Tomorrow, October 1, marks my 10th anniversary in practice! As many of you know (and I guess "snooze you lose" for those who don't?) it's a Patient Appreciation Day and free adjustments and some goodies for all established patients all day long. (Yes it's too late to make an appointment - we are BOOKED!)

As part of the day, I am including the latest version of my "On Purpose" letter for each patient who visits. It's supposed to be something that I share with EVERY new patient, but I've been remiss lately... So, in an attempt to make up for it, I'm posting it here in the blog zone for all to see:

Dear Patients,

All too often, it’s the practitioner who gets all the information about the patient, and the patient gets little information about the practitioner and his practice. I would like to change that.

Although my full name is now Kim Makoi, I was given the name Kimberly Ann McCaughey at birth. I was born in Washington, DC at 11:11 on a winter night under the sun sign of Aquarius in the Chinese Year of the Rat. My mother, a nurse, was born in North Korea during the height of the Korean War and immigrated to the U.S. shortly before my birth. My father, a military history buff from Rhode Island, comes from a family that first established roots on this continent with the Pilgrims on the Mayflower. I have a son named Shin, who I homeschool and co-parent with his dad, Aaron (who grew up here in San Francisco), and we have a polydactyl black and white cat named 100 Cute. I’m a classic introvert, and I recharge my energy by watching movies, going to the opera, playing with rocks, taking naps and reading BOOKS.

I was originally inspired to be a healing practitioner because I wanted to help ease pain and suffering without having to rely on drugs and surgery. I’ve chosen to devote my life to the healing arts because it is the way in which I am best equipped to serve Great Spirit while simultaneously playing the role of upstanding citizen in the mundane world of practical life.
I am grateful I did so because the rewards I reap go far beyond the monetary rewards of a “job.” Through my work, I have met countless amazing spirits (not unlike yourself) who I would have never otherwise met, much less assisted in some important way, and I have received much love and healing for myself through the gracious energies of those who have passed through my doors over the past ten years.

I believe with all my heart in the principles of alternative healing, which are primarily that the body is an intelligent and self-healing organism that needs only proper fuel and the removal of hindrances to healing in order to heal itself of just about anything.

I believe with all my heart in how I practice and always strive to improve it. In case anyone is wondering why I place such a high emphasis on N.E.T. (the Neuro Emotional Technique), it is basically because N.E.T. saved my life. Through N.E.T., I have been safely shepherded through some terrifying and potentially devastating crises in life, including but not limited to (and in no particular order) : homelessness, divorce, bankruptcy, the deaths of close friends, post-traumatic stress, postpartum depression, dark night of the soul, and gender reassignment (i.e. the process of “sex change”). Actually, that last thing is not yet completed, but I have no reason to doubt that once again, with the help of N.E.T. and other tools, I will get through to the other side just fine!

I believe I give an excellent service for a fair fee. I want to help people. I want you to refer and continue to refer patients to me because whenever a person heals, the family, community and eventually the world heals, too. (“It’s better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.” You are a candle!)
I established this clinic in this particular community because I love the very special energy of San Francisco and of those who are drawn to this place. I fell in love with San Francisco after my first visit here in 1989, and it’s been a dream-come-true to make my home and living in this community. (It also helps that I can run to the opera or a film festival just minutes after seeing a patient! Can’t beat that with a stick!) The whole purpose of this clinic is to bring awareness and healing to the community. What seems to make this practice unique is the deep recognition that everything – and I do mean EVERYTHING – is connected to and can affect everything else.

My personal promise to you is that I will always work to the fullest of my ability to help you to find a solution to the healing crisis that brought you to my door. Most likely, I will continue to seek and share solutions until the day I die.

I thank you for your trust and support, and I hope to provide many, many more years of service in this capacity as your Doctor of Chiropractic.

- DK