Working with Disabled Athletes is Dr. Heagy's Tribute to a Lost Friend
Dr. Danita Thomas Heagy, a 1982 Life graduate, finds inspiration in working with disabled athletes. Her experiences with her best friend from high school, Sandy Brubaker, steered her toward caring for disabled athletes. Sandy, a track athlete and cheerleader, lost her left arm to cancer, but returned to both activities. Sandy competed in the Seoul Paralympics, setting an American Paralympics discus record. She qualified for the 1992 Barcelona Paralympics, but died of cancer in 1993.
"My (working with disabled athletes) is a tribute to her," said Dr. Heagy. Presenting the seminar, "The Disabled and Challenged Athlete" during Life's Homecoming, she said her experiences treating disabled athletes was a joy.
Dr. Heagy's affinity for sports led her to participate on the volunteer team that went to the Goodwill Games in Moscow in 1986. She and Dr. Nell Williams were the only female DCs on the treating team.
Dr. Heagy, who is the past president of Life's Alumni Association, was named ICA's "Sports Chiropractor of the Year" in March, and an ICA Fellow in April. She was appointed to the Florida State Board of Examiners last year by Florida Governor Lawton Chiles.
Dr. Charles Register (l) traveled from Moscow (the one in Russia, not the namesakes in Idaho or Pennsylvania) to attend Life College's Homecoming festivities. He was happy to renew old acquaintances with Dr. Sid Williams, Life's founder and president.
Life President Dr. Sid Williams (r) congratulates Dr. Alan Brady on his speech and his daughter's graduation.
Alan Brady, DC, a chiropractor for 30 years and president of the Chiropractic Society of Australia, gave the commencement speech to 345 graduating students, including his daughter, Sheridan, at ceremonies at Life College on June 14.
Dr. Brady asserted that the profession is "becoming philosophically impotent, scientifically sterile, and artistically promiscuous."
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?
