Helping Heal Pam the Wonder-Mom

A blessing for the 21st century: May all Rise For and Reparate the Black Single Mother.

Please let me tell you about my friend Pam!

Pam Newman is a Black, Queer, 41-year young West Philadelphia native who is awesome every dang day. She’s a momma, artist, organizer, public health practitioner and all-around amazing and hilarious human!! Pam is also a single parent to her 3, almost 4-year-old child. Since his birth and throughout COVID-19, Pam has been on lockdown with a super active kid, including 3 years of breastfeeding, all while working for the City of Philadelphia as a maternal-infant care Community Engagement Consultant.

In 2018 after over a decade of living in Louisville, KY, Pam returned to her native home of West Philly to deliver and raise her baby closer to family. As can happen in pregnancy, Pam developed significant hip and back pain during gestation. After giving birth to her bitty baby, this pain continued to intensify. Exacerbated by the pandemic’s forced insularity, decades of computer-based work, depression and limited-to-no options for holistic therapies, Pam now experiences nearly debilitating pain in her hip and back and recurring pain in her knees, feet and ankles.

Meanwhile, since infancy Pam’s now not-so-bitty baby has consistently landed in the 99th percentile of weight and height class! Read: the sweet little guy is actually quite tall and heavy. So, while nurturing her little thickums, Pam’s body has been working on overdrive solo-supporting him on every level, with little respite and an ever-growing kid to carry (literally and metaphorically).

Pam has been in search of relief and remembered a possible pathway to meaningful care. In Pam’s mid-20’s while working in tech, often hunched over computer screens at a desk, she experienced such debilitating neck pain it rendered her nearly immobile. Sometimes she couldn’t stand up straight or get dressed from the pain being so severe. In an attempt to find relief Pam received chiropractic care and experienced tremendous relief, and ultimately, healing. It has been a form of medicine and care that Pam has returned to intermittently since.

Pam’s current chiropractor diagnosed Pam with having one leg significantly longer than the other, causing spinal contortions and compensatory strain in other parts of her body. Her chiropractor has recommended an intensive 24-session regime to holistically treat and rehabilitate her spinal misalignments causing her pain, as well as x-rays, traction, physical therapy and a rehabilitative physical mobility kit included in the cost of treatment. If she pays in installments, the cost is roughly $3200 as opposed to paying in one lump sum in which the cost is $2270.

Pam’s physical capacity directly impacts her ability to meet the demands of both parenting and working. As a parent in her early 40s, Pam’s concern is to be able to respond positively when her child says, “Run with me Momma!” and to keep on running with him far into the future as a caretaker, provider and playmate!

For Pam, in a single income household during an ongoing global pandemic, economic inflationary crisis and incoming recession this amount is hard to hold and currently not financially doable. But hey: in the arms of many households, it is a much lighter weight we can help lift.

Let’s help heal this person’s pain so she can help carry our future generation in more ways than one. Thank you for any support of this care for Pam!!

Donations of $95 cover an entire session.

Donations of $23 by 100 people cover the total cost of treatment.

There is no donation too small. We are so grateful for every contribution regardless of its size.