Author Archives: littlewinsco

EP 4: Let’s Get To Know Kerry Mellin

Summary

Kerry Mellin is the founder and co-owner of EazyHold. After a 35-year career designing for the motion picture industry, Kerry discovered through her own necessity a lack of simple grip aids to help people continue to be active through physical adversity. Kerry and her two sisters found that activities they always loved to do were sometimes a challenge. Nature’s inevitable wear and tear on joints can take a toll on grip strength. Determined to maintain their active lifestyle, they innovated a way to get a better grip and continue to do the things they loved. Supplied globally to over 8,000 schools, hospitals, and therapy centers, EazyHold is now recognized worldwide in university curricula, and academic textbooks on ‘Instructional Basic Assistive Technology Application and Procedure.’

EP 3: Let’s Get To Know Nancy Connor

Summary

“There has to be a way.” Smart Adaptive Clothing founder Nancy Connor has repeated those words at critical breakthrough moments in life. Nancy said, “What if there were clothing that looked great and was easy to put on and take off?” Nancy realized that how we DRESS directly impacts how we FEEL. “Our confidence is directly linked to the way we perceive ourselves. When we look good, we feel and perform better”. Smart Adaptives Clothings mission states that, “Everyone deserves independence and dignity. There are two essential pillars of life that some people never get to achieve or maintain. There is an overwhelming need for a solution that affords people the opportunity to do just that”.

EP 2: Let’s Get To Know Tim Caruso

Summary

A physical therapist for 30 years, Tim realized how greatly adaptive equipment could benefit kids’ ability to interact with their communities, from home to school and everywhere in between. Tim’s volunteer team of PT, OT, manufacturer reps, assistive technology professionals and others holds monthly clinics to custom fit kids with equipment that will help them better interact with their world. Families find them in different ways- through school systems, hospitals, events, and word of mouth. Since 2005, TKEN has collected gently used equipment as well as donations for new equipment, and provided the pieces to children with special needs at no cost. They will match adaptive equipment to your child’s needs in order to make life more accessible.

EP 1: Let’s Get To Know Kelly Arnoldy – MPT, DPT

Summary

Kelly earned her Bachelor’s Degree in kinesiology from the University of Illinois. She earned both a Masters Degree and a Doctoral Degree in physical therapy from Northwestern University. Kelly has specialized in pediatrics since graduating from physical therapy school in 2002. She has worked in out-patients clinics and provided in-home therapy services to children through Early Intervention. Kelly started Therapy for Kids, Inc. in 2006 and opened the current clinic location in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago in 2019. Kelly discovered myofascial release on her journey to reclaim her own health. Once Kelly saw how beneficial myofascial release was, she began taking classes and incorporating it into her patient’s treatment sessions. Kelly feels that all children can benefit from myofascial release and has found that her patients achieve their goals quicker when receiving myofascial release.