My Chiropractic Story
When I first met Dr White I had no idea what chiropractic was. I was walking through the Market Place on Saturday 19 September 1999 and noticed a sign offering a complementary postural analysis. I had been having a lot of trouble over the past year with a severe “cricked” neck and “tennis elbow”. It was spoiling my life as I had given up my running, swimming and aerobics, I couldn’t move freely without pain. So I thought I would queue up and see what advice I could get. This very friendly man introduced himself as Dr Roger White. After screening me Dr White suggested that he could help me relieve my pain and that I could lead a normal life again. I booked an appointment for 21st September 1999, my birthday.
I found Dr White a very attentive, polite, professional and confident person. My treatment started, but over the next two months I kept waking up and not being able to move my neck without being in awful pain. Dr White was amazing. He would tell me to come in as soon as possible and he would adjust my neck. This happened so many times it became embarrassing for me, but he genuinely didn’t mind. It was so unexpected to find someone who was so dedicated and caring.
Ten months later Dr White employed me. He instilled the confidence in my own ability to become a chiropractic assistant. Chiropractic has changed my life from someone who has never worked, to Dr White’s chiropractic assistant and now his office manager. Being pain free allowed me to have the energy and self-belief to change most aspects of my life.
I have seen so many patients that have come to us as a “last resort”. They have been let down so many times by traditional medicine or other forms of treatment they can be nervous, untrusting or even sceptical when they walk through our front door for the first time. Then they meet us, they start chiropractic care, they get to know and trust us. All our patients look forward to coming to visit us because they know we genuinely have their best interests at heart. We take time to listen to them and we openly care and support them through every aspect of their recovery.
What makes me love this job so much is that I see patients in so much pain that they can’t sit down, move their neck or even walk properly. Simple basic things we all take for granted like a good nights sleep, driving a car, sitting down at work, shopping or even laughing. It is ruining their whole quality of life. For me to be part of their recovery is the most incredible and rewarding experience and I truly love it. I listen to their stories as to how chiropractic has improved their whole outlook on life. For example, they can now go to the gym, swim, play golf, change jobs, go on holiday, go on a diet, play with their children. What other form of care can do that?
A bit about me!
I was born in Dublin in 1963. I will refer to my mother and father as the parents who raised and loved me.
The other 'set' of parents will be known as my biological parents. They met in a band and times were not as simple as they are now. I had an English (biological father) and Chinese (biological mother). In that time they would be spat at whilst walking down Dublin streets. So when I came along it was not appropriate to keep me, so my biological mother was persuaded to put me up for adoption. My biological mother came from a very strict family in China and was one of 13 brothers and sisters. She never told them about me until 13 years later, she didn’t have the courage. They named me Mei-Mei which means little sister.
Three days later a friend of my mother (Betty Wallace) said "Betty there is the cutest little Chinese baby that has just come in, you must come and have a look!" So that was it, mum and dad came along and fell in love with me and three weeks later I was in my new home with a brother 6 years older than me and a sister 5 years older than me (these were mum and dads natural children).
My earliest memories are of laughter, noise, freedom to express myself and the knowledge of how special I was. I had been picked from hundreds of other babies. They wanted me so much. So I never grew up with any hang ups about it. I was always fascinated and a bit confused when I would proudly say from the early age "I am adopted!" that people would look down at their shoes and say "Oh, I'm sorry!"
When I was 12 my mum got a letter from the adoption society enclosing a letter from my biological parents requesting information about my welfare. Mum sat me next to her and said that they had actually got married two months after the adoption and have taken all this time to pluck up the courage to get in touch. She gave me the letters to read and asked me what I would like to do. I said I was not sure, what did she think? I was worried she would think I was being disloyal if I wanted to meet them. I will never forget her love and wisdom. "It is not my decision to make, it is yours, whatever you want to do is fine by me."
Once all the red tape was finalized (I was 13), it was arranged that they should come and visit us. I was hiding up in my bedroom looking out of the window when the car pulled up. I remember like it was yesterday, my stomach was churning and I felt sick. I watched the car door open and a shiny headed bald man got out! Then this beautiful Chinese woman with the longest blackest hair got out.
I could hear them talking to mum downstairs and then the dreaded moment. "Mei-Mei, they are hear, come downstairs please and meet them."
I walked downstairs and just stood there feeling really stupid and embarrassed and blushing so much I started sweating. My biological father just roared with laughter and walked toward me arms outstretched, grabbed me, picked me up and nearly squeezed me to death. He said "We have waited for 13 years to do this" My biological mother was a lot more reserved and smiled a beautiful smile and said "Hello Mei-Mei, my name is XXX"
They came with lunch. My brother and I were horrified and fascinated as we watched my biological mother chop and dissect the poor chicken with a meat cleaver. Everything was used and I mean everything and cooked in a big wok. This was my first taste of Chinese food. The next day it was fish and I was horrified when I watched my biological mother suck out the brains of the fish head and then eat the eye ball!
I liked them, mum liked them and in my school holidays I would go and visit them and be spoilt rotten. This was when I did ask them why they didn't want to keep me. They said that they did, they were told not too. They were young so did as they were told, but have always regretted it. That is why they searched for me.
This was a lovely reassuring thing to know. My mum was never threatened by any of this. She wanted me to do what I needed to do. She loved me so much and I do miss her.
I got married at 19, had two beautiful children, stayed at home looking after them, and then the rest is in my book introduction.