A J O U R N A L O F
H E A L T H A N D W E L L - B E I N G
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 7
Health
Destination
Nonprofit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Platteville, WI
Permit No. 7
T.J. Samson Community Hospital
1301 N. Race St.
Glasgow, KY 42141
Sherri shines
award
Do you have a wonderful
woman in your life who
inspires you? This great
lady may be the rock in
your family, the best friend
you can’t live without, or a
sweet neighbor who has
been through many
difficulties in her life and
has risen above them all.
We want to honor two
deserving ladies in our
community who
demonstrate the power of
inspiration. We want to
pamper them with
relaxation, and a day to
make them feel special in
every way.
This year at our T.J. Samson
Women’s Conference, we
will be rewarding two
special inspiring women
with complete makeovers!
This is done in memory and
in celebration of Sherri
Davis. Sherri was an
outstanding much-loved
employee at T.J. Samson
who passed away last year
following a brave battle with
cancer.
If you would like to
nominate someone, visit
tjsamson.orgto print the
nomination form.
Entries must be returned
by Friday, March 3.
Woman of
Inspiration
‘Your life is
1 CHOICE AWAY
frombeing different’
ABBY RIKE ROCKENBAUGH
peppers her sen-
tences with little laughs. When she says she loves
speaking to groups of women, she stretches out
the word “love” like a delicious piece of taffy.
Rockenbaugh is a joyful lady. Which might
be surprising, because 10 years ago her husband,
Rick; 5-year-old daughter, Macy; and 2-week-
old son, Caleb, were killed in a car accident.
And for more than two years, Rockenbaugh
was mired in the deepest of grief.
How she climbed out of her despair and re-
claimed her life will be part of her keynote speech
at the annual T.J. Samson Community Hospital
Women’s Conference.The event is set forThursday,
March 23, at the Cave City Convention Center.
TAKING A CHANCE ON A TV SHOW
“The
thing with grief is that it makes other people
uncomfortable around you,” Rockenbaugh
says. She found it almost impossible to leave
her bed.
Something in her life needed to get better.
Out of the blue—guided by God, Rocken-
baugh believes—she met a couple who had ap-
peared on the TV show
The Biggest Loser
. After
talking to them, she auditioned for the show.
She was chosen to be a contestant.
“It was nutty for me to do that,” she says. “I
didn’t want to be on a game show. But I’d been
overweight all my life. I needed something to
jumpstart my life again.”
By the time the grueling series ended in
2009, she had lost nearly 90 pounds. And her
life was moving forward again. People encour-
aged her to share her story, and she became a
public speaker.
“I was stuck in my life, in
my grief,” she says. “Too many
people are stuck in their lives,
for whatever reasons. But really,
they’re not stuck. Their life is one
choice away frombeing different.”
‘SELF-CARE IS NOT SELFISH’
The title of
her talk will be “Working It Out: How Health
and Wellness Promotes Mind, Body and Soul
Healing.”
“I focus on whole health,” Rockenbaugh says.
“How taking care of yourself is a key compo-
nent to working through…whatever. Self-care
is not selfish.”
What does she hope the women at the con-
ference will take away from it?
“My biggest desire is that they take action,
which will be different for everyone there,” she
says. “For some, it might be weight loss. For
others, it might be doing something outside
their comfort zone.”
According to Bethany Matthews, Women’s
Conference Co-Chair, Cathy Botts, Fitness
Instructor, will also be a speaker in one of the
educational sessions.
“This is such a great event for women of all
ages in our community,” says Matthews. “We are
honored to present such an enjoyable and edu-
cational day where women can come together
to learn, laugh and be inspired.”
ANNUAL WOMEN’S CONFERENCE
After tragedy, this
year’s speaker made some big changes
To learn more about the event or to sign
up to attend, call 270-651-4534 or
visit
www.tjsamson.org.