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Our Authors' Stories
Carol
Langenfeld
Just weeks after the
birth of her son, Eric, in 1977, Carol began to experience symptoms
of scleroderma, a connective tissue disease. Her hands were in
pain,
hot, and swollen. She had constant "acid indigestion," found
swallowing painful, and her chest ached when she breathed. A specialist
correctly diagnosed Carol, more than a year later.
Six months later, she had surgery to implant a cardiac pacemaker,
after the first of many occasionally life-threatening medical events
Carol still lives with
the damage from scleroderma, but with the help of medications,
daily naps when possible, and the help and encouragement of friends
and
family, she has learned to "live with" illness, and has
used her experience in her practice as a counselor. Carol is a
Licensed
Professional Counselor with a Master's degree in Counseling from
the University of Dayton. She completed the Clinical Training in
Mind/Body Medicine program at Harvard Medical School's Mind/Body
Medical Institute and the National Institute of Clinical Behavioral
Medicine's Advanced Training Certification Program in Mind/Body
Medicine.
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Doug
Langenfeld
In 1991, Doug became
more than the spouse of someone with chronic illness-he became
a patient. A year-long headache finally led him to see his doctor,
whose testing confirmed that he had a tumor on his pituitary gland
(controls the endocrine system), just below the brain, near the
optic nerve. Surgery followed, along with radiation, and an assortment
of medications to balance his endocrine system and treat complications.
Doug eventually changed careers as a result of his health and
now assists clients in investment and financial planning matters,
along
with writing articles focused on living with illness. In his "spare
time" he is writing another book, I Can't Get Sick, I've
Got Work to Do. Doug holds an M.B.A. in Finance from Miami
University, Oxford, Ohio, and is a Certified Public Accountant.
For 23 years,
he was a partner with an international consulting firm, Ernst & Young,
serving healthcare clients.
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Nancy
Groves
Nancy Groves, M.S.W.,
author of Faith & Illness: Reflections on God's Sustaining
Love, is an educator and counselor with over 20 years experience.
She has given numerous workshops at hospitals, universities, and
churches on meeting the emotional needs of people facing chronic
and life-threatening illnesses. As a medical social worker, she
spent many hours listening to people of all ages who opened their
hearts and shared their internal struggles and fears as they faced
a serious illness. From those experiences, she learned that many
people feel isolated and overwhelmed with the emotions an illness
can bring forth. Faith & Illness was written to respond
to these emotional needs.
The book is based on
the shared experiences between counselor and patient and is an intimate
account that brings hope, comfort, and inner peace. Nancy strongly
believes in the integral part faith plays in any crisis. A belief
in God means there is a loving companion who travels every path
with us so that we are never alone.
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