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10 Thursday, May 19, 2005 TODAY The speech therapy team at the Outpatient Rehabilitation Center poses for a group photograph. Pictured are (back row, from left) Ginger Williams, student intern from University of Hawaii, Deborah Hicks, speech therapist, Melissa Backstrom, clinical manager of speech therapy and occupational therapy, and Gary Lucas, senior speech pathologist. On the front row are (from left) Kerri Hinkle, speech pathologist, and Erika Nevin, speech therapist. Speech therapy helps patient communicate with family For Chalitta Hansberry, the sound of her three young sons’ voices is music to her ears. But until her second child, Kejani, started receiving speech therapy at Loma Linda University Outpatient Rehabilitation Center in May, 2004, it was a musical piece missing a part. Born August 2, 2002, Kejani had many problems requiring special care from a variety of disciplines. “He’s come so far because of the specialized services he’s received at Loma Linda,” says Ms. Hansberry. “He’s gone from not being able to roll over to running around independently. He likes being rough, anything physical. “We made it our mission to get him to Loma Linda,” says Ms. Hansberry once she knew the extent of his problems. Since March, 2003, Kejani has been impaired in his speech from a tracheostomy. The procedure helped correct several of his pulmonary problems, including tracheomalasia, a softening of his tracheal cartilage. He was also diagnosed with a hearing problem, bilateral moderate hearing loss. Kejani began wearing a hearing aid in February to compensate for his hearing loss. He was one of the first to be tested on the computer hearing test at the audiology department. These problems severely delayed Kejani’s speech development, making it very difficult for him to even want to communicate with his mother and older brother, Ojore. Speech therapy helped change that. “In one year of therapy I’ve seen more confidence in trying to communicate and more verbalization,” says Ms. Hansberry. Kejani visits the Outpatient Rehabilitation Center twice a week for his speech therapy. His first therapist, Gary Lucas, senior speech pathologist, evaluated his needs and started his treatment plan. Now, Erika Nevin, pediatric speech pathologist, sees Kejani when he comes. One of the first things speech therapy did for Kejani was to equip him with a Passy-Muir Speaking Valve. The valve connects to the end of Kejani’s trache tube. The valve has a flap that allows air to be inhaled through the trache, but then closes and forces air out through the mouth, activating the vocal cords and enabling speech. “That was really exciting for us to hear him because he got a trache put in when he was 3 months old, so it was the first time we really got to hear him. “Family helps to motive him,” remarks Ms. Hansberry, who recently gave birth to her third son, Ishmaiah. Often, Kejani’s older brother will come to the therapy sessions after school. “The main lesson I learned from him is this: if he can go through all this and still be happy, what’s my problem?” says Ms. Hansberry. At first, Kejani did not like the Passy-Muir Speaking Valve. But since speech therapy helped him adjust to it, he wears it all the time. “Now he’s talking nonstop since Gary fitted him with the valve,” smiles Ms. Hansberry. And that’s exactly how she wants it. Kejani Hansberry Letha Graham (right) prepares to blow out her candles to celebrate her 99th birthday during the Heritage Society dinner. Ms. Graham is assisted by Sherri Vasquez, MBA, director of development, School of Nursing. Loma Linda University Medical Center hosts dinner for Heritage Society members On Monday evening, April 11, Heritage Society members were treated to a dinner in Wong Kerlee International Conference Center. Each member was provided with a free copy of the updated book, Legacy, the story of Loma Linda University and Loma Linda University Medical Center. The book, written by Richard Schaefer, historian of Loma Linda University, was updated for the centennial year. Mr. Schaefer was also on hand to sign and personalize each copy. A special video presentation about the neonatal intensive care unit was then shown. The video, prepared by Patricia K. Thio, office of University relations, follows two families that had infants in the NICU ward. Following the video, Zareh Sarrafian, MBA, administrator, Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital, interviewed the Esparza family, one of the families featured in the video. During the dinner, Mr. Schaefer presented a special slide show commemorating the 100 years of Loma Linda University. Richard H. Hart, MD, DrPH, chancellor of Loma Linda University, and B. Lyn Behrens, MBBS, president of Loma Linda University, updated society members on the new Centennial Campaign as well as other future developments for both the University and the Medical Center. Part of the new developments include the Centennial Complex and the Centennial Pathway. The Centennial Complex will be located where Gentry Gymnasium is currently located and will feature smart classrooms, laboratories, and two large amphitheaters. The Centennial Pathway will begin at Magan Hall with a Founder’s Plaza and will feature 365 pavers for each year of Loma Linda’s first century of service. Special pavers commemorating major events or milestones in the University and Medical Center’s history will be embedded in the pathway within the year they took place. In addition, the names of people whose lives have been impacted by Loma Linda or who have had a part in fulfilling its mission will be engraved on individual granite pavers throughout the Pathway. Following the presentation of Drs. Hart and Behrens, J. Lynn Martell, DMin, vice president of advancement, Loma Linda University Adventist Health Sciences Center, hosted a question and answer session on the Centennial Campaign. Membership in the Heritage Society is extended to anyone who includes a gift to Loma Linda University, Loma Linda University Medical Center, and/or LLU Children’s Hospital as part of his or her estate plan. Donors who make these types of provisions do so through a bequest in their will, a trust, a gift annuity, pooled income fund participation, a life insurance policy, or other planned gift. Heritage Society members receive Loma Linda University and Medical Center publications, a handsome certificate suitable for framing, and invitations to special recognition events. If you or someone you know would like more information about the Heritage Society, call the office of the vice president for advancement at (909) 558- 4597, or write: Heritage Society, office of the vice president for advancement, Loma Linda University and Medical Center, Loma Linda, California 92354. Zareh Sarrafian, MBA, administrator, Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital, interviews Denise, Tony, and Tommy Esparza.
TODAY Thursday, May 19, 2005 11 Mount Kilimanjaro climb inspires collaborative leadership Editor’s note: The following article was written by Albin H. Grohar, PhD, executive director of advancement, Loma Linda University, about his climb of Mount Kilimanjaro earlier this year. What once was just illusive, wishful thinking for me, became reality when Richard Hart, MD, DrPH, chancellor of Loma Linda University, invited me to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in January of 2005. I had fancied the idea of climbing Africa’s highest peak (5,895 meters or 19,341 feet) for some years. But fancying it is far from actually doing it. Having accepted Dr. Hart’s invitation, the intimidating reality of such an enormous commitment set in. No doubt about it, I was fearful! Background For Dr. Hart, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro was to be a family event. He asked his three daughters (Chandra, Briana, and Kari) to attempt this challenging climb with him, to make for an unparalleled family memory. Chandra’s husband, Charlie, came along, as well as a nurse volunteer who worked at the Adventist hospital in Gimbie, Ethiopia, where Chandra is chief executive officer. I felt honored to be invited—seven aspiring climbers in all. The purpose of this piece, however, is not to detail Kili’s challenging climb. Much expert writing and counsel has been devoted to this topic. Daunting? Yes! Was it hard? Absolutely! One of us well noted, “it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done.” Did Kili challenge one’s selfconfidence? Often! Did we have to look to our innermost psychological resources to meet the challenge? Every step of the 70-mile journey! Let there be no doubt! The world’s highest free-standing mountain—climbing this enormous rock—can fill many wouldbe climbers with uncertainty. But again, this piece is less about a personal climbing adventure, and more about the observations of an amateur student of organizational behavior concerning the factors that may have led to success in this enterprise—shared leadership and team spirit. These were the lessons gathered by this writer on this intrepid journey. The value of collaborative leadership Extraordinary enterprises— major construction efforts, capital or political campaigns, relieving the sequel of natural disasters— call for shared or collaborative leadership. While a single leader may be able to orchestrate an effort’s accomplishment, an enterprise’s complexity may dictate the need for shared leadership. Our Kili climb was a pertinent example. Our chancellor, Dr. Hart, conceived the climb. By virtue of his position, professionally and as a leader for his family, and example, Dr. Hart’s leadership is unquestioned. Yet, his eldest daughter, Chandra, was relied on to coordinate the logistics for the challenging climb of the Mount— scheduling, negotiating, dealing with government representatives in two countries, contracting guides and porters, transportation, food and lodging, managing finances, and other resources. All of us, professionals in our own right, accepted and depended on her leadership in orchestrating the trip’s indispensable preparatory steps. We undisputedly allowed and expected her to lead. To a person, we trusted Chandra’s demonstrated organizational and relational skills applied in the Kenyan and Tanzanian contexts. Everything fell into place like clockwork. As the climb began, and through the journey’s six days, leadership was seamlessly transferred to the company hired to guide the climb and porter our supplies. With more than 1,000 person-climbs of experience, the selected Tanzanian company guided impeccably, pacing, stopping, acclimatizing, monitoring team members’ stresses, pushing, encouraging, and when needed, waiting. Again, to a person, we implicitly trusted Bongo and Julius, our guides, and accepted, yes, expected them to assume leadership for the climbing elements of this effort. They read our physical and psychological status with great accuracy and acted accordingly in leading us through the mental struggles we experienced during the climb. As they took the mantel of leadership, they earned our respect. We followed them through each stage without hesitation. Yet, we knew that Chandra was always on standby to reassume leadership on organizational issues if circumstances called for this. There are enterprises for which success may be achieved only in the context of shared or collaborative leadership. Perhaps there is a direct correlation between the complexity of the effort at hand and the need for collaborative leadership. Shared leadership requires leaders’ willingness to share their leading roles, to recognize the varied talents of potential co-leaders and other members of a project’s team, and to elicit such talents to accomplish the complex task at hand. Team-building Climbing Kilimanjaro involved ascending the huge rock over fourand-a-half days and descending it for a day and a half. During the last 30 hours of the journey, we walked an exhausting 20 hours. Some altitude sickness—nausea, headache, lack of appetite—was a reality for Loma Linda University chancellor Richard H. Hart, MD, DrPH (right), with his three daughters (from left), Kari Hidalgo, Chandra Baier, and Briana Jack, poses for a photograph at Mount Kilimanjaro’s summit. several of our climbers. Additionally, at 15,000 to 19,000 feet, our anaerobic thresholds were substantially lower than when closer to sea level. Hypothermia became a reality for me. Despite the effect of these on body and mind, there was the unrelenting “pole, pole” (slowly, slowly) upward pace toward the summit. As we prepared to climb the last 1,200 meters, or 4,000 feet, I fearfully noted, “well, tonight we attempt to summit.” Charlie Baier’s response was immediate and unequivocal: “Albin, we will all summit”—an exemplary commitment to defining our mission’s success not as a single person’s achievement, but as a team’s mutually supportive, individually self-denying effort. And so it was, that the last 4,000 foot, eight-hour, through-thenight, tortured trek in sub-freezing, wind-chilled temperatures was conquered in painstaking starts and stops. We watched companions gasp for ever diminishing molecules of oxygen as we approached 19,300 feet. We fought the urge to stop the suffering, even as we saw exhausted members of other climbing teams being ushered to safer, lower altitudes without having summited. At one point, noting our frequent, judicious rest stops, one of our members moved impulsively forward and asked Bongo, our lead guide: “what’s the plan, man?” Our young companion seemed anxious and impatient to keep moving despite others’ need to recoup. Bongo’s experienced response was concise and closed to any argument: “We wait as long as necessary, and move forward as we can.” The result of the team’s effort…all seven of us reached Uhuru Peak, Mount Kilimanjaro’s summit! We exhilarated at our success, at the outstanding scenery Kilimanjaro’s top offered of the gigantic glaciers and Tanzanian landscape, at each member’s unrelenting effort and achievement! Unspoken in the thin-aired altitude were prayers of gratitude …and praise for His marvelous architecture. More than anything else, we wanted all of us to succeed together. Anything short of that would have been disappointing, demoralizing. Summiting without all seven was never in our thinking! Everyone cared for each other, shared each other’s load, drank from each other’s water bottles, ate from each other’s bowls, waited for one another when necessary. Underlying this trek, firmly convicted, we wanted to ensure the other’s success. For us, this was an incredible achievement for the entire team! No one person took any credit. No one boasted of individual effort. If there was any pain, we all shared in it as we could. Yet at Uhuru Peak, the beaming smiles for each other and the spirit of unity were unmistakable. The climb reminded me that complex enterprises depend on the trust, self-sacrifice, vulnerability, and cooperation intrinsic in true teamwork for their success. Team members rely on and facilitate the use of each other’s strengths and shore up their weaknesses. On this Kili climb, these attributes were displayed readily, thoroughly, unsolicitedly. Shared leadership and teamwork helped our team to walk beyond the clouds to Kilimanjaro’s summit. Although evaporating at the rate of two-thirds of a mile annually, Mount Kilimanjaro’s glaciers are still impressive. All seven members of Dr. Hart’s group successfully made the trek to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro.
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