The commencement, that right of passage from the academic life to the "real world," is generally not a newsworthy event, except to the participants and their families. But the Sept. 1995 commencement at Life College, the "centennial anniversary commencement," no less, had one intriguing angle: the graduation of Mary DeRose, 50, and her youngest son, Michael, 26.
For Mary DeRose, it was the culmination of a long and difficult journey. After separating from her husband, she continued to raise her two boys, Charles and Michael, went back to school to obtain her nursing degree (1984), and pursued a nursing career.
While visiting her eldest son, Charles, who at the time was playing rugby for Life, she found herself looking at the school as more than a visiting parent, and considered a second career change.
Meanwhile, Michael, the younger son, was also considering a change of direction. While in his senior year of a business management degree at Ithaca College in New York, he was feeling uneasy about his employment possibilities.
The decision for a mother and her son to elect to pursue careers in chiropractic was, while unusual, not extraordinary. But that they chose to enroll in the same entering class at Life college -- well that was going to take a few adjustments. "It was extremely difficult in the beginning," Michael recalled. "Not only was it back to having a mother-son relationship again, but now ... you are classmates."
Mary found her classmates treated her like a mother. "For the first year I couldn't open the door for myself," she recalls.
Mary and Michael laughed that some students didn't believe they were mother and son, even mistaking them for sister and brother, or more often for husband and wife. But besides sharing laughs, Mary and Michael acquired a new-found respect, admiration and friendship for each other while attending Life. Mary enjoyed watching Michael growing up from this new, closer perspective, and Michael found pride in his mother's courage to change careers: "I'm 100 times more proud of my mom, because she's not doing what people her age do. She had the chutzpah to quit it all ... and go back to school again. She's had more obstacles than me."
After graduation, Mary and Michael are going separate directions: Mike is going into practice with his best friend, Steve Levy, in McClean, Virginia. Mike's finacee, Molly Melchior, who recently received a diploma as a chiropractic assistant, will run the office. Mary is considering returning to Buffalo, New York to be an associate in a practice.
When sports chiropractors first appeared at the Olympic Games in the 1980s, it was alongside individual athletes who had experienced the benefits of chiropractic care in their training and recovery processes at home. Fast forward to Paris 2024, where chiropractic care was available in the polyclinic for all athletes, and the attitude has now evolved to recognize that “every athlete deserves access to sports chiropractic."
It is estimated that 61% of patients with CTS avoid taking surgical options due to postoperative complications and costly surgical procedures. Chiropractic care offers a comprehensive and effective treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome, addressing the condition from multiple angles. Recent studies also have unveiled a game-changing adjunct to chiropractic treatments for CTS: nerve flossing.
Some doctors thrive in a personality-based clinic and have a loyal following no matter what services or equipment they offer, but for most chiropractic offices who are trying to grow and expand, new equipment purchases help us stay relevant and continue to service our client base in the best, most up-to-date manner possible. So, regarding equipment purchasing: should you lease, get a bank loan, or pay cash?
