A Grand Dr. Nez Welcome
Today is both my easiest and hardest walk to date. A pleasant early morning with breakfast with John Scardina on City Island gives me the impression that the day will be easy. John and I reach the appointed rendez-vous spot on Northern Boulevard in Great Neck where others gather for a 1.5 mile walk east to the Bio Behavioral Institute. We start punctually at 10h30 with me in the lead, several banners behind me–visual reminders of the challenges of BDD sufferers. We’re not exactly a crowd but we are a dedicated group of about 10 or more who are letting the on-coming traffic aware of our cause celebre. It’s lightly raining but it’s not yet a real problem. This segment of today’s walk is the easy part–but at the same time it’s the most meaningful. Who knows how our public witness about BDD will change someone’s life.
At Bio Behavioral a larger group gathers in the staff room to listen to Nathaniel’s story. What version will I tell this time? I talk for a good hour and welcome questions. Among us are folks from the local OCD NY Chapter, parents like me who worry about their children and their difficult journey with OCD. In addition, therapists, doctors, and support staff from the clinic complete the company. Their rapt attention lets me know that they care about Nathaniel and his journey with BDD, and wish that he could still be here with us. So do I. Questions follow as we share pizza. In that sense our time together here is a true communion.
By 2:00 I know it’s time for me to hit the road. The hard rain outside makes my exit more difficult. Little do I know that for the next three hours I will be fighting both the unrelenting water element and the crazy traffic. This is the hard part–I can either walk in puddles of water several inches deep on the side of the road (poor drainage) or step closer to the traffic and get completely splashed. Either way, I’m thoroughly soaked. It takes every ounce of energy to keep moving forward against the unforgiving weather. By East Norwich, I’m all done. Kat Yeh comes to the rescue with dry towels and a warm car with heated seats, and her Florence Nightingale spirit. I gladly welcome a dry evening at the Russell Yeh Family in Lloyd Harbor–gracious hosts after a rich but very difficult day.
