No Monkeying Around
HOW OUR CLIENTS INSPIRE US Character Is Revealed When Pressure Is Applied
It has been said, “If your ‘why’ is big enough, no ‘how?’ is too great to overcome.” I have seen this from our brave clients.
Helping Hands
Usually, this portion of our newsletter has a case spotlight that reports on an outcome we might be especially grateful for, an aspect of a case that is unique in some way, or some point of law we believe is noteworthy. In keeping with the spirit of this month’s discussion of “light” as discussed in the cover piece, I’d like to turn the spotlight in a different direction: the light I have seen emanating from so many of our wonderful clients as they soldiered through the most difficult times of their lives. Only three are mentioned here as illustrative of so many amazing clients. Discussing them all would need a set of books, not just a short newsletter piece. One client was the sole breadwinner in the family. When his car accident rendered him disabled, he fell into the deep darkness of depression. He shared with me at one point that he was contemplating suicide. Aside from supporting him to reach out for the treatment he needed in that regard, I also tried to be a sympathetic ear. He shared with me that he would “go through whatever he has to, for his family.” When the case was resolved in a way that provided a new home and financial security for his family, his expressions of thanks meant a great deal to me.
Monkey Helpers for the Win
You’ve heard of service dogs, but what about service monkeys? For many years now, capuchin monkeys have been lending helping hands to people with disabilities!
Helping Hands Monkey Helpers, located at Monkey College in Boston, Massachusetts, is a nonprofit organization designed to help people with disabilities and mobility issues,
such as quadriplegia, by pairing them with a monkey service animal. These simian helpers are specifically trained to help with daily tasks while providing companionship, happiness, and a renewed sense of purpose that many struggle with when navigating an injury or disability. When monkeys graduate, they will have developed the ability to navigate major household appliances and electronics as well as basic items within the home. They can even retrieve a canned beverage from the refrigerator, open it, and put a straw in it! A service monkey can also assist with retrieving things that are dropped or out of reach, turning pages in a book, scratching an itch, pushing buttons on electronic devices, and performing other menial tasks within the home. Each human applicant and the capuchin monkeys undergo a pairing process to find the best fit for placement! A social worker and placement specialist work together to sift through applications and determine which monkeys will be the right choice for the applicants based on lifestyle preferences and the tasks that will be most helpful to the person with disabilities. Plus, Helping Hands Monkey Helpers ensures that the monkeys are completely free of charge to the recipients! The human-animal bond created along the journey after placement is absolutely beautiful. Helping Hands Monkey Helpers brings love, companionship, and laughter to many who are fortunate enough to work with the organization. These monkeys are the best, hands down. To learn more about this remarkable program, visit monkeyhelpers.org. And, monkeys, thank you for going to monkey college, and thank you for your service!
Another client lost her daughter and was herself partially paralyzed when a tractor trailer ran over their car. She told me numerous times, “There must be a reason that God has put me through this,” and she was determined to take a portion of the proceeds of her case to start a charitable foundation, dedicated to a cause her daughter was devoted to. Recently, my partner, Roger L. Simon, successfully resolved the case of a woman who suffered severe burns because of a dangerous condition in her rented apartment. Just after the accident had happened, a neighbor rescued the client from an even worse fate. One of the very first things the client said after the case was resolved was that she intended to give a very generous gift to that neighbor. I appreciate that each month, we spotlight some aspect of law. Thank you for permitting me to shine the light for this month on how our clients’ triumph of spirit inspires me.
Published by Newsletter Pro • www.NewsletterPro.com –Eddie Friedman
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