News From the Bonham Household

This is the contents of an email we recently received from David with some news to make us all proud.  Congratulations Gabe, Shuli, Gretchen, and David!

 

Hi all,

We have been in the news a bit this year.

First, our son Gabe, who is autistic, was recognized as an exceptionally successful young man at his workplace at 3M here in St. Paul. This spring he was featured in a conference on autism in the workplace (along with Temple Grandin, who is a star in the autism community).
Here is a photo and caption from a newspaper article about the event.

(Pioneer Press: Ginger Pinson) Gabe
Bonham, 29, right, an employee at 3M in the skin and wound care division was hired by 3M about seven months ago. Bonham is autistic and says he owes his success to the hard work of his parents, Gretchen and David Bonham, MD, left.  The three attended the Temple Grandin lecture at 3M on Thursday. Grandin, a famous author and animal behavior expert was the keynote speaker at the Autism and Employment Forum held at 3M headquarters in St. Paul on Thursday, February 17. Grandin, who is autistic herself encouraged an audience of about 900 to look beyond the social awkwardness of autism and look at all the many talents that prospective employees could bring to the table. (Pioneer Press: Ginger Pinson) (Ginger Pinson)

Then our daughter Shuli took on the governor and legislature of the state of Maine. They were trying to cut the funding for the Portland Clinic for the Homeless, and she is their medical director (her first job right out of training). By the way, she prevailed!  Here is a TV news video clip about that struggle from this spring:

http://www.wcsh6.com/news/article/159082/2/MaineCare-changes-could-close-homeless-clinic

And now, I was just on a public television program about end of life care.  I have been working with a group here in the twin cities promoting having facilitated discussions between patients and their families and medical providers become part of routine health care.  The program is called "Honoring Choices Minnesota", and all of the hospitals and health care groups in the metro have signed on! Our public television station heard about us and has put together this nice documentary. The following link is to the second segment that just came out.

http://www.mnvideovault.org/index.php?id=22805&select_index=0&popup=yes

After that, Gretchen told us that in order to stay up with us, she was going to go on "So you think you can dance"!

Love
David

Sedona Reunion–Part III

Here’s a link to some great pictures taken by Laurie and Gia at the Sedona Reunion.  You can click on the slideshow to open the pictures in the GNID Picasa Web album.  Thanks, ladies!

Sedona Reunion—Part II

And here’s a picture of the entire group that made it to Sedona for this year’s reunion.  I’m promised yet more pictures, so stay tuned.  (By the way, doesn’t Ted look dapper with that stuff all over his face?)

Sedona Reunion–Part 1

Here’s a picture of the GNIDers attending the Sedona reunion with the exception of Marilee and her husband Dave, and Karen (Holden) and her friend John.  The absentees reportedly found better things to do than take jeeps up to the Sedona badlands – they were trying to track down the elusive Roadrunner.  I’m promised additional photos to post shortly.  Meanwhile I’m trying to hold my envy in check!

We Would Have Been Gated for This!

Hostel kids having fun…

Hank & Elizabeth Lacy

Over the weekend of August 6, the entire Lacy family (5 kids, 10 grandkids, and 6 great grand kids) and their spouses & SOs (30 in all), gathered at my place in Hollywood, MD to scatter the mingled ashes of my parents into the Chesapeake Bay.  (Dad died in 2002 and Mom in 2009.)  My sister Jessie carried some of the ashes to Mussoorie last year and scattered them on the hillside above Doshisha where we lived for many years. 

 

Mom and Dad loved the water, and as many of you know lived on a boat for their last 5-6 years of their working life and well into retirement.  Bob & Betty Currie, who those who attended our reunion here last year will remember, provided the Andante and we cruised out to a quiet spot of the Patuxent River, just shy of the Bay.  My son Henry floated a box of ashes from the swimming platform of the Andante and other family members sprinkled ashes into the water.

A Final Farewell

Jessie’s daughter Miranda sprinkles ashes into the Patuxent.

 

 

 

 

My granddaughter Alice and brother Doug’s granddaughter Lacy meet for the first time.

 

 

 

We were particularly pleased that Brent, my youngest brother, was able to make the gathering.  Brent was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer that had metastasized to the liver in late February.  His tumors were too large (and on the liver too plentiful) to be operable.  But he has responded very well to various chemo therapies and has led an amazingly normal life since his diagnoses.  HIs latest CEA test (a measure of cancer in the body) had a 5.3 value – down from 200 earlier.  A normal, cancer-free body measures 5 or below, so the hope is that the tumors will soon be small enough to be surgically removed.

I am blessed by a close family and this weekend was an emotional high for all of us; a wonderful celebration of the lives of our parents and of each other, and a chance for my generation’s grandchildren to get acquainted.

The Man Who Built Thousands of Toilets in India

I hope you find this inspiring. Ishwar Patel, or Ishwar-kaka, died earlier this year. His obit is a beautiful tribute to an inventive Gandhian who saw a big problem in India (and worldwide) and created solutions. Check out www.dailygood.org/more.php?n=4439 I'll try to put the link here, though I've had trouble before when I put in a link.
Love to all, Esther