Essay winners use creative writing and painting to show Dr. Rogers’ impact
09/13/17 01:55:pmAs we continue our series featuring winners from our 110th Anniversary Essay Contest, the following entry from Josiah Buss, intake specialist at Rogers-Brown Deer, tied for third place.
Names. Even though we’ve never met in person, we know that you valued names. That makes sense though. Our profession is based upon knowing our patients on an individual level, and one of the ways we connect is by using the patient’s name. We also know that names are important to you since you even named your organization in the memory of your wife. You’d be pleased, although hopefully not surprised, to know that even 110 years later, our hospital system still bears the Rogers name in the memory of your family.
What you may not have realized, however, is the recognition that the Rogers name would have. Not just in Oconomowoc, either, but in Milwaukee, Brown Deer, and across the country. You would be proud of the reputation that your name has, too. As intake staff we hear stories on a daily basis about how the hospital you created has changed lives. Statements such as “Rogers is the only reason I’m still alive,” “I told them that I would only be transferred to Rogers,” and “I have the utmost respect for the staff and the care at Rogers.” As you are well aware, people reach out to us on the worst days of their lives, and still share that they know they will be receiving the best possible care at Rogers.
The name that you shared with us and that we use in your memory is still going strong. Thanks for entrusting it to us. We’re looking forward to it standing for another 110 years of healing and hope.
Desiree Sigler, experiential therapist at Rogers-Kenosha, submitted the following entry, which tied for third place.
This mural is more than just a painting, it signifies what we do at Rogers, what I do with patients while in treatment. Being able to guide and work alongside patients through their struggles of self-doubt, communication, and the weight of the world in order to gain acceptance of self and coping skills along the way. This mural was able to give a voice to the voiceless and inspire positivity in what seems to be dark times of understanding the impacts of mental illness. In ending, please read the heartfelt artist statement which captures the journey of healing through Rogers Behavioral Health.
Title: Happy Accidents Medium: Acrylic paint on canvas 36” X 57”
Artist Statement:
“The waterfall over the stones represents our emotions coming out through therapy. The sunny day is how we will feel once we get discharged and the feather represents flying free and being ourselves after being discharged. The octopus was meant to be an image of a wave, but it became a happy accident and transformed into an octopus which just became a metaphor for the transitions and changes that can come from happy accidents. The tree is life, it’s our story, and it signifies who we’ve grown into today. The forest shows the confusion and being lost within our mental illnesses. The mountains are the tough parts in our lives, relapsing, falling, down, and having to climb back up. The dark sky and the stars symbolize having possibilities within dark times.”-CADT TEENS KENOSHA
“We started out apprehensive in the beginning of making this mural because of our self-doubt and anxiety of perfection.”-CADT TEENS KENOSHA
Together they were able to complete their Happy Accidents
