Sky's The Limit
November 13, 2023
Catching flights, saving lives and chasing sunsets. Elevating my patient care level to new heights after getting to spend the day with the emergency medical flight crew. I learned all about airlifting patients for medical evacuations. It brought back so many memories of my time volunteering as an EMT.
Some interesting facts I learned:
- The flight suit is flame retardant.
- The helicopter is checked multiple times during a shift including before take-off and after landing.
- Every piece of equipment is locked down and secured.
- They transport patients of all ages including neonates.
- About 60% of patients air lifted are inter-facility transports (between hospitals) and 40% are directly from the scene.
- At night the crew uses night vision goggles.
- They fly up to about 2500 feet elevation and, while they don’t need oxygen, it does get cold! Luckily they have blankets and warmers to maintain patient temperatures.
I hope to spend more time with the crew in an effort of understand how my specialty of physical medicine and rehabilitation can play a more active role in patient care before even arriving at the hospital.
Till then, the sky’s the limit…or is it?!
Berkshires Getaway
July 16, 2023
Where we stayed
Hotel On North is a boutique hotel that pays homage to its 19th century roots through its preserved architectural features, from exposed brick and high tin ceilings to decorative columns and other characteristics that earned it a spot on the National Register of Historic Buildings.
As a dog mom, I especially appreciated how pet friendly this hotel was to its four-legged guests, offering complimentary water bowls and a dog bed for our stay (though Westley claimed one of the Queen-size beds as his own).
Where we ate
Our first night we were treated to dinner at the 101 Restaurant and Bar next to the newly renovated Holiday Inn & Suites. Highly recommend the Brussel sprouts and Burrata appetizer along with their macaroni and cheese.
They also had tons of vegetarian options. Afterward, we enjoyed an evening view of the mountains from the outdoor balcony.
The next morning, we stopped by Dottie's Coffee Lounge for cappuccinos and breakfast sandwiches. Fun fact, I wrote my first blog post for Daily Dose of Vita here. Check out the throwback photo below from way back when:
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| Writing my first blog post for Daily Dose of Vita all those years ago at Dottie's Coffee Lounge in Pittsfield, MA |
It truly felt like everything was coming full circle! So crazy to look back and think of myself intern year sitting in this café wondering where I'll be as a physician and blogger.
Later, before we went to catch the play Cabaret, we got to check out the restaurant District Kitchen & Bar for dinner. I loved that everything was within walking distance. My favorite was their summer selection of handcrafted cocktails including this beautiful lavender drink.
Other great dining options in the area include:
- Methuselah Bar and Lounge (I used to come here all the time with friends when I lived here)
- The Marketplace
- Misty Moonlight Diner
- Flo's Diner
What we did
Boulder Rocks
If you find yourself in the Berkshires, take advantage of the natural beauty and go for a hike. Whether it's going to the top of Mount Greylock, traversing the Appalachian Trail (AT), or checking out the state park, you will find yourself surrounded by nature, lush greenery, and wildlife. We took a dog friendly trip to Boulder Rocks where they offered several different well-marked trails for all levels. We even ran into a through hiker on the AT who started his journey at the beginning of the trail in Georgia, has made it to Massachusetts and is headed all the way to Mt. Katahdin in Maine.
Hancock Shaker Village
We learned about the history of the Shaker community, took a tour of the land including the medicinal herb gardens (the doctor in me was so impressed), and checked out the iconic round barn.
Cabaret at The Barrington Stage Company Theater
The theater was conveniently located right next to our hotel. We caught an evening performance of Cabaret and it was incredible. The cast came together when the lead was replaced at the last minute by the understudy. All of them did a phenomenal job and now I want to watch the movie!
James Taylor at Tanglewood
A trip to The Berkshires is not complete without some live music. For me, one of the highlights was seeing James Taylor perform at Tanglewood - an outdoor concert venue that is also home to the Boston Symphony Orchestra. I had gone years before with my parents and it felt only right to return this year; honoring those memories while creating new ones.
Where we shopped
Pura Vida
June 12, 2023
Finally caught up on the jet lag from my trip to Costa Rica and could not feel more well rested and restored. It also means I am ready to recap our vacation including where we stayed, our top five highlights, and what's next. I also created this Costa Rica Shopping List with some of the items I packed (and some I wish I brought).
I love to travel to celebrate my birthday and this year was no different. With the World Health Organization declaring the pandemic over and lifting travel precautions, I was excited to go international.
However, there was one major difference. This was the first year my father was not around to celebrate my birthday. It has been a really difficult year and I knew I wanted to be with my family. I also knew I wanted to go somewhere I've never been before. I wanted to go to a place that was peaceful, beautiful, and preferably on the beach. My parents had visited Costa Rica previously; knowing my dad had been to the country before made it feel even more like the right place to go. As a result, we turned my birthday celebration into the mother-daughter trip of a lifetime.
Where We Stayed
Our hotel was the JW Marriott Guanacaste Resort and Spa along the upper west coast of Costa Rica. It was about two hours from the Liberia International Airport. We had a beautiful ocean-view room with a balcony.
I loved this resort not just because it felt like we were starring in White Lotus Season 3 but also because the location was right on the beach.
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| Hat linked here |
Plus, everyone was so kind, and there were ample things to do in the area, from Latin dance class to Coffee making, relaxing by the pool, sunset cocktails by the ocean, and more.
There were plenty of restaurants as well as walking and biking trails, and beautiful spa amenities.
Howler monkeys greeted us every morning right outside our hotel.
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| Howler monkeys |
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| Outfit linked here |
Top 5 Highlights
From volcanoes and rainforests to wildlife, waterfalls, river cruises, hot springs, mud baths, and other outdoor adventures, Costa Rica has so much to offer. This makes it all the more difficult to pick just 5 top things but here are my favorite highlights from our recent two-week vacation:
1. Horseback riding
I grew up horseback riding and it felt wonderful to get back in the saddle. We ended up on a private tour with our Sabanero (term for Costa Rican cowboy) Valentine, who was the first to show us Howler monkeys, took us on the beach, and even assumed the role of our videographer/photographer. He also acquiesced to my request at the end to gallop (don't worry I wore a helmet the entire trail ride except on the beach when filming at a walk/trot pace). I am really proud of my mom who has not been on a horse in 20 years and ended the trail ride in a gallop as well! One of my favorite moments was when Valentine showed us pictures of his son and granddaughter. It really demonstrated how despite being from different backgrounds and cultures, there is so much we have in common with one another, from the love we share for our families to the appreciation we have for nature's beauty.
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| Sloth in a tree |
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| Toucans spotted after our rainforest hike |
Side note, make sure to bring bug spray! And for anyone wondering, I did research this area of Costa Rica and we thankfully did not have to take anti-malarial pills.
3. Waterfall
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| Swimsuit linked here |
4. Catamaran snorkeling and sunset sail
5. Ziplining
What's next
A Message To Future Doctors
March 4, 2023
Originally published by the American Osteopathic Association's The DO Magazine HERE
My dad taught me that laughter can be the best medicine, and in many ways, how to be the doctor I am today. Now, he will teach you.
The three men in this world who never let me down: Ben & Jerry and my dad.
My dad always knew when to surprise me with my favorite flavors of Ben & Jerry’s. Whether I was going through a breakup, a board exam or a big deadline, he was there with ice cream and a spoon in hand. It was during these treasured moments, sometimes eating directly from the pint, that we would talk about anything and everything. As the ice cream softened with each scoop, I could feel my worries and fears melt away. They were replaced with a sense of resolve, a feeling of renewal and a state of readiness to face life’s challenges.
Little did I know the challenges life would bring. I thought the hardest day of my life was the day I learned my dad was diagnosed with dementia. I was wrong – the hardest day of my life was the day my father died. He was more than just my ice-cream-eating partner. He was a scientist, a musician and a loving father. He was a comedian, a world-traveler, an avid gardener, and my anchor to earth. He taught me how laughter can be the best medicine, and in many ways, how to be the doctor I am today. Now, he will teach you.
As a man of science, my dad will live on through science as his body was donated to the Virginia State Anatomical Program. This means he will train future physicians in the anatomy lab. He will be your best teacher and will help guide you through these next steps of your medical school journey. Please honor and respect his memory during each interaction with your body donor in the anatomy lab. In your future practice, acknowledge his contribution, and the collective contribution of those who donated their bodies every time you safely perform a surgical procedure, diagnose a problem on a physical exam or apply an osteopathic manipulation.
Allow me to tell you about my father, so he may continue to live on through the lives you save, the patients you treat and the discoveries you make.
My father always encouraged me to achieve my dreams, no matter how big they were. In elementary school, when I told him I wanted to be a princess, he built me a tree-fort “castle” in our backyard and said, “You already are a princess.” Years later, he reiterated this as he drove me through one of the worst snowstorms imaginable so I could compete in a local Miss America pageant. He said all I was missing was the crown and to go on stage and get it.
When I told him I wanted to be an Olympic figure skater at age 14, he signed me up for lessons. All my classmates were so much younger, they thought I was their coach. My dad said, “Someday you might be.”
In high school, he drove me home after a big test. I shared that, while I didn’t do as well as I had hoped, I scored higher than two-thirds of the class. He looked at me with disappointment, not because my grade wasn’t perfect, but because of how I attempted to validate it. He said, “Never compare yourself to others like that. You cannot improve yourself through others’ shortcomings. Tell me about the third of the class who scored higher than you. Look to them for guidance and success so you not only achieve it but pass it on to the rest.” It has stuck with me ever since.
Alyssa and her father at Alyssa’s high school graduation.
One of my father’s most memorable quotes was, “A lie can travel around the world faster than the time it takes truth to put its boots on.” With the current age of technology, social media and artificial intelligence, misinformation is rampant. His message continues to serve as a reminder for me to always seek the truth and speak the truth. In this and many other ways, he challenged me to be better, smarter, stronger and kinder.
While he challenged me, I also challenged him. I was constantly asking questions about life, politics, culture and history, wanting to learn more. If he didn’t have the answer, he would spend hours to days to weeks finding one for me.
When I told him I wanted to be a doctor, he joked, “Good, I’ll need one after raising you.”
In medical school, I shared with him my passion for anatomy, neurology and the osteopathic medical philosophy because it centers around the body’s ability to heal and rehabilitate itself. I told him how I wished there was a medical field where I could incorporate these disciplines. He said, “You’re talking about physiatry.” While I knew my dad worked as a medical researcher in neuroscience before I was born, I did not realize until that moment his research had been conducted under the direction of a physiatrist. This is the conversation that introduced me to my specialty of physical medicine and rehabilitation.
In residency, as dementia was rapidly taking my father away from me, every patient I saw reminded me of him. When I looked through a chart, I saw more than a diagnosis, a name or an age. I saw the person beyond the patient, their emotional struggles, their families, their lives at home and the challenges they faced.
When the doctors told me I could not heal my dad, I was devastated. The feeling of helplessness was agonizing. I struggled to accept that, despite all my medical training, resources, knowledge and advancements in science and technology, I could not cure my dad. I learned to channel my emotions into doing everything in my power to help others. This is what I strive to do every day at work. As an osteopathic physician, I found health in my father just as I do in my patients. As a physiatrist, I optimized his quality of life. And as a daughter, I told him how much I loved him.
I am so grateful he saw me not only graduate from medical school, residency and fellowship, but also become a board-certified physiatrist. It was one of the last accomplishments he observed before he passed away in January 2023.
Alyssa and her father at Alyssa’s medical school graduation, where she officially became Dr. Alyssa Cole Mixon.
I know my father is as proud of you as he is of me, and that he is committed to helping you succeed. He will live on through the knowledge he imparts to his physician students. He will forever help in expanding and contributing to our depth of scientific understanding as you, his students, work to help patients, save lives and cure diseases like the dementia he worked so hard to overcome.
It feels unreal to exist in a world where my father does not, but I believe his essence, the elemental forms that make up the human body, will remain in our galaxy for an infinite amount of time. The first law of thermodynamics states energy is neither created nor destroyed, which means his energy is all around us. Perhaps this energy may one day be converted into the Forget-Me-Not flowers planted every year during body donor remembrance ceremonies at medical schools around the world.
Someone told me grief is love with no place to go. As much as I wish I could share one more pint of Ben & Jerry’s with my dad, I am channeling that love into sharing his story, honoring his legacy and passing on his lessons and selfless contributions to you. So, when you find yourself in the anatomy lab, rest assured my father will not let you down. Use this opportunity to learn what you need to be the best physician you can be and continue to give back to others through medicine, laughter and, in the most special cases, ice cream.
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