A Tribute to the Pioneers
Date: 07-15-2023
A pioneer is a trailblazer. That means they go into the wilderness, the unknown and unguided realms of life. There are no guarantees. Might be great, might be terrible, frustrating, you name it. There is of course, the indomitable spirit. The hope of a better life and for some the thrill of the journey. The technological development of Envision over the years required good old observation. The initial technology was a scale. That was it. Just a pragmatic way to get folks to place weight on an insensitive foot.
The more the door of the unseen physics and biomechanics was opened, the more the system and possibilities materialized. This was a slow and arduous process for the “pioneers”. Thousands of hours of observation and years of evolution. When there was an idea to improve, there was waiting. Waiting for programing, hardware builds, funding. A complex dance of discovery, excitement, and frustration.
The “Pioneers” were always grateful, hopeful, and optimistic. That dance I described was mostly my dance.
Those explorers were stoic and gracious as they succeeded and when they failed. When we realized a path taken was “off course”, they cheerfully changed course. A lesson learned. No glory or fame, a failure or dead end, or a valuable lesson. This was the raw material that built the road for the others.
I was amazed at the patience of these folks. More than I had. The only thing they required of me was that I have faith in the nobility of the effort. I was tested. I only endured because of my commitment to them. Every time I started to waiver in my resolve or thought of walking away, I thought of these rare individuals. They had such Herculaneum problems to tackle every day. How could I just walk away?
They gave so much and mostly it was “kindness”. I suppose that if I could sum up what I learned from the pioneers in two words, it would be “patience” and “kindness”. It turned out to be a duality of sorts. This technological development was a struggle. Pioneers accept this struggle, and it appears to me, they arm themselves with patience and kindness. An antidote to anything the struggle throws at them. This journey is not over, just different. The future patients, clients and researchers will benefit from the effort of the pioneers as I have. These people have further imbued me with a healthy dose of gratitude. I salute the pioneers.
With Gratitude
Dr Michael J. Malawey, PT
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