Dr. Lisa Belisle

Arms, Legs, and Breast Cancer Awareness

By Lisa M. Belisle, MD, MPH
Originally published October 2, 2008, The Maine Switch

My Irish-Catholic grandmother had little patience for whiners. Complain to Nana and you would likely hear, “At least you have your arms and legs.” This meant: your life could be worse. Quit moaning.

My siblings and I always thought Nana’s anti-moaning admonishment was a little extreme. Of course we still had our arms and legs. Our limbs seemed a silly thing to be grateful for.

Emotional Emergency Packs: Resilience & Reading

By Lisa M. Belisle, MD, MPH, Medical Advisor, Raising Readers 

Originally published Fall 2008, Raising Readers Issue Brief 

Scaredy the Squirrel was afraid to leave his tree: 

The unknown can be a scary place for a squirrel….In Scaredy Squirrel’s nut tree, every day is the same. Everything is predictable. All is under control. 

—Melanie Watt, Scaredy Squirrel (See Raising Readers Recommends, below.) 

Being cautious is a natural response to a sometimes overwhelming world. Once we figure out where we are comfortable, we tend to stay there--just like Scaredy Squirrel, hunkered down in his nut tree.