Raves, Rants & Roses

ROSES: Thank Dr. Lloyd Mercer for being the rare doctor who consistently has gone the extra mile for my daughter and my family. He repeatedly comforted me when my daughter's neurological illness became more and more alarming.

Dr. Mercer has been the doctor who did not give up when Children's in Dallas and Mayo Clinic in Minnesota did not look outside the box. He is the doctor who kept telling me, "Lauren, this will get better," when I felt hopeless. He is the doctor who made me laugh with his dry sense of humor when I only wanted to cry. His wisdom and persistence have paid off, and my daughter is finally getting her life back.

I cannot say how many times when I have mentioned his name, people that I don't even know will speak up and remark how he has saved the life of a family member or that of a friend's child. In the midst of treating individuals with chronic neurological problems in which progress can come ever so slowly, I don't think that Dr. Mercer knows the hope, compassion and light that he brings everyday to countless children and their families.

Lauren Perry
Tyler