I met Dr. Greg Proulx in September 2014.  I was getting ready to go to a meeting on ACEs in Washington, DC and was trying very hard to spread the word about ACEs across the region.  That week before WE met, I spoke to about 100 people in our small rural community of Alpena TO TRY to get our faith-based community on board with ACEs. 

I was also interested in meeting Greg because many of my patients were his patients.  They spoke highly of him and of his knowledge.  I thought Greg might be a person who could relate to my “crusade” to shine a spotlight on the dire long-term effects of child abuse and neglect, or of simply the dire effects of the absence of knowledge of positive parenting in our region. 

He did not fail me.  He invited me into one of the conference rooms at lunchtime at Community Mental Health and he brought out his Baby Wheel from a box in the corner.  I had never seen this before. He told me how he had worked long on developing this tool.  Then he told me how he used Becky Bailey’s “I Love You Rituals” to educate parents about positive parenting.  I was so impressed that I felt free to go into why and how much I wanted to end child abuse and neglect in our community so that our kids could grow up in happiness and with a carefree joy most of us attribute to childhood, but of which some of us didn’t and don’t have.  I was set free to speak of how I knew of the dark side of lacking this carefree state. I didn’t speak of my history, my intensity told that story, and I was on a mission.  

As I was finishing, he said: “You are very passionate in your work and mission. Would you like me to nominate you for the Michigan Infant Mental Health Board?”

I of course said, “Yes!”  Only a couple of months later, he died in a car accident.  As many who had known him for much longer than I had, I was shocked and felt a deep loss.

At our only meeting, I was serious and focused. He was serious and light.  He did laugh a lot.  He took my serious nature with a gentleness that few others have.  He saw my intensity and he respected that, but I guess he knew that we were in this for the long haul, so why not be happy along the way?  We had a great meeting as he laughed and listened. He was very kind and a great resource for our community and I miss him, too.