Linda Gravenstein, her husband Ray, and Carol Ireton-Jones with Gizmo front and center.
ASPEN provides all kinds of support to its members such as the latest research and best practices on the science of nutrition support and the opportunity to network. Sometimes, ASPEN’s greatest contributions are its heart and spirit. This was most evident in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.
Members Linda Gravenstein and Carol Ireton-Jones met well over a decade ago at an ASPEN conference, becoming great friends and collaborators. They are not only fellow Texans but also colleagues at Nutrishare, a provider of clinical nutrition. Linda, an ASPEN 2016 Lyn Howard Award winner, is a tireless advocate for people receiving home parenteral and enteral nutrition (HPEN). As the mother of a daughter requiring HPEN, she is focused on bringing the voices of patients to Capitol Hill and elsewhere throughout the country. Carol is a Registered Dietitian and a Clinical Specialist.
Their most recent collaboration occurred the hours and days immediately following Harvey’s devastating path—getting much needed supplies delivered to patients. Here is the story in their words:
Linda: I was checking in on local patients during and after the hurricane. People receiving fluids and parenteral nutrition solution were getting concerned about upcoming deliveries. I called Carol to discuss the product delivery concerns of our Houston area patients.
Carol: I had been monitoring with the Nutrishare clinicians. UPS and FedEx indicated there should be no problem getting the solution to us. To her credit, Linda said she didn’t believe them. She told me, “UPS and FedEx won’t be able to make it here to the Houston area. But I can get the shipments to our people.” Although many roads were flooded, as a local resident, Linda knew she would be able to find passable routes that the shipping companies wouldn’t have considered. Even so, when she said she would make the deliveries, my response was, “Do you know what you’re saying?!” But she was already gassing up the car.
Linda: I turned to my husband, Ray, and said “Are you game?” He was. The Nutrishare team coordinated getting home parenteral nutrition and supplies for Houston area patients shipped into the Austin airport. Ray and I traveled from Houston to Austin immediately after the storm Tuesday night so we could pick up the early delivery at the airport the following morning.
Reid Nishikawa, a Nutrishare pharmacist and fellow ASPEN member, was back in Houston looking at a map. He was tracking us as we were going, to be sure we were safe. Even though, technically, the storm was over, the weather was still pretty bad.
We didn’t know what we would find on the roads. So, we brought heavy-duty plastic bags and duct tape, just in case there was a chance we might even need to make the deliveries by boat. Reid was supporting and encouraging us all along the way. We also had people at home monitoring Tx.dot to see what roads were open. But even that wasn’t entirely accurate.
Carol: Essentially, Linda and Ray were mapping the roads!
Linda: We were able to make the first delivery in College Station pretty well. The river was flooded, but we knew to stay on elevated roads.
One mom met me in a parking lot near her home. All around, there was massive destruction but she knew the back roads. Then we headed on for more deliveries.
There was another patient in Beaumont. But the roads near her home became inaccessible. Thankfully, she had a friend in Austin who could pick up her delivery and bring it back to her. Everyone was so kind.
Carol: There was no service interruption for our consumers (patients) because of great teamwork and caring. It was amazing!
Linda: The distance between Houston and Austin is only 140 miles. But we put 580 miles on the car during this trip. The roads were just that bad and the routes so circuitous. We were on the road for 12 ½ hours. We got to the last house by 7:30 PM that night. It happened to be our daughter’s delivery. She looked at us and said, “What took you so long?”
Carol: The nutrition support community is really tight knit. I know that if another provider had asked, Linda would have delivered to their patients as well.
Linda: Those of us who work in home infusion teach people how to manage. We can’t all afford generators, but there are “tricks” and things you can learn from others. But this event lasted much longer than anyone expected. Without us helping, these patients really would have been in trouble.
Carol: The most important thing is that every patient is fine. Everybody was scared and concerned. But I know if Linda were to see any of them today, they would give her a big hug.
Linda: I met both Carol and Reid through ASPEN. I love the organization because of everyone I know there. It provides so many resources to our community. There is camaraderie and a sense of family. And, though there are no short cuts in taking care of nutrition support consumers, that sense of family and support is invaluable.
