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Get To Know Our Staff: Timothy Nuckols, Therapy Services

Get To Know Our Staff: Timothy Nuckols, Therapy Services

by | Nov 13, 2024 | Spotlight

What is your job title/your role at Scottish Rite?
I supervise therapy technicians, assist physical therapists with daily exercises selected for their patients and help ensure that patients are using proper technique in therapy.

What is the most fulfilling part of your job?
I enjoy hanging out with the many cool and amazing patients that we have and hearing their life stories.

What makes Scottish Rite a special place to you?
When you walk around town in your Scottish Rite t-shirt, people immediately stop you to show gratitude and compassion for what we do for the pediatric community. I also appreciate the amazing staff and love the kids we see.

What made you choose a career in health care?
I was inspired by my dad, who is a psychiatric physical therapist at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas.

What is something unique you get to do in your position?
I create challenges for the kids so that they can do different exercises. It becomes a competition to see who can win!

 

What’s your favorite thing to do outside of work?
I like to hang out with my girlfriend and family. I also like to play soccer, work on cars and watch the Kansas City Chiefs win their games.

 

Do you have any hidden talents?
I can drift a car on a racetrack.

 

Where are you from and what brought you to DFW?
My family is originally from Missouri, but then we moved to Frisco.

 

If you could travel to anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
I want to visit Tokyo! It is a modern city that has a lot to offer and is a completely different culture. I love learning new things, so it would be a lot of fun!

 

If you had to pick one meal to eat for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?
It would have to be lasagna. It has been my favorite meal to eat since I was a kid, and no other food gets more joy out of me than eating lasagna.

 

What movie do you think everyone should watch at least once?
Interstellar.

What was the first concert you attended?
I saw Beyonce.

 

Favorite DFW hidden gem?
Egg Roll Hut in South Dallas.

 

If you were to have a movie based on your life, which actress/actor would you choose to play your character?
Will Smith.

 

What is some advice you would give your younger self OR what’s the best piece of advice you’ve received?
I would tell my younger self to invest in cryptocurrency early. I would also say to keep striving for the large things in life early, take the opportunities when they are in front of you and don’t wait.

Leap of Faith: Dane’s Daring Journey of Overcoming Perthes Disease

Leap of Faith: Dane’s Daring Journey of Overcoming Perthes Disease

by | Sep 27, 2024 | Hip Disorders

It is always fulfilling to learn about the impact Scottish Rite for Children has on patients beyond treatment. Recently, former patient Dane Hammack felt nostalgic about the care he received at Scottish Rite for Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease, also known as Perthes. Dane says his family re-located from Paris, Texas to Dallas so he could receive care here in the 1980s.

“My favorite thing about my time at Scottish Rite was the friends and staff,” Dane says. “I remember sharing a room with a kid who had a spine disorder. We would shoot ice at each other through bendy straws while we were bed-ridden.” Dane even remembers when the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders visited!

Perthes disease is rare and is more commonly seen in boys. Approximately 10 children per 100,000 will be diagnosed each year. Our experts in the Center for Excellence in Hip are dedicated to uncovering the mysteries of Perthes disease, consistently advancing treatment methods through clinical studies. Even now, few doctors have experience in diagnosing and treating Perthes disease. Scottish Rite staff provide individualized and comprehensive care for the whole child’s physical and mental state – an aspect that Dane reflects positively on.

“The staff never felt sorry of my condition, which made me feel normal in a way,” Dane says. “Through the surgery and braces, I was able to get through it all.”

After completing treatment at Scottish Rite, Dane says he was able to enjoy his childhood to the fullest. He was very active and played on his high school’s football and wrestling teams.

“I moved to San Diego to be with my dad after treatment,” Dane says. “No one there knew me as the kid with the cast. I had the sense that I could do whatever I wanted to do.”

At age 20, Dane went to a Dallas military base to enlist in the U.S. Army. For each branch of military service, a series of examinations are conducted to see if the applicant meets the branch’s requirements. During Dane’s physical, his surgery scar from Perthes disease treatment was seen by the doctor.

“The doctor did an X-ray on my hip, and even I was in shock,” Dane says. “I was told I couldn’t enlist, because of the Perthes disease and its damage to my right hip. All I was asking for was to be given a fair shot.”

Dane decided to reach out to his local Senator, Sen. Phil Gramm at the time, and sent a letter that described his situation. “I handwrote that letter with pencil,” Dane says. “I just wanted to get going!” Dane’s letter to Gramm got his case moving, and his eligibility to enlist would be determined by one final task – run a timed 10K.

“My mother always said everything is only temporary and nothing lasts forever,” Dane says. “The worst times you will ever have won’t last forever.” After two years of challenges, Dane ran a successful time and finally enlisted into the U.S. Army.

For 12 years, Dane was in the U.S. Army Special Operations Command (Airborne) as a psychological operations specialist and then a jumpmaster. He travelled to many countries, such as Malawi, Namibia, Colombia and Ecuador to name a few. As a jumpmaster, Dane oversaw the safety checks for parachutes and was the first one to jump out of the plane. However, he sustained a back injury after a parachute accident and decided to leave the Army for life closer to family.

Dane applied to the U.S. Border Patrol in Arizona at the age of 32 and is still serving as a U.S. Border Patrol agent.

“Thinking back to what helped me was the people who supported me,” Dane says. “Thank you does not come close to expressing what Scottish Rite has offered me.”

Our patients’ stories are a timeless gift, reminding us why we serve and what an honor it is to give children back their childhood. When you come to Scottish Rite, you truly become a member of our forever family!

Do you have a story? We want to hear it! Share your story with us.

15th Year Scottish Rite for Children Ranked No. 1 in the Region and Among the Best in the Nation by U.S. News & World Report

15th Year Scottish Rite for Children Ranked No. 1 in the Region and Among the Best in the Nation by U.S. News & World Report

by | Jun 22, 2023 | General News

For more than a century, Scottish Rite for Children has defined greatness in pediatric orthopedic research, education and patient care. U.S. News and World Report has once again ranked Scottish Rite No. 1 in the Southwest Region, which includes Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona and Texas, rounding out at No. 4 in the specialty in the country.
 
We are privileged to help our patients, and for the past 15 years, this exceptional ranking continues to reflect our commitment to excellence and to providing world-renowned care to our patients and their families. Our multidisciplinary team of doctors, nurses, therapists and specialists collaborate to create a customized continuum of care for each patient and family. Our staff has cared for more than 360,000 patients, but not one is treated like a number.
 
Scottish Rite researchers have not only discovered and mapped genes associated with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis and other conditions but also have invented and advanced revolutionary medical devices resulting in more than 50 patents secured across the pediatric orthopedic discipline. These experts uncover the root causes of pediatric orthopedic conditions and translate their findings into groundbreaking treatments that defeat them.
 
Our physicians wrote the textbook that educates aspiring pediatric orthopedic surgeons and is used as the standard reference guide by practitioners worldwide. Scottish Rite’s fellowship program is one of the oldest and largest in the country, and the fellows have gone on to implement the knowledge they acquired and transform the lives of patients around the world. Our experts developed the consensus medical definition of dyslexia and authored the curricula that has trained therapists and given children with dyslexia the ability to read nationwide.
 
We meet every child where they are in body, mind and spirit. We restore muscles, joints and bones, allay fears and replace despair with hope.
 
About U.S. News Rankings
Introduced in 2007 to help families of children with rare or life-threatening illnesses find the best medical care available, U.S. News & World Report Best Children’s Hospitals rankings are the most comprehensive source of quality-related information on U.S. pediatric hospitals.
 
U.S. News, alongside a research and consulting firm, collected and analyzed data from 119 children’s hospitals and surveyed thousands of pediatric specialists. Children’s hospitals awarded a “Best” designation excelled at factors such as clinical outcomes, level and quality of hospital resources directly related to patient care and expert opinion among pediatric specialists.

Share Your Story: Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

Share Your Story: Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

by | Jul 19, 2022 | Scoliosis & Spine

Meet Beau, a patient who is seen by our team of multidisciplinary experts. Learn more about his journey below.

Blogs written by Beau and his mom, Courtney.

When Beau was 6 months old, he was placed in the Chinese orphanage system, and our family adopted him in 2017, when he was 4 years old. We did not know much about his history, as he lived in a very large orphanage and information was not passed along. We did know he would be somewhat of a medical mystery and booked his appointment with our pediatrician before we even left China.

Beau is a complex patient, and after a variety of appointments and tests, he was eventually diagnosed with a form of dwarfism called spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita (SEDc) and a monoallelic mutation of COL2A1 gene. This is a rare genetic disorder that impacts different parts and systems of his body, including his eyes, hearing, spine and more.

In May 2021, Beau’s spinal curve rapidly started to increase, and that is when our orthopedic surgeon in Houston referred us to Scottish Rite for Children. We really love and trust our doctor in Houston, so it was very comforting to hear him say, ‘If my kid needed this done, where I’m sending you is where I would go. They are my number one choice.’ My anxiety as a mom went away, and I immediately started to research everything I could. We took the first available appointment and met Dr. Johnson for the first time at the end of June. She gave us a game plan for surgery, and we left with a sense of peace about the journey we were about to take with Beau at Scottish Rite.

In January 2022, Beau had spinal surgery and was in halo decompression for the next five weeks. Halo-gravity traction is the process of using a metal ring, or halo, attached to a child’s skull that applies traction to the spine, gently stretching and straightening out the spine to correct curvatures. – Courtney

I had so much fun in my halo, and my mom decorated my equipment, which made it even more fun! My walker was Mardi Gras-themed the entire time. I always had beads to hand out, and sometimes I even had a speaker playing Mardi Gras music!

My wheelchair was first decorated as the emperor’s throne, because of Chinese New Year, and I handed out handmade fortune cookies. I created all the sayings, and my mom made paper cookies. I even painted my face like a tiger, because we are in The Year of the Tiger.

For Valentine’s Day, my decorations were full of hearts, lights and sparkles. I had a cool shirt that said, ‘Just call me Cupid’ and wore an awesome red top hat with heart glasses. My mom and I made over 350 valentines, and we handed them out around the hospital. I know that there are a lot of people that are needed to make hospitals run smoothly, and I tried to meet all of them. I wanted to remind them that they are important, and I was thankful for all they did during my stay.

After surgery, I went home in a wheelchair. My farewell theme decorations were Oh, the Places You’ll Go! My mom said that this was a perfect theme to represent moving from China to the United States. Not only did I have to learn and adapt to a new world, but because of my spine surgery at Scottish Rite, I also have a new level of life, and nothing is going to hold me back!

I feel like I will be able to do anything I set my sights on, thanks to different people at Scottish Rite. The Therapeutic Recreation department allowed me to participate in sports and games that I never thought I would be able to do. My size can make sports hard, but they showed me how I could fully participate with just minor modifications.

When I was an inpatient, Ms. Dana gave me my very own Learn to Golf set of golf clubs, and we had a special visitor during therapeutic recreation – Mr. Carlos. He taught me how to play golf, plus he had a huge smile, was super nice, and has a special leg. We live near a golf course, and I have always wanted to learn how to play, but because of my size and my back, I never thought I would be able to participate. Mr. Carlos worked with me, and I learned how to make adjustments and was able to swing a golf club and hit the ball. After my big surgery, he even came to check on me. Learn to Golf will allow me to keep playing the sport and has connected me with special coaches, just like Mr. Carlos.

I am now back home in Houston and feeling good. I will always remember Scottish Rite for Children, and I look forward to my checkups because I can visit my friends all around the hospital, and they always remember my name!! – Beau

DO YOU HAVE A STORY? WE WANT TO HEAR IT! SHARE YOUR STORY WITH US.

Share Your Story: A Lifetime of Golf

Share Your Story: A Lifetime of Golf

by | Jul 6, 2022 | Neurology

Meet Ford, a patient who was treated by our multidisciplinary team of experts.

Blog written by Ford.

My name is Ford. I am 26 years old and also have cerebral palsy. When I was 10 years old, I had surgery on my legs at Scottish Rite for Children. The year before, I started participating in Learn to Golf and attended my first Learn to Golf clinic at a course in Lubbock, TX.

Learn to Golf introduced me to the sport and has since allowed me to play a game that changed my life!

When I would attend a Learn to Golf clinic, I would receive access to this wonderful game, as well as receive personalized instruction and equipment.

Golf is a sport that I plan on playing my entire life and to this day, I have many friends that I have made through the game. Golf keeps me motivated to care for myself and stay in shape throughout the ups and downs of life.

Words cannot express the level of gratitude that I have for Scottish Rite and Dana Dempsey. Dana not only works to serve children who have medical issues, but she also makes sure patients find joy in their lives! I am forever grateful for Scottish Rite, and if you have even the slightest interest in golf, you should participate in a Learn to Golf clinic.

The older I get, the more I understand how special Scottish Rite is. I don’t think anyone really wants to be in the hospital, but when you are at Scottish Rite, everyone there makes an effort for you to feel comfortable and welcome. I haven’t had an operation at Scottish Rite since 2007, but every time I pick up a golf club, I am reminded of the impact the hospital had on my life.

DO YOU HAVE A STORY? WE WANT TO HEAR IT! SHARE YOUR STORY WITH US.