By Anita Lesko, BSN, RN, MS, CRNA

We do it every day, without thinking about it.  Talking.  It’s how we communicate with everyone, from loved ones to co-workers, business associates and total strangers.  It is our key to life.  If that key is somehow not functioning correctly, that door won’t open like it does for everyone else.  You may even be trapped inside your own body not knowing how to get out.  Thankfully, there are very special people who can enable the individual to “activate” that language key, opening the world for them.  Speech Language Pathologists and Audiologists are the professionals who give the gift of a new life to those needing such help.

I have the distinct honor of being friends with Eustacia Cutler, who is the mother of world famous Dr. Temple Grandin.  We Skyped together just a few days ago.  Typically we just talk on the phone, but we decided to look at each other while talking!

During the course of conversation, not surprisingly, Temple’s name came up.  Eustacia started talking about Mrs. Reynolds, the lady who conducted speech therapy classes in her basement, who opened that speech language door for Temple.  Had there not been a “Mrs. Reynold’s” back then to enable Temple to learn to speak, where would the autism community be today?  Certainly not as far as we have come.  Temple was the pioneer of the autism world.  Mrs. Reynolds made it happen.

Each individual who needs the services of Speech Language Pathologists and/or Audiologists will reap the benefits of their expertise for the rest of their life.  It will enable that person to pursue avenues that would never have been possible without that therapy.  

I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every Speech Language Pathologist and Audiologist for all their hard work and loving care they put into their jobs.  I’d bet that sometimes it feels like an invisible job.  There aren’t accolades coming your way each day.  But rest in your heart the divine difference you make in the lives of those you serve.  You enable them to have their best life possible.  That is the greatest gift of all.

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