Dr. Terry A. Gordon author of the book No Storm Last Forever is here to share his insight on how to live a life at peace. This man has been through so much, His son was paralyzed, he was diagnosed with cancer and his beloved wife ill. Yet you will see in the very first words he utters that this man is truly at peace and has found away to surrender to it all and a live a life that is rewarding. You will find your own peace of mind and be inspired to overcome your own obstacles after hearing Terry’s journey to peace within.
About Terry
Dr. Terry A. Gordon graduated from Emory University with a degree in Psychology. Having completed his medical school training at what is now known as the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences, a rotating internship at Doctors Hospital, Internal Medicine training at Akron General Medical Center, he then completed his Invasive Cardiology Fellowship at The Cleveland Clinic Foundation.
One of his missions in life is saving the lives of our most precious resource, our children. After the tragic death of Josh Miller, a 15-year old football player at Barberton High School, Dr. Gordon, as then president of the Summit County Ohio American Heart Association helped to raise the funds to place automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in every junior and high school. His community became the first county of its size in the nation to do so. For his efforts, the American Heart Association named him the National Physician of the Year 2002.
Through God’s direction, Terry has continued on his life’s path. In 2005, he was instrumental in procuring from the state of Ohio, $2.5 million. With a partnership with the American Heart Association and Akron General Medical Center, over 2,200 AEDs were placed in schools throughout the state of Ohio. He then convinced the state legislature to allocate an additional $2.5 million needed to complete the task of placing over 4500 devices in Ohio schools. This initiative included the cost of the AED, training five individuals in each school in the use of AEDs and CPR, as well as aligning the schools with their local paramedic units. Over 15,000 individuals received this training. Fifteen lives have been saved as a direct result of this initiative.
His mission is not quite complete. He is currently spearheading a national campaign, which has resulted in legislation put forth by U.S. Congresswoman Betty Sutton to recreate the Ohio School AED initiative on a national scale, the goal being to place one AED in every single school in our country. The bill is called The Josh Miller HEARTS Act and has passed the U.S. House of Representatives. Senator Sherrod Brown has introduced it in the U.S. Senate where it is currently awaiting passage.
Terry’s mantra in life is to give himself away every day, and he does so happily. He is quite active within his community, serving on various volunteer boards. He was a founding member of Stewart’s Caring Place, a facility of wellness established for those individuals and families touched by cancer. The services offered compliment medical treatment while recognizing the integral relation of body, mind and spirit in the healing process.
For many years, he was a member of The Youth Motivational Task Force, inspiring inner city youth to aspire for greatness, encouraging them to manifest whatever they desire in life. He has been a long-standing board member of the American Heart Association as well. Terry is co-host of ‘Docs Who Rock’ a fundraiser for the United Way. As you can tell from the videos and photos on the media page, his sometimes off-the-wall antics on stage show that he doesn’t take himself too seriously.
His love of God and family is the foundation of his being. His motto of chivalry is “to serve all, but to love only one”. His wife of 33 years, Angela is that one love. She continues to be the guiding light that illuminates his life on this earth. His four children, Mattie-Rose, Laila, Britt and Tyler have made him the proudest a father could be.
As a physician who on a daily basis has dealt with life and death, Terry understands that life is precious and can change in an instant. He and his family experienced first-hand such a dramatic shift when his son Tyler was involved in an automobile accident, sustaining a severe spinal cord injury that has left him paralyzed. Leading his family through the experience, Terry’s journey has resulted in a spiritual awakening to a clearer understanding of life and the truths it has to offer.
He has learned that when adversity comes our way, it is how we respond to that difficulty that determines who we become. Life experiences become calamities only if we make the conscious decision to make tragedies out of them. Rather than lamenting so-called adversities, we can choose to be grateful for them. We can embrace them and accept them as gifts from the Divine. They can provide fertile soil for growth and enlightenment.
Now retired from the practice of Cardiology, Terry’s purposeful life is to continue serving, by sharing with others his insight to what we all desire…Peace, Shalom, and Salaam.
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