Filed under: Book Conservation, Connections, General Musings, Health, Humor, Machado-Joseph, Promotion | Tags: arthritis, ataxia, blogging, book conservation, bookbinding, dystonia, health, jim downey, Legacy Bookbindery, Machado-Joseph Disease, medicine, MJD, neurology, pain, SCA3, science, spinocerebellar ataxia type 3
Wait, how can MJD be “hilarious“?
Well …
… so this morning (4/9/22), I got a call from a book conservation client. Since I screen my calls, he left a message, identifying himself, and said he was someone in the University administration. The call was otherwise fairly routine, asking if I could refer them to someone else for a small job they needed done, since I am not accepting new clients. [My website says it’s due to arthritis, which I do have in my hands, but it’s really due to the problems with the onset of MJD. I’ll change the website once I have an official diagnosis.]
I called the fellow back, as I would for anyone who called and left a message. We discussed what the client has, what he thinks he needs, etc. As is commonly the case, he didn’t really need conservation work done (the book is more valuable leaving it alone), but instead just needs a proper archival storage box. Since he’s here in town and associated with the University system, I ask if he is familiar with Special Collections at the University library, since they could easily make a custom box for him (and would likely welcome the chance to do a favor for someone in the administration). He admits that he’s only been in town for a year or two, and was mostly involved with the Medical School. So I tell him who to contact, and what to ask for, and to say I referred him. Easy, simple solution, but the sort of thing that makes people very happy for the help provided and has earned me many references and additional clients over the years.
Then, in chatting a bit, he asked why I was no longer taking clients. I explained that it was due to arthritis, and just left it at that. I told him I’d send him a text with the contact info again, just as a courtesy (as I would do for any client).
After I hung up, I looked again at the name he’d given me. It was a little unusual, and for some reason rang a bell. Then it hit me — he’s the attending physician in the Neurology Clinic I have an appointment with to evaluate my MJD in about six weeks.
I mentioned that I had an appointment with him in my follow-up text with the info I’d promised. We had a bit of a chuckle back & forth over how it’s a very small world sometimes …
Jim Downey
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Communion Of Dreams 