Practice Without Pressure

“I Will Drive the Drive.” 

Marji Green doesn’t have time to waste.  With seven children, the second one with multiple disabilities, the Valley Forge, Pa. mom must prioritize.

 So when she heard about Practice Without Pressure, she was reluctant. But she needed a dentist for her daughter, Megan.  Megan is 21, and loves piano and guitar music played by her siblings. She enjoys noisy energetic kids and mild breezy days outside.  But ever since a surgery in infancy to repair a hole in her heart went wrong, Megan has been in a wheelchair and unable to communicate. She has seizures, is legally blind and incontinent.  As she ages, her cognitive function is deteriorating.

 When Megan aged out of AI DuPont Hospital’s dental program at age 18, Marji looked for a local dentist.  She tried one who said he could help.  Being tube-fed, Megan easily gags and sputters. She needs suction during dental procedures.  “Just to clean her teeth, he didn’t have the equipment she needed.  He used a pick without suction and didn’t complete it all,” Marji said. “He wanted us to come back, but we didn’t go.  He didn’t know how to deal with her disabilities.”

 In light of that experience, Marji thought, “I will drive a day to get the care she needs.”  Still, coming to PWP, she was leery.  At DuPont, “the dentist got in and out quickly within 15 minutes.”  She wanted Practice Without Pressure to be just as fast.

 “But PWP took their time, gave her time to catch her breath and it took longer, but Megan smiled through it,” Marji said. “She actually enjoyed it. But when they said we needed another appointment to complete the root planing and scaling, I thought ‘this is going to take forever.’  My thinking was ‘I’m driving over an hour to get here and I’m coming back soon.  Insurance won’t pay for practice sessions. I have to use more gas money...but they were wonderful with her from the start.  It was just me having the issues,” she said.

 No more. “PWP has been wonderful – I will drive the drive. Absolutely,” said Marji. “Since the first few visits, we come back every 4-6 months and they do everything in one visit and she smiles through it.  They treat her like she is all there, that she has no brain damage.  They talk to her. They give her time. If she starts to complain, they back off and they count.  It’s nice to have people treat her like a person and not like a piece of furniture.

 “I love being there. I come and sit with her at her feet. It helps me to see how they are treating her.  They talk to me throughout the visit so we know what is happening and what to expect.  It feels like home,” Marji said.

 Now, Megan has a piece of PWP at home too.  “PWP recommended an electric toothbrush and gave me one,” Marji said.  “I tried it and she absolutely loves the electric toothbrush.  I was amazed.  Now we brush her teeth all the time and even use it sometimes to wake her up.  She smiles and laughs every time.  The fact that they gave it to me and let me try it made all the difference.

 “My sister has noticed that Megan bites down on the toothbrush.  It’s one of the only purposeful things she does.  Even her laughing and smiling can come out of nowhere and we don’t know why.  But her biting on the toothbrush is really neat to see.  It’s like she’s playing with us.  And PWP made it possible.

Giving Thanks to the People We Serve

We have so much to be thankful for at Practice Without Pressure.  Every day, people trust us to help them overcome fear of procedures that most of us handle with ease. But for people with disabilities, whom we serve, those medical, dental and personal care procedures can be far from routine.

Time and again, their trust paves the way for progress.  And through our Practice Model™, they succeed! 

We invite you to visit Practice Without Pressure on facebook, where you will find a number of stories that showcase what a difference Practice Without Pressure can make.  Find out what success means to Brian, Angelina, Julia, Amanda, Bobby, Jon and Stefan.

Practice Without Pressure is a Delaware non-profit that makes care routine for people with disabilities.  PWP provides preparatory practice and treatment for medical, dental and personal care procedures. Many clients bring with them a history of being held down or restrained to receive care.  At PWP, we replace their fear with knowledge and avoidance with confidence. We empower them by letting them learn at their own pace, with techniques to match their needs, and in return, they give us their trust to move forward together. When ready, they move from practice to treatment, often in a short time.  Their transformation from scared to prepared for care at our Center in Newark, Delaware is nothing short of amazing.

You can help us make a difference. From now until October 26, which is national Make a Difference Day, we are asking supporters to raise $100 or more to help us give people with disabilities care with dignity and respect. The winner, to be announced Oct. 26,  will receive a trip for two on the next Rock Legends Cruise III.

From February 19-23, 2015, Liberty of the Seas will ply the waters from Ft. Lauderdale, FL to Nassau, the Bahamas with 20 classic rock bands playing more than 70 sets. Past bands have included Bachman & Turner, The Marshall Tucker Band, ZZ Top, and George Thorogood & The Destroyers. This trip is a $2,500 value and a vacation where you can rock and roll and rub elbows for four days with your favorite bands.

The best part is you don't have to be present to enter or win this great prize. You need to be 21 years of age or just young at heart. Before October 26 rolls around, please consider contributing to our cause - providing routine care with dignity and respect to people whose disabilities.  They deserve no less. In return, you will have our gratitude and a chance at this great vacation package.  Please visit our website www.pwpde.com for contest details.  Thanks.

We have 50 good reasons for you to come to our benefit - a Contemporary Blues Jam at the Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts on the Wilmington, DE Riverfront.  The price is now just $50 per person. It's a great deal for a great deal and a great cause! On 10/26 from 6 p.m. - Midnight, come enjoy six rockin' blues bands for six hours with brews and Texas Roadhouse food included in the ticket price.

Practice Without Pressure Holds Blues Benefit 

At the Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts 

    NEWARK, DE  - August 27, 2013 – Practice Without Pressure has a new venue, 

catering by Texas Roadhouse and a fresh lineup of blues bands for its annual 

Blues Jam.  On Saturday, October 26, from 6 p.m. – Midnight, the benefit will 

showcase six bands on two stages at the Delaware Center for the Contemporary 

Arts, 200 S. Madison St, Wilmington, DE 19801.  Playing at the venue will be: 

 Blue Lords 

 Lower Case Blues 

 Gretchen Emery & Dirty Boots 

 What’s in the Box? 

 Barrelhouse Blues Band 

 Bad JuJu 

“We’re thrilled to have these bands support our organization,” said Jackie 

Armstrong, PWP’s Director of Development. They have been consistent 

supporters of PWP and make this event popular and successful.” 

New this year, the benefit will feature the Blue Lords, a powerful, true blue 

classic, southern rock and blues band. The group will be coming from Norfolk, 

Virginia to Delaware specifically for this event.  “We have never played in 

Wilmington, Delaware before,” said Tony Bullard, the band’s guitarist and 

vocalist.  “I hope this marks the first of many opportunities to bring our brand of 

Southern Rock and Blues there.” 

For the first time, too, Texas Roadhouse will cater to the crowd with its fabulous 

stick-to-your-ribs cuisine.   

If you’re up for a challenge, the event has one too. That night, PWP will 

announce the winner of its Rock the Boat Challenge. The winner will receive a 

cruise for two on the Rock Legends III Cruise from February 19 – 23, 2015. The 

prize is valued at $2,500. Attending the fundraiser is not required to participate in 

the challenge. 

“Register for just $5, and once you collect $100 in donations, you will be entered 

in the contest. The more money you raise, the greater your chances to rock the 

boat with 20 of your favorite rock stars,” said Tom Maillie, event chair. 

 In the past, Rock Legends cruises have attracted such acts as Bachman & 

Turner, The Marshall Tucker Band, ZZ Top, and George Thorogood & The 

Destroyers.  “The Blue Lords, coming to this year’s benefit, played on this year’s 

cruise and hope to be on the Rock Legends Cruise III as well,” Maillie said.   

All-inclusive Blues Jam tickets cost $75 per person or $550 for a table to eight. 

To order tickets and/or enter the Rock the Boat Challenge, visit www.pwpde.com 

and click on the event card or call Jackie Armstrong at (302) 832-2800. 

Practice Without Pressure is a non-profit organization whose mission to help 

people, especially those with disabilities, receive quality medical, dental and 

ROCK THE BOAT CHALLENGE - Your Ticket to the next Rock Legends Cruise III

Join our Cruise for a Cause! Enter our Rock the Boat Challenge for a chance at tickets for two on the next Rock Legends Cruise III!  Imagine four days aboard Liberty of the Seas on the Caribbean listening and rubbing elbows with 20 classic rock bands from February 19-23, 2015.  

Contemporary Blues Jam for Practice Without Pressure