giving youanything.
It's about assisting you tomake sure that your patient
experience is healthy.
(30:21):
So could you give us yourcontact information, Dr Samika,
so we can actually have it putin the chat for people please?
Speaker 2 (30:30):
Yes, and so our website is thecozyprojectcom.
SoT-H-E-C-O-S-E-Y-P-R-O-J-E-C-Tcom
.
Our phone number, where you canreach us at, is 224-409-8811.
Or you can directly call me at773-799-6546.
(30:55):
On Facebook, you can find us atthe Cozy Project.
Just put that in and you shouldbe able to find us.
If you send a message to us,we'll typically respond within
an hour or so us.
Speaker 1 (31:08):
If you send a message to us, we'll typically respond
within an hour or so.
Speaker 2 (31:11):
Okay, so I'm going to ask you to do me a favor, and I
want you to slow down and do it.
Speaker 1 (31:15):
Okay.
Say your phone number.
We have your Facebook, we haveyour website.
Are you only on Facebook?
Are you on LinkedIn or anyother social media platform?
Speaker 2 (31:23):
Yes, so you can find me on Instagram and then also on
LinkedIn.
You will simply type in my nameuh, Samika cozy S a M M I K.
A last name C O S E Y.
Speaker 1 (31:40):
Okay, so we're gonna.
Okay, so we actually have it,and then the last thing I want
you to do is give us your phone,the organization's phone number
for those that want to reachout, please.
Speaker 2 (31:54):
Yes, 224-409-8811.
Speaker 1 (32:03):
OK so let me see if that's been caught or if we need
to.
Okay, so she has it.
So all of that information isin the notes.
It's actually on the video.
So if you need to go back andlook at the video, I encourage
you to do so.
You can find a video andactually it's also on podcast.
(32:24):
So it's on the podcast channels.
It's on our YouTube channel,which is MediHelps, which is
M-E-D-I hyphen H-E-L-P-Z Onceagain, M-E-D-I hyphen H-E-L-P-Z.
If you are looking, if you havea patient experience story that
(32:44):
you want to put out there,patient experience story that
you want to put out there,please contact us at
medihelpscom, which iswwwmedihelpcom, we are taking
additional guests.
However, those additionalguests we're scheduling for now
is between November and January,so if you're interested in
(33:07):
coming on, you have a patientstory that you want to share,
whether you're a patient orwhether you're a part of the
patient's internal network, evenif you're a provider that
offers things for patients thatwe need to have, or a medical
supplier that can actually havesome information for patients to
share, please do reach out.
We would love to hear from youand, more importantly, I would
(33:29):
love for the patients to hearfrom you so that they stop.
You know, when they get adiagnosis and they get a
prognosis, they stop thinkingit's the end of the world,
because it's not.
Dr Samika said it herself.
There was a point in time whereshe couldn't talk.
Look at her now.
She really couldn't talk.
So it's amazing that what youknow and I'm a very spiritual
(33:53):
person this is amazing whatmiracles God can pull out of
people, Right?
So please, you know, reach outto us.
We would love to hear from you.
And at the end of this videosession, I have to remind
everyone being kind is free.
It doesn't cost a penny, notone penny.
(34:13):
When you're looking for freestuff, put being kind at the top
of that list, because itdoesn't cost anything and it
means so much to so many peoplewho are going through life, just
you know, willy-nilly goingthrough life not knowing what
direction they should be goingin.
So we will talk to you nexttime.
Our next podcast is scheduledfor Monday and we will be
(34:37):
talking about patient experiencefrom the trauma point.
So please do tune in and thanksso much for taking time to
listen today.
Thanks, Dr Samika.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Good day everyone.
Hopefully everyone is having abeautiful day.
Not sure what time of the dayor evening you're watching this,
so if it's in the daytime, I'mcertainly hoping that you're
enjoying your day.
If it's at night, I'm prayingthat you had a beautiful and
(00:48):
peaceful evening.
Thank you so much for joiningin on another episode of
Speaking with Sandra L.
It's all about the patientexperience.
As I stated before we came onto Dr Samika, who is our lovely
guest today.
You know so many times we youknow especially when I say we, I
(01:08):
should say I so many times Isay why they not invite in the
patients to the table to be apart of the conversation that's
going on about the patient.
You know, the guessing of whatthe patient wants versus what
the patient needs is so often.
You know the guessing of whatthe patient wants versus what
the patient needs is so often,you know, disconnected because
(01:28):
the patient is not at the table.
And some, you know I startedthinking and saying why don't we
create our own table and havethose that be the powers that be
say you know, we love whatyou're doing and we want to
bring if.
You know, we want to make surethat we're doing what we need to
do so that the patient canexperience the most optimal
(01:49):
healthcare.
And so let's start speakingwith Sandra L, which is under
the Choms Many Health Foundationumbrella.
And so today, and Dr Samika, ifI'm saying your name wrong,
please stop me and correct me,okay.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
No, you have it correct.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
Today we're going to turn that focus on the
neurodivergent patient, and Ihave a very close friend who has
three awesome, awesome when Isay awesome, awesome
neurodivergent children.
Two are adults and one iscoming up now and I often say,
(02:29):
when, with all of those thingsthat they do, how are they able
to do all this?
And that's supposed to beneurodivergent, because I'm
going to be honest with you, Imean I know somewhat what a
neurodivergent patient is and Idon't know what they look like.
What a neurodivergent patientis, and I don't know what they
look like and I don't know whatthey go through on an everyday
basis, especially when it comesdown to receiving medical care
(02:51):
of any kind.
So could you explain to theaudience what is a
neurodivergent patient?
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Well, thank you.
First I want to thank you somuch for having me on the show.
So when we think about the wordneurodivergent, it just simply
means, and it describes, someonewho learns differently.
So they process informationdifferently, they think
differently, they grasp onto thestimuli within the environment
(03:22):
different from what most peoplesay a neurotypical individual
would do.
And then the neurodivergentexperience is different for each
and every person and so itlooks different among, uh,
different individuals, justdependent on that person and who
they are.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
Okay.
So, with that being said, thenme looking at, like I said, the
two individuals who she'stalking about and I can't tell
whether they're neurodivergentor not when does that
neurodivergency issue like?
When does that come up?
When does that experience forthem come up?
Does it come up at differenttimes?
Speaker 2 (04:05):
When does that experience for them come up?
Does it come up at differenttimes?
And so it will just depend.
And so let's say, a lot ofpeople may look at someone,
let's say autism in particular,and so autism is a spectrum, and
so, basically, what one personwith autism looks like, another
person may not look like.
So a lot of people who areneurodivergent some people don't
(04:27):
know that they are unless theystate it to them, but that
doesn't mean that they don'tneed certain things within the
medical field or they don't needthe assistance, just because
some people may see them as notbeing neurodivergent.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
Okay.
So it's basically a silentmedical condition, a silent
health disease condition whenyou're neurodivergent.
A lot of times I'm not going tosay all of the times, but a lot
of times it's silent becauseit's something that's going on
internally that we on theexternal side, we just can't see
.
Correct.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
So it would depend.
It would depend on where theycurrently are.
So when we look atneurodivergent individuals, it
is individuals who have autism,people who have dyslexia or
anyone who has, like, adhd, andso it basically affects the
brain and how they respond toinformation and process that
(05:31):
information.
So we may have some childrenwho have, let's say, asd or ADHD
, and so you may be able to tellby some of the behaviors that
they exhibit, tell by some ofthe behaviors that they exhibit,
while others mainly due to noreal challenging behavior.
(05:52):
But their deficits may be morein the social aspect, in a
social environment.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
Okay, Now I'm going to ask you a question, and I
know it wasn't on the questionlist, but you just brought up a
really valid point that we needto have addressed, and that's
this is it only a chat like canadults become neurodivergent, or
is it like something that'sbeen hit?
They've always been that way,but then it's something that
(06:18):
doesn't come out until they getto adulthood.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
That is an amazing question.
I just had this conversationwith someone a few days ago and
so when I was growing up, myexperience I had an uncle who
was neurodivergent.
I had no idea anything abouthis condition because it often
wasn't talked about and itwasn't addressed in certain
(06:44):
communities.
And then we still haveindividuals who, when they were
younger, maybe they weren'tassessed or maybe the parents
did bring up things to thedoctors and the doctors didn't
go forward with that assessment.
And then in adulthood, as wehave more research and doctors
are, some doctors are going toassist a little more.
(07:06):
Now they're being assessed andthen their needs are being taken
care of.
But a lot of the times you mayrun into doctors to where you're
telling them some of the issuesthat you are facing and they're
brushing it off and so they'renot performing those proper
tests, they're not giving youbased on the whole person, and
(07:26):
so there are some adults whopossibly had different
conditions when they wereyounger and now didn't know it.
At that time their parentsdidn't know it.
They knew something was alittle different, but they
didn't know what it classified,as I actually had a friend of
mine who went through his entirelife and wasn't diagnosed until
(07:51):
he was in college because ateacher pulled him to the side
after school and talked to himabout what she was noticing.
And so that's also important,because there are times where
educators who can also seedifferent things and step in and
try to make assist.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
OK.
I thank you so much?
Yes, because that happens a lot.
It happens a lot with everyone,regardless of their culture,
but especially within ourculture.
Yes, because so many timeswe're being pushed over and not
looked at for things that aregoing on.
Simply because it's easier and,once again, the mission of this
(08:31):
, this podcast, is to letpatients know use your voice.
It's the most powerful schoolyou have.
So if you know you're goingthrough now I mean, of course,
if you're adult now you knowit's too late to say, okay, well
, when you was a kid.
But even now, if you arenoticing something within
yourself and noticing something,or someone mentioned something
(08:52):
to you, take the time toactually have the doctor address
that with you.
Don't keep letting them pushthings off.
They shouldn't be pushed offbecause it impacts you and,
bringing in the family history,part of this, it impacts you and
what it doesn't impact to youis it impacts your family.
(09:16):
So if you don't check thesethings early enough your kids,
your grandkids, yourgreat-great-grandkids, whoever
is in your family it has anopportunity to really negate any
progress that's made,especially when it comes to
medical care, because you'll belooked at and say, oh, that's a
non-compliant patient, thatpatient is not following what
(09:37):
they're supposed to be followingand it's not that.
It's that internally, andsometimes externally, you have
some things going on that arejust not being addressed and I
say it all the time and there'snobody coming to save our
community Absolutely.
So we have to do it right, wehave to do the work, and that
(09:59):
work means this here we need touse it.
We need to speak up.
We need to speak often and Isay speak loud.
And when I say speak loud, I'mnot talking about speaking like
going in there egotistical, likeyou want to rant and you got to
yell and scream.
That's not what I mean.
What I mean is speaking loudenough and with your own
(10:19):
precision, so that theyunderstand that, hey, I'm not
here to play, I'm here to takecare of my business.
So I thank you so much foraddressing that point with me.
Now the other question I havefor you is this what drives you
to help the neurodivergentpatient Like what's the must for
(10:40):
you or the mission for you.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
So my mission?
I will share a little bit moreabout my backstory.
So I do have an uncle Imentioned who is neurodivergent.
When I was younger, I had aseizure and I lost the ability
to talk.
They were able to help me to beable to speak how I'm speaking
(11:11):
today, and so I wanted to makean impact not just an impact on
me, but the impact on the livesof other people, and then, as
I'm helping them, I'm alsohelping their families.
One of the things that youmentioned earlier was the fact
that a lot of especially in ourculture a lot of our children
are diagnosed with differentthings at a later age, because a
(11:33):
lot of doctors don't hear outwhat the parents are saying.
They just brush it off as itbeing something else, and so I
want to educate the communityand ensure that our voices are
also heard and that we areadvocating for those.
A lot of the kids that I workwith, or adults.
They are non-verbal, and sowhat that means they don't have
(11:58):
those vocal skills tocommunicate.
Some may use sign language,some may use a communication
device, and so, but I want toensure that I am helping them to
not just advocate forthemselves, but also their
families to advocate for themtoo and you know and I so
appreciate what you just said,because what you just said goes
(12:19):
to another one of my models andmany people I would say all
people that talk to me.
Speaker 1 (12:25):
When it comes down to patience on any level doing
anything is this Each one teachone, reach one.
If that person hadn't taughtyou, you wouldn't be able to
reach someone else.
So you're taking that each oneteach one model that we so often
hear, that we don't push farenough because we drop off the
(12:46):
reach one we should be each oneteach one, reach one.
And in so doing, that empowersmore patients.
It empowers more caregivers,the internal network, that
support network that's soimportant to patients.
It empowers them, it encouragesthem, it causes them to be
(13:07):
educated about what's going on.
But if all we're doing is eachone teach one, okay, what you
want to do once you get taughtwhat you're doing with that
right, that gift that you'vegiven because you're taught how
to do something, that's aGod-given gift.
None of us are giving giftsjust to sit and hold on to it.
(13:29):
We are all giving gifts to share, which is why I'm thankful
again to you that you didn't sayokay, well, I was taught how to
talk, I ain't worried aboutnobody else.
You was like no, no, come ony'all and like you said some
can't talk I mean some cannottalk for various reasons but for
(13:49):
those that can talk, andencourages them to know your
backstory and to know that, hey,if she did it, I could do it
too.
So I thank you so much fortelling us that story, and I
also bring up an important partthat I want to add to this.
Is this what you're teachingnow and you're teaching young?
You know you're teaching youngpatients now, right, there's
(14:12):
programs that Dr Regina Beer andI got to give her a shout out
knows exactly who she is withkids.
That teaches children how totake and become something in the
healthcare field.
So you can be taught how to bewhat you know.
Do the job that Dr Samika posted.
(14:32):
You could get taught to do thejob that Dr Regina Beard does
and so many other people do inthis field to encourage our
youth, because when our youthare encouraged, they can
encourage their peers, theirpeers can encourage their peers,
and so it grows forth.
So I'm very thankful to youthat you took that model of each
(14:56):
one teach one, reach one anduse it.
And now we're showing othershow to use it in your own
special way, showing others howto use it to make sure that
they're able to make adifference.
Now I do want to ask youanother question, and that's
this Can you give us two storiesof patients, one good story and
(15:19):
one not so good story of apatient, a neurodivergent
patient that you because ofHIPAA I I'm not expected to say
any names if you could just giveus an example of, say, a good
story and a bad story of one, apatient that was neurodivergent,
that went to the doctor'soffice or emergency room, urgent
(15:39):
care hospital to receiveservices?
Speaker 2 (15:44):
and so one of the most difficult things I would
say is when families do go infor the assistance for, let's
say, emergency care, becausethere were high magnitude
challenging behaviors within ahome setting, and they go in and
they don't really get thatassistance.
(16:05):
A lot of the times when they dogo in, doctors are either trying
to medicate right away versusfinding out why the problem is
occurring for them, and thenthere's a lack of understanding,
a lack of research andknowledge on some healthcare
providers when it comes tounderstanding the experience not
(16:29):
just of the learner but also oftheir family and the things
that they are going through.
A lot of the time, some of themedication that they give out
let's say, one of the clientsthat I work with, the medication
may only work with them forthree or four weeks and then
we're back at this bigchallenging behavior and then
(16:53):
another situation I would saythat will turn out for the
better side.
I had a client who did go inand get help from the doctor and
that doctor was able to helpthem to sign up for what's
called a the PONS list, and amedical waiver, and so basically
what that is there's a waitlist typically for, but that
(17:18):
client put their name on thatlist and they were able to get
approved, and so with thatapproval means that the
government will help providefunding so that parents and that
family can receive therapyservices or they can receive
respite care.
And so those are two of theexperience that I have had with
(17:39):
two different clients.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
Thank you so much for that, and I do want to ask you
a question, because you broughtup something that we all need to
know about.
So, as far as the financialfunding and we all know right
now in this country we're going-through a cut across the board.
Is that impacting theneurodivergent patients who can
(18:02):
get medical waivers and theyweren't previously given medical
assistance?
Speaker 2 (18:11):
Yes, so there are different types of insurance.
So there is the Medicaid, andso that's more of government.
And then some people haveprivate insurance.
With private insurance also,there is typically deductibles
that the families have to payout, and so when deductibles go
(18:31):
up, it makes it more difficultfor the parents and the families
to receive those necessaryservices.
And then, when we think aboutthe Medicaid, a lot of providers
don't accept it.
Providers don't accept it, andso it makes it difficult for
families to be able to find aservice provider within that
area that they need that supportin.
(18:53):
And then there's also, due toeverything that is happening
within the government, a lot ofpeople have not either received
funding or there's a possibilityof certain fundings being cut
in the future.
Understand, some states,depending on where you are, are
(19:17):
doing what they can to ensurethat services aren't cut, but
it's important for everyone toknow, based on where they are,
what is happening within theinsurance.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
Okay, and I thank you so much for that.
So are are there supportnetworks that are out that are
not tied to the government,where patients can get help for
the services that they need thatmight be cut from the
government?
Speaker 2 (19:47):
Yes, there is a lot of different nonprofit
organizations that are out thereworking toward providing
different fundings to ensurethat clients are still able to
receive that services, eitherfor free or for a low cost.
I will say that for youngerkids it is typically a lot
(20:08):
easier for them to get servicesthan in adulthood, and so when
someone's an adult it becomesmore difficult for them to get
services because at a certainage most insurance companies I
believe it's 23, don't want toprovide certain services, and so
under 23,.
(20:29):
Some may do it under 21 yearsof age, but it becomes more
difficult for an adult to getthose services that they need.
Speaker 1 (20:38):
Thank you for that.
And what I do want to add towhat you just said is this
that's an unfortunate and it's areally sad part of our society
because, yes, our children areour future.
Yes, we need to pour all thelove and attention we can into
our younger, into our youngpatients, but on the other lip
(21:01):
side of that, which is why manyhelps does the work that we do,
is because the children are onlygoing to be as strong as the
parents are.
So if the parents are fighting,if the parents are not so much
fighting each other, but if theparents are fighting because
they need help and well, I don'tknow where I'm going to get
this help from and their stressand anxiety level is sky high
(21:24):
and through the roof becausethey got to take care of the
kids, they got to take care ofthe house, they got other things
they have to take care of.
So often they don't have thetime to take care of themselves,
whereas if we look at it and wesay, okay, well, you know, the
adults are, you know, equally asimportant as the kids, because
(21:47):
your kids are only going to.
You know, I hear from teachersall the time, and I used to be
teaching myself.
I hear from teachers all thetime that say that they're
having problems with these kids,or this kid is this and this
kid is that.
And then when you actually rollback the film to see why it is
they're having problems, it'sbecause something is going on at
(22:10):
home.
Speaker 2 (22:11):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
That is causing that is rubbing off on the kids, or
the children, and that's why thechildren are like that, because
everybody's lost sight of thefact that the parents are just
as important as the childrenthey really are.
They're that foundation,they're that base that allows
(22:34):
the child to grow, that allowsthe child to think, that allows
the child to see outside, justdown the street, right, they can
dream and they can, you know,think, because they actually
have someone at home that canhelp them to do it.
You know, and when we you know,and that's parents.
But then we got a younger adultwho you know, 18, you come off
(22:57):
of Medicaid.
So you're on your own right now, medicaid.
You're on your own.
But you're also beginning thatstage and sometimes it happens,
younger where you're havingchildren.
Well, guess what, if you don'tstart thinking about having
children before you had them,you're gonna hit it with, hit
with all that stuff in lifethat's going to literally take
(23:20):
you out, and it's going to takeyou out because you wasn't told,
you didn't know, and so fundingis important for adults to
receive, it's as important forthe child to receive.
So thank you so much for that.
And then my last question goahead, dr Samika.
Speaker 2 (23:38):
I want to just go back into what you were just
saying.
A lot of people have tounderstand that those children
who needed help become adultswho are also going to need help,
and so that's why it'simportant to ensure that we
still have that funding whensomeone turns into an adult.
Speaker 1 (23:57):
Yep, and you're so true, and I thank you so much
for bringing that point out.
My last question to you for theday is this tell us about the
Dr Samika Cozy Project, which iscalled the Cozy Project.
Tell us what people can getfrom the Cozy Project and what
(24:18):
exactly it is that you do.
Speaker 2 (24:21):
So I started the Cozy Project in 2018.
We originally just started asan organization for social
change, and so at that time Iworked in Naperville, schaumburg
area in Naperville, schaumburgarea, and then I had clients in
Chicago.
But I saw a difference.
So I saw that some families inNaperville and Schaumburg they
(24:49):
knew about like waivers and theponds list, but a lot of my
families in Chicago had no ideawhat that was, and those were
the families that could utilizemore of those resources and
services.
So we originally started as anorganization just for social
change.
A couple of years later, wetransformed our mission to
providing services, resourcesand services for those who were
(25:13):
neurodivergent, to help connectthem with therapists and then to
also connect them with thefinancial resources that they
will need.
And we also have a monthly mealprogram.
So a lot of our families may nothave the funding.
So we go out and the lastSaturday of every month we
deliver a healthy meal to them,and then we also do community
(25:37):
events.
So this month we are doingwhere we're having people to
nominate amazing mothers andwe're bringing all of those
mothers in and we're providingthem with different essential
items for themselves to ensurethat they're still taking care
of themselves as they're tryingto take care of their families.
(25:57):
We host a number of eventsthroughout the year, especially
in the summer we do a back toschool and make sure that all of
those that we serve have thesupplies that they need
necessary, and then we helpparents do the IEP process.
So the IEP process is typicallya little difficult, especially
(26:18):
for a new family and a newparent who had no idea what this
process will look like.
Because if they go in notknowing that they are also a
part of that team and they havea say-so in what goes on in
their child's education, itworks out better, not just for
them but also for the successand independence of that child.
Speaker 1 (26:43):
I thank you for that.
I do have a final questionbefore you go.
And I do know that you say that.
I just told you it was a finalquestion.
No, you're good, but youbrought up another final
question that I want to ask.
So I know that the project isfor those families that live in
Chicago.
Do you have a listing sayslives in, let's say, minnesota
(27:05):
and they're neurodivergent andthey're having problems finding
resources?
Does your agency, also yourorganization, do they also have
a list where they could do it?
Someone could say, hey, here'ssome places that you can call
that are on the list that willbe able to help you or should be
able to help you.
Speaker 2 (27:23):
Yes, and so we are physically providing services in
the Chicagoland area, but Ihave worked with families as far
as Indiana, minnesota, a fewyears ago, and so with that
we'll still connect them withsomeone in their area, and that
saves them from looking andtrying to figure out who to go
(27:46):
to or where to go, and so I willtypically make all the calls
and make sure that there's nolong wait list, because that's
another challenge that a lot ofour families face.
And then if there are suppliesneeded, like sensory needs for
the family, on our end we aresure to get that order and send
it to the family at no cost forthem, just to make sure until
(28:09):
those services are able to start, we have assisted them.
There is another family thatwe've worked with in Springfield
, to where we will meet withthem biweekly to provide free
services to them until they wereable to find some a therapist
near their location.
Speaker 1 (28:29):
So could you go ahead and give us your contact
information so that we canactually put it in the chat.
And I do want to say that youknow, if you're outside of the
Indiana area, if you're outsideof, say, the Minnesota area or
the Wisconsin area, if you'reoutside of those areas, don't
give up.
You could actually reach out tome and say, hey, sandra, I live
(28:52):
in and I need help.
Do you think Dr Samika and Iwill actually reach out to Dr
Samika and say, hey, we have afamily that, say, lives in New
York and they're facing somechallenges.
Do you have any resources thatwe could actually turn to?
So we don't want you to thinkthat there's no help out here
for you because charms is basedin illinois, we're based in
(29:17):
chicago, but we're a nationalorganization because we realize
that it's not just us in chicagothat needs, it's all over the
country If we have to.
I don't want you bombarding theCozy Project with your
questions when you can send itto me and say, sandra, could you
ask if they know somewhere orfind something for you that can
(29:40):
give you some assistance,because you brought up a really
good point, dr Zameka.
A lot of times these waitinglists, especially right now,
with the cuts.
These waiting lists areoverwhelmingly burdensome and
there are ways that we can getyou certain items as well to
(30:00):
actually assist you for a momentor two until you can get on
your feet.
I'm not saying gives youanything, because when people
get stuff it's given to them, alot of times they don't use it
or a lot of times they feel like, okay, well, they're giving it
to me, why should I keep going?
No, this ain't about giving youanything.
It's about assisting you tomake sure that your patient
experience is healthy.
(30:21):
So could you give us yourcontact information, Dr Samika,
so we can actually have it putin the chat for people please?
Speaker 2 (30:30):
Yes, and so our website is thecozyprojectcom.
SoT-H-E-C-O-S-E-Y-P-R-O-J-E-C-Tcom
.
Our phone number, where you canreach us at, is 224-409-8811.
Or you can directly call me at773-799-6546.
(30:55):
On Facebook, you can find us atthe Cozy Project.
Just put that in and you shouldbe able to find us.
If you send a message to us,we'll typically respond within
an hour or so us.
Speaker 1 (31:08):
If you send a message to us, we'll typically respond
within an hour or so.
Speaker 2 (31:11):
Okay, so I'm going to ask you to do me a favor, and I
want you to slow down and do it.
Speaker 1 (31:15):
Okay.
Say your phone number.
We have your Facebook, we haveyour website.
Are you only on Facebook?
Are you on LinkedIn or anyother social media platform?
Speaker 2 (31:23):
Yes, so you can find me on Instagram and then also on
LinkedIn.
You will simply type in my nameuh, Samika cozy S a M M I K.
A last name C O S E Y.
Speaker 1 (31:40):
Okay, so we're gonna.
Okay, so we actually have it,and then the last thing I want
you to do is give us your phone,the organization's phone number
for those that want to reachout, please.
Speaker 2 (31:54):
Yes, 224-409-8811.
Speaker 1 (32:03):
OK so let me see if that's been caught or if we need
to.
Okay, so she has it.
So all of that information isin the notes.
It's actually on the video.
So if you need to go back andlook at the video, I encourage
you to do so.
You can find a video andactually it's also on podcast.
(32:24):
So it's on the podcast channels.
It's on our YouTube channel,which is MediHelps, which is
M-E-D-I hyphen H-E-L-P-Z Onceagain, M-E-D-I hyphen H-E-L-P-Z.
If you are looking, if you havea patient experience story that
(32:44):
you want to put out there,patient experience story that
you want to put out there,please contact us at
medihelpscom, which iswwwmedihelpcom, we are taking
additional guests.
However, those additionalguests we're scheduling for now
is between November and January,so if you're interested in
(33:07):
coming on, you have a patientstory that you want to share,
whether you're a patient orwhether you're a part of the
patient's internal network, evenif you're a provider that
offers things for patients thatwe need to have, or a medical
supplier that can actually havesome information for patients to
share, please do reach out.
We would love to hear from youand, more importantly, I would
(33:29):
love for the patients to hearfrom you so that they stop.
You know, when they get adiagnosis and they get a
prognosis, they stop thinkingit's the end of the world,
because it's not.
Dr Samika said it herself.
There was a point in time whereshe couldn't talk.
Look at her now.
She really couldn't talk.
So it's amazing that what youknow and I'm a very spiritual
(33:53):
person this is amazing whatmiracles God can pull out of
people, Right?
So please, you know, reach outto us.
We would love to hear from you.
And at the end of this videosession, I have to remind
everyone being kind is free.
It doesn't cost a penny, notone penny.
(34:13):
When you're looking for freestuff, put being kind at the top
of that list, because itdoesn't cost anything and it
means so much to so many peoplewho are going through life, just
you know, willy-nilly goingthrough life not knowing what
direction they should be goingin.
So we will talk to you nexttime.
Our next podcast is scheduledfor Monday and we will be
(34:37):
talking about patient experiencefrom the trauma point.
So please do tune in and thanksso much for taking time to
listen today.
Thanks, Dr Samika.
Thank you.
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