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For Karin Douglas, knowledge
is not just a noble pursuit. It's what life is all about. She is the driving
force behind a number of community initiatives, all directed toward getting
people the information, education and inspiration they need to live better
lives.
"I have made it a priority in my life to do what I can to help others reach
their goals and dreams," she says.
It began at a local level in the 1980s, when she helped design educational
programs for schoolchildren at a museum in her hometown of Stratford, Connecticut.
In the late 1980's, with the help of the ITT Matching Grant Program, she
started a scholarship for Paralegal Studies at nearby Sacred Heart University,
her alma mater.
Her public-spirited work took on a more personal tone in 1992, when she
was diagnosed with breast cancer. Like many who undergo lymph node surgery,
she developed lymphedema, a condition that causes swelling in the arms and
legs. Very quickly, Karin learned that there was little information available
about this dangerous and painful condition.
Frustrated that no one, including her doctor, could give her the facts she
needed, Karin took matters into her own hands. She formed the first lymphedema
support group in Connecticut and created the LYMPHEDEMA ALERT pink wristband,
now used in many hospitals throughout the U.S., which alerts doctors and
nurses not to use the at-risk arm for any treatments. She also designed
a stainless steel LYMPHEDEMA ALERT bracelet which many patients wear to
doctors visits.
As a director for the National Lymphedema Network, Karin regularly speaks
to breast cancer support groups about lymphedma awareness. Returning to
her philanthropic roots, she also started a scholarship which finances post-graduate
courses to train physical therapists in the treatment of lympehdema.
If knowledge is power, Karin Douglas is doing all she can to create a stronger
community.
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Karin
Douglas
Agency Compliance Coordinator
Flygt
Trumbull, Connecticut |