Baby Boomer`s road trip with elderly parents

Released on = September 10, 2006, 8:16 pm

Press Release Author = Sue Woodward

Industry = Healthcare

Press Release Summary = DATE: 9/11/06



From: The Solution Place, Glen Arbor, MI & Olympia, WA

Contact: Wendy Garrido, 360-426-6478 or Sue Woodward, 888-228-4492

Sue is available for radio, tv interviews on the road



Sue Woodward is on the road, taking her 80 plus year old parents cross-country in a
motor home she purchased off of E-bay. This touching and humorous story of dealing
with her Dad, who suffered with a series of mini-strokes, and Sue's commitment to
keeping him on the move, resulted in The Labor Pains of Death, the first part of a
series of stories as they begin their trip out west. It is a touching contrast to
the woes of the world, and presented with a wonderful, intuitive sense of the true
meaning of life, family and love.





Press Release Body = PRESS RELEASE - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE



"BABY BOOMER\'S ROAD TRIP WITH ELDERLY PARENTS"



DATE: 9/11/06



From: The Solution Place, Glen Arbor, MI & Olympia, WA

Contact: Wendy Garrido, 360-426-6478 or Sue Woodward, 888-228-4492

Sue is available for radio, tv interviews on the road



Sue Woodward is on the road, taking her 80 plus year old parents cross-country in a
motor home she purchased off of E-bay. This touching and humorous story of dealing
with her Dad, who suffered with a series of mini-strokes, and Sue's commitment to
keeping him on the move, resulted in The Labor Pains of Death, the first part of a
series of stories as they begin their trip out west. It is a touching contrast to
the woes of the world, and presented with a wonderful, intuitive sense of the true
meaning of life, family and love.



Sue Woodward is a published writer, co-owner of North Star Family Matters, a new
empowered parenting magazine to commence November of
this year, the mother and single parent of three daughters, a successful
entrepreneur and creative guru who manages businesses and artists. She grew up in
Detroit, MI and eventually moved to New York City where she had an illustrious
career as Photo Operations Manager of Newsweek Magazine. She traveled throughout the
world, coordinating photo coverage for news breaking events, and managed a
department of 50 people. Then she moved on to become vice president of a celebrity
charter jet company, manage an eccentric stock-broker's business and finally started
her own consulting business.



When she ended up a single parent of three young daughters, she decided to take five
years off to spend time with them, eventually relocating to her childhood summer
vacation area, Glen Arbor MI. She and her children made this their home, living on
Glen Lake, and surprisingly Sue landed a job as vice president of an engineering
company located only 5 miles away.



Now her children are graduated from or in college and, Sue is focusing on her
writing, her innovative business consulting which incorporates profit sharing to any
company, writer, and/or artist she manages. The Solution Place provides the
advertising, public relations and management support in return for a monthly stipend
plus a percentage of future profits. "We build a team atmosphere resulting in more
money for everyone over time."



Sue also has over 12 years experience in private hospice care, which has resulted in
the commencement of this story, The Labor Pains of Death, which will be followed by
the story of her next adventure as she takes her elderly parents cross country in
her newly purchases motor home, or the "movable nursing home."



"Her emotionally touching and humorous writing brings laughter and sense of reality
to all aspects of life in general. " author, Dr. Jay Littell, Leland, MI



Sample Chapters



The Labor Pains of Death by Sue Woodward



His nickname is Woody. He stands on the tennis court at the age of 87, getting ready
to serve another ball, although his toss now typically rises only 2- 3 inches above
his head and typically results in the ultimate destination being the net. I
repeatedly explain the trajectory theory that he so fervently explained to me when I
was a kid, "Dad, if you toss the ball higher, you have a better angle to clear the
net." Now the words get volleyed around in his damaged brain, confusing him even
more. The quick, mathematical executive who managed an accounting department at the
Ford Rouge Plant is now diminished by a series of mini-strokes that closed off his
logical intelligence. Yesterday he came outside in the rain, with one shoe on and
one shoe off. Fortunately for those of us who love him his great sense of humor and
charm remain.



He reaches into his pocket for another ball, tosses it not more than three inches
above his head and follows through with a surprisingly powerful serve, making
excellent contact. Suddenly credit cards launch throughout the court, followed with
a trail of one dollar bills--the maximum denomination allowed him these days. Woody
just served his wallet.



There is a moment of shock as we grasp the reality of what just happened. It flashes
through our minds in a nanosecond. "How could a person's brain mistake a flat,
smooth wallet for a fuzzy round ball?" Then, we laugh so hard we all have tears in
our eyes. It feels so healthy to laugh, and Woody laughs with us. My daughter and my
nephew gather up the valued remnants of his past life from his pocketed world. After
the credit cards, invalidated driver's license, and dollar bills are put back in
order, we begin to play once again. Within five minutes play is halted once again
as now Woody's bathing suit is down to his knees, somehow extricating itself from
under his white tennis shorts, which remain in the proper waist location. Once again
he has accomplished the impossible. After another bout of laughter, I walk over to
him, reach down into his shorts, hoping to haul the bathing suit up to its proper
place. He looks at me aghast, raising his eyebrows, questioning my right to put my
hand down his pants and says, "Now watch it. Don't go taking anything that doesn't
belong to you."



I reply, "Dad, there isn't anything down there I want or need!" We laugh once again.



It was the fall of 2004 when their lives changed drastically. Drastic change had
occurred once before when my brother had committed suicide forty some years ago.
This time natural causes would drive them to the edge of their sanity. Easter
Sunday Woody went to my Mom's sister house in Florida to pick Gladys up for dinner.
He found her sitting in a chair, covered with bodily waste, unable to move. She had
suffered a stroke. That summer they remained in Florida so they could be close to
her and support her. That was the summer of Jeanne, Charley, Frances and Ivan-the
hurricanes of Florida. Twice they evacuated their home, twice my broken and fragile
Aunt was schlepped to sleep on the floor some place in Orlando. They returned home
to a house with broken windows, missing parts of roof, and tremendous water damage.
We drove down to pick them up, going into the nursing home and asking my Aunt to
come home with us also. She did, and spent the last nine months of her life living
with us, laughing with us, and helping us let go of her.



The torrential weather beat them down both physically and emotionally, ruining their
concept of a peaceful, warm winter in Florida. The demise of my Gladys took another
toll on them. It was a difficult time and now, 1-1/2 years later my parents were
looking forward to their new house and their old life in Florida, their winter home,
ready to live what was left of their life to the fullest. .





((If interested please request the total story))




Web Site = http://www.nothstargurus.com

Contact Details = Sue Woodward
7627 South Dune Highway
Empire, MI 49630
231 499 8618
michkaleid@aol.com

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