Despite the fact that severe storms completely shut down airports, including Chicago’s O’Hare early last week, VGM Group Inc.’s Heartland event enjoyed increased attendance at last week’s June 15-19 conference and expo in Waterloo, Iowa. The event attracted 530 attendees, which marked an increase of 15 percent over last year.
“This year’s Heartland Conference was a success, and we are pleased that so many members made the trip to Waterloo,” said Christa Miehe, vice president of strategic projects for VGM. “We offered them the best of the best in education, and as always, had a lot of fun at our networking events. We look forward to continuously providing them with the tools they need for success.”
Many attendees had suffer through lengthy flight delays and arranged alternate means of transportation to attend the event. So, it was a fitting highlight of the show that six-time Olympic champion and Amy Van Dyken delivered the keynote address. The former competitive swimmer suffered a major spinal cord injury in 2014 severing her T11 vertebrae, but carried on and shared her message of determination and resilience with the Heartland attendees.
“You learn to push through the pain and the challenges,” Van Dyken said in a People for Quality Care interview.“… Every day I wake up and thank God I am alive. I also realize that my life could be a lot worse. When I think I’m having a bad day, I step back and look at the situation from the outside in and realize that I’m just having a bad moment. The HME landscape is becoming increasingly challenging.”
The presentation resonated conference attendees, with many commenting on her positive attitude and determination.
“I loved her comment, ‘who are you to tell me what I can and cannot do?’ That is the attitude that drives success,” Kim Barbour from Denver’s Major Medical Supply told the People for Quality Care. “ Like Amy, I try to have a positive look on life. I come to work with a smile, because I know my staff is doing amazing things!”
“I swam in the 2000 Olympic trials with Amy and know how great of an athlete and person she is,” added Melissa Woltz of VGM Insurance. “I also had an injury that took me out of competitive swimming and I understand the difficulty of not being able to do what you love, but you just keep on going. Amy’s determination is amazing and I have no doubt that she will continue to accomplish her goals.”