Walking Into the Future
With the Wandercraft Exoskeleton
Boundless A Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Podcast
Boundless gives voice to Good Shepherd Rehabilitation’s patients and their families. Hear the compelling, real-life stories of people who have braved the trials, triumphs and tribulations of rehabilitation — and the boundless possibilities that lie on the other side of that journey.
Thanks to our partners at Lehigh Valley Public Media, Boundless: A Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Podcast, is available on all major podcast streaming services and YouTube.
Where Can I See
Now: goodshepherdrehab.org/podcast
Sweet Charity’s Gifts of Love section is now virtual!
Use the URL to see the generous families and friends who honor their dear ones with memorial and living gifts. These gifts help support Good Shepherd’s mission of service to people with disabilities, many who otherwise could not afford the therapies or long-term care they need.
goodshepherdrehab.org/giftsoflove
Kimberly Stolarik
As we head into this season of gratitude, I find myself reflecting on the past five years that I have worked for Good Shepherd. Each day, we witness incredible stories of resilience and hope as individuals embark on their journey to recovery. The passion and dedication of our Associates empowers the patients and residents we serve, helping them regain independence and confidence.
Having recently stepped into the role of Associate Vice President for Development, I see first-hand the impact that donors have on our work. Just this summer, Good Shepherd became the first clinical user in the country to trial Wandercraft’s Atalante X, a hands-free device that helps people with stroke or spinal cord injury to walk. This opportunity arose from a generous gift from the Fleming Foundation which recently established The Fleming Center for Robotics in Rehabilitation.
The drive that so many of you have to further Good Shepherd’s mission and make a difference in our community is inspiring. I am eager to build upon this foundation, foster new relationships and strengthen existing ones as we work towards our shared goals.
There will be many more stories to tell in the year ahead as we continue to imagine what is possible. In the meantime, please know how grateful we are for your commitment and belief in our work. Whether you are a donor, volunteer or an advocate for Good Shepherd, you all play a crucial role in helping us have a lasting impact on the individuals we serve.
Kind Regards,
Peter Hilton-Kingdon Meet Our Planned Giving and Major Gifts Officer
Good Shepherd’s mission is to embolden the human spirit so everyone can live a life of possibility, creativity and potential. That sense of hope, optimism and desire to do good is what drew me to want to work at Good Shepherd, and happily, the fates aligned!
I am Peter Hilton-Kingdon, and I recently had the privilege of joining Good Shepherd’s Development Team as a Planned Giving and Major Gifts Officer. With over 20 years of experience in contract and corporate law, I’ve built a reputation for my ability to engage with clients, listen carefully and communicate effectively to meet their needs. I’m looking forward to applying these skills in my new role and I am eager to embark on this journey at Good Shepherd.
In my position, I’ll be using my legal and professional expertise to help individuals create plans that reflect their values, support their loved ones and leave a lasting legacy while advancing Good Shepherd’s mission. There are many ways to make a gift to Good Shepherd including charitable beneficiary designations in retirement accounts, transfers of appreciated stock or bequests in wills — or even all three! These options offer significant benefits for donors, their family and Good Shepherd.
I look forward to getting to know this wonderful community of supporters and learning more about their individual vision of how we can collaborate to make a lasting impact on Good Shepherd’s patients, residents and the community. Please feel free to reach out to me at 610-776-3386 or philtonkingdon@gsrh.org. Together, we can harness our boundless spirit to create positive change. n
A FAMILY'S GRATITUDE:
ENSURING A FUTURE OF COMPASSIONATE CARE
In February 1999, the Couch/Gericke family's lives changed forever. Fifteen-year-old Rachel and her best friend, Tara, accepted a ride after a basketball game. Tragically, the drive home ended in a terrible accident that claimed Tara’s life and left Rachel fighting for survival.
Rachel was transported to a hospital while her father, Warren Gericke, and older sister, Blair, waited for Rachel’s mother, the Right Reverend Blair Couch, to travel back from a church retreat. The close family leaned on each other and prayed for Rachel to survive the odds.
Rachel transferred to Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Hospital in south Allentown to begin her rehabilitation journey. Although her life-threatening injuries left her unable to walk, speak and eat, she worked hard to regain function, exceeding her care team’s expectations. Eight months after the crash, she returned home.
For nearly five years, her family provided care with the help of Good Shepherd’s outpatient therapy. Eventually, Rachel moved to Good Shepherd Home – Bethlehem, a long-term-care facility for medically complex patients. Here, she found a new family and place of comfort.
“We realized during the lockdown that Rachel was happy,” says
The Rt Rev. Couch. “She considers the Bethlehem Home her ‘home,’ and the staff and fellow residents a part of her family. She is truly well cared for and has formed lasting relationships there.”
The family still spends every Sunday together, attending church and relishing Rachel’s fantastic sense of humor.
“I believe that the best place for Rachel is at home, but the secondbest place is Good Shepherd. She has a life, and we have lives – and then we have lives together,” says Warren.
To honor the exceptional care Rachel has received and ensure others can benefit from Good Shepherd’s services for generations to come, Rachel’s parents have chosen to include Good Shepherd in their estate plans.
“Our immediate connection with Good Shepherd is the care that Rachel has received over the years, but the values of the Raker family are close to our heart as we share their stance on the importance of loving and caring for others,” says The Rt Rev. Couch.
To learn about planned giving options, visit goodshepherdrehab. planmygift.org or contact Peter Hilton-Kingdon at 610-776-3386 or philtonkingdon@gsrh.org.
Reflections
By Chaplain Roxi Kringle
Back to school, falling yellow leaves, cooler days and longer nights: the signs of change surround us. We break out sweaters, drink hot mugs of pumpkin spice coffee and wait for ghouls and goblins to come knocking. Children dressed as ghosts and superheroes bring surprised smiles, each treat accompanied by a giggled “thank you.”
Deep in these fall rituals is a memory of time slowing down. The reality of our time pushing back all that goes bump in the dark.
Autumn is the season of spirits; first Halloween, then, a celebration of feasts and lights – Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year’s – each with its own sense of time, joy and sorrow.
With the children’s costumes and quest for candy, Halloween seems innocent enough. The frivolity of the day ignoring the approaching winter cold, and with it, death. All signs of autumn – the fading leaves and the end of harvest – point to an end. Ancient stories tell us the world of the dead collides with the world of the living on Halloween, confusing the spirits. Which world did they come from? Where do they belong? It’s best to disguise the living as the dead than to come face-to-face with a long-lost spirit ready to take you to realms unknown.
The spirit of Thanksgiving shifts the tone from trembling in the presence of the unknown to abiding gratitude. The feast is piled high, the food of the season combined with thankful prayers for life and breath, for grace and blessing. Giving thanks for the bounty also recognizes that famine is never far. This feast of grateful hearts mingles with sorrow for those not at the table this year.
The spirit of both joy and loss propels us to Christmas and Hanukkah, when lights push back the deepening darkness, and silent tears linger. Charles Dickens tells the story of this Christmas spirit with its past, present and future happening at the same time. Each family holding onto past traditions, like the aroma of Grandma’s cookies. The year turns at the winter solstice, from the slow creep of dark, to the gradual increasing day. Our spirits cheer on the turn of old to new with one last toast. All these spirits live within us: spirits of haunting, sorrow, gratitude, light, newness and change.
The spirit of the Lord is upon me, and upon you. n
Wandercraft
at Good Shepherd WALKING INTO THE FUTURE
Exoskeleton
Good Shepherd Rehabilitation has made history by becoming the first clinical user in the United States to utilize a revolutionary handsfree robotic exoskeleton — the Wandercraft Atalante X. This groundbreaking technology, which captured global attention with a heartwarming moment at the Paris Olympics, is now changing lives in Good Shepherd's inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation programs.
After a successful trial with inpatient rehabilitation patients over the summer, Good Shepherd is excited to roll out the Wandercraft exoskeleton for outpatient neurorehabilitation patients at the Hyland Center for Health & Technology this fall, allowing patients who have had a stroke or spinal cord injury to stand, walk and engage in activities of daily living without the assistance of crutches or walkers.
The impact of this hands-free device goes beyond walking. It improves endurance, step count, flexibility and helps manage pain and spasticity. Patients can even engage in functional balance activities — everything from reaching for a cup to
playing a modified game of pickleball. This enhanced range of motion is possible because the Wandercraft exoskeleton supports the patient without additional balance aids.
One of Good Shepherd’s first patients to benefit from this technology is Kevin Oldt, who became paralyzed after a snowmobile accident in 2001. For Kevin, the exoskeleton is nothing short of life changing.
“It was like [after] 25 years of being in a wheelchair, I started walking again. That was really cool,” says Kevin.
“Having equipment like this is amazing because it gives you hope. It puts hope back in you. Gets you up. Gets you walking.” -Kevin Oldt
“The machine has been working great for me. I can sidestep. I never sidestepped [since the accident]. I can make it turn on my own. I can walk without crutches or a walker. I was able to bend over.”
The Wandercraft exoskeleton isn’t just technology; it’s a symbol of hope, progress and the future
of rehabilitation. This same exoskeleton was used by Paralympian Kevin Piette at the Paris Olympics earlier this year, where he became the first person to carry the Olympic torch while walking in a robotic exoskeleton.
The Wandercraft, available in the United States, Europe and South America, comes to Good Shepherd courtesy of The Fleming Center for Robotics in Rehabilitation, a forward-thinking hub that identifies and tests robotic and wearable technology to further provide leading-edge rehabilitation care and, ultimately, contribute to the future of rehabilitation. The Fleming Center launched in November 2023 thanks to a major gift from the Fleming Foundation to Good Shepherd.
Thanks to the support of generous donors, like those who made the Fleming Center possible, lives are being changed every day at Good Shepherd. The future of rehabilitation is here — and it’s standing, walking and embracing loved ones, all with the help of the Wandercraft. n
For patient Kevin Oldt, the most emotional moment came when he could stand and embrace his wife.
“I was able to bend over enough because my wife is a lot smaller than me — I’m six foot one — and hug her. It’s the first hug I ever gave her in a device. It just felt great. It was really a meaningful thing.”
In Memoriam
Maureen “Micki” Roman King
Maureen “Micki” Roman King is fondly remembered by her best friend of 50 years, Fran, as a fun-loving, generous and kind individual with a great sense of humor. A Good Shepherd Home - Raker Center resident for the past two years, Micki passed away on June 16, 2024, after a lifelong battle with spina bifida.
Despite challenges from her condition, Micki enjoyed a vibrant life surrounded by friends and her loving husband of 39 years, Frank, who preceded her in death. Micki loved cooking and always made sure Frank had delicious meals to take with him to work — one of the many ways she expressed her love for others. According to Fran, Christmas was Micki’s favorite time of year. “She started her shopping early and had to buy a gift for absolutely everyone she knew and loved wrapping each gift by herself,” recalls Fran.
Micki also loved animals, especially her favorite dog — a beagle named Punkie — and a group of stray cats she and Frank cared for outside their home in Coplay.
“Micki was so smart and so funny,” says Fran. “She was absolutely the best person, and I’ll always miss her.” n
David Dean “Dino” Martin
David Dean "Dino" Martin liked his music fast and loud, dancing in his heart because his body couldn’t express the joy that was his spirit. “He was silly,” recalls his sister, Carol Martin. “Sometimes he’d laugh so hard he could hardly breathe. I was afraid he would pass out.”
Dino, as he came to be known, 70, died on June 22 at Good Shepherd Home – Bethlehem after a brief illness.
Born in Pottstown, PA, Dino was only one-and-a-half years old when he fell and hit his head causing irreparable brain damage. He would never walk or talk, yet Carol remembers a brother who delighted in the frenzy of television game shows, attended the annual Good Shepherd resident ball, went on a trip to Disney World and enjoyed being a flirt. “He loved women,” says Carol. “He would sit in his chair and blow kisses.”
Dino was a Good Shepherd resident for 56 years. He not only loved living there but was much loved by the staff and other residents. “Good Shepherd was his family,” says Carol. “He was happy there." n
Diane Demarco
Residents, staff, family and friends are mourning the loss of Diane Demarco, a former resident of Good Shepherd Home - Raker Center, who passed away peacefully, dressed to the nines, on June 5, 2024.
Diane attended Catholic school as a child, then moved to Allentown after graduation. Here, she shared a home with her cousin and lifelong best friend, Irene. Irene fondly remembers Diane as a fun, adventurous spirit who was always up for a good time. Even during life’s challenges, Diane’s sense of humor and positive outlook never wavered.
Later in life as circumstances changed, Diane and Irene once again became housemates, sharing countless hours laughing, drinking wine and traveling with friends to the shore and going on cruises. After retiring from a 30-year career at Kraft Foods, multiple sclerosis (MS) made Diane’s life more difficult. She eventually moved to Good Shepherd Home - Raker Center, where she lived until her passing.
“I have a lot of good memories of her, and I know she's in a good place ‘up there,’ probably still the life of the party!” says Irene. “I only remember her laughing when I think of her — can't have a better memory than that, right?” n
GOOD SHEPHERD HOMEBETHLEHEM GARDEN DEDICATION
On September 23, 2024, Good Shepherd Home - Bethlehem staff, residents and members of Good Shepherd Rehabilitation's Women's Giving Circle gathered for a dedication of the newly renovated adaptive gardens. The garden improvements were made thanks to a gift from the Women's Giving Circle.
WELCOME, MARK MCANALLEN!
Mark McAnallen joins Good Shepherd as our Innovation Coach, tasked with overseeing and expanding the Innovation Grants program — a vital initiative encouraging associates to bring their creative ideas to life.
With a focus on guiding colleagues from an initial idea to full-scale project launches, Mark ensures that every innovation aligns with Good Shepherd’s mission and drives forward the quality of patient care.
“I see my role primarily as one of guidance, facilitation and resource,” Mark says. “I work with teams to ensure they have the right support and resources to advance their ideas and meet key milestones.”
Mark brings an impressive decade-long career as a reviewer and advisor for new entrepreneurs through the National Science Foundation’s Innovation Corps, the University of Pennsylvania’s I-Corps, Ben Franklin Tech Ventures and as an independent consultant. His passion for improving patient care is personal.
“I grew up outside of the U.S. where rehabilitation medicine is many decades behind,” says Mark. “I identify with Good Shepherd’s mission to enhance the wellbeing of our community members who live with complex physical and cognitive rehabilitation needs.”
One of Mark’s favorite aspects of Good Shepherd so far? The people. “There is a strong sense of mission and hospitality here, and I’m excited to work alongside such dedicated individuals,” says Mark.
Outside of his work at Good Shepherd, Mark serves on the board of Paws & Affection, a nonprofit that raises and places service dogs with people with disabilities. He is also an adventurous eater, having sampled kangaroo kebabs in the Australian Outback, yak steak in Tibet and even a zebra burger in Namibia. n
“I think innovation can come from anyone, anywhere within the Good Shepherd network, so I’m excited to see how we can create and foster
an environment of creativity and collaboration.”
OUTPATIENT SPOTLIGHT: CENTER VALLEY
Patients of Good Shepherd’s Center Valley location have remarked on its strong at-home feel, says Physical Therapist, Site Manager and Orthopedic Residency Coordinator Michael Palermo.
At the Center Valley location of Good Shepherd Rehabilitation, patients with a wide variety of diagnoses – including orthopedic, neurologic and vestibular conditions – find expert care here. Physical and occupational therapy are the most popular services offered here, but patients can also receive fitness programming, aquatic rehabilitation and functional capacity evaluations.
With three physical therapists, a physical therapy assistant, an occupational therapist, an occupational therapy assistant and a patient service representative, the staff works collaboratively with patients and each other to provide world-class care.
Offered at Center Valley:
Kinotek movement assessment
Functional Capacity Evaluations
Fitness programming
Personal therapy pool
Address: 4883 PA-309, Center Valley, PA 18034
“Our staff and patients all contribute to a very personal, motivating and positive rehabilitation environment,” says Michael. “We maintain a very lighthearted atmosphere and enjoy making our patients’ rehabilitation experience as enjoyable as possible.”
With approximately 30 to 40 new patients each month and over 7,000 visits per year, Center Valley is more than just a clinic, it’s a place where lives are transformed. Whether recovering from an injury or managing a chronic condition, patients know they’ll receive expert care in an environment that feels like home. n
“I can’t recall the many times I’ve utilized their services, but I have appreciated their dedication, empathy and overall care. My physical difficulties are many and progressive, but my program at Good Shepherd has me moving and managing pain with no drugs. I had a doctor tell me that I am very fortunate — I credit that to the help from the team at Center Valley Good Shepherd. They are like my family!” – a grateful Center Valley patient
MIND YOUR BRAIN Lehigh Valley
For the second year, Good Shepherd Rehabilitation had the pleasure of hosting Mind Your Brain Lehigh Valley. The event brought together brain injury survivors, family members, healthcare professionals and community organizations for education and stories of recovery and perseverance.
Celebrating
16 YEARS OF GIVING
Good Shepherd Women's Giving Circle members celebrated the 16th anniversary of the Giving Circle on September 12 at the home of member Darlene Pors. To learn more about the Women's Giving Circle and get involved, contact Dianne Spengler at 610.776.3559.
Hockey FIGHTS MS
The 19th Annual Hockey Fights MS Bethlehem PA Men's Tournament took place August 8-11, 2024, at Steel Ice Center in Bethlehem.
More than $12,000 was raised to benefit Good Shepherd's Multiple WellnessSclerosisProgram.
Good
Shepherd HOSTS MS SYMPOSIUM
On October 26, more than 50 patients and caregivers gathered for a free community symposium titled "The Role of Rehabilitation and Wellness in Comprehensive MS Care." The event, which took place on Good Shepherd's South Allentown Campus, featured informational sessions led by Good Shepherd team members as well as MS Wellness Program Manager, Jen West, PT, MPT, MBA, MSCS.
Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network
Good Shepherd Plaza
850 South 5th Street
Allentown, PA 18103
Members of the 1908 Raker Society were honored for their commitment to the future of Good Shepherd with a luncheon on October 11. The 1908 Raker Society is comprised of individuals who have chosen to include Good Shepherd in their estate plans.
