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Charleen B. Flood Memorial Fund
The Colorado State University Center for Biomedical Research in Music has been named recipient of the Charleen B. Flood Memorial Fund for the advancement of Neurological Music Therapy research focused on Parkinson’s disease.
Dr. Michael Thaut, Center Director and Co-Executive Director, School of the Arts, along with an esteemed team of neurologists, neuroscientists, therapists,and musicians, developed the study and practice of Neurological Music Therapy (NMT). Colorado State University and CBRM is the lab of historical discovery for the effect of auditory rhythmic stimulation on motor control and motor therapy. The Center for Biomedical Research in Music (CBRM) received $50,000 from the fund.
“We are extremely grateful and honored to be the recipient of this fund which will allow us to broaden our research into neurologic music therapy and rehabilitation for patients with Parkinson’s disease. We never met Charleen while she was still alive, but we have met her husband and children who carry her legacy forward in beautiful and powerful ways. They are a truly remarkable family. We hope that more people will feel inspired by the Flood family’s gift and donate into the fund. That is the expressed hope of Don Flood, Charleen’s husband, who wants to see their gift as a seed that continues to grow,“ says Michael Thaut.
Charleen B. Flood passed away on December 15, 2004, at her home in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California, surrounded by her family and devoted caregivers. Charleen fought a brave and lengthy battle against Parkinson’s disease with vigor and exceptional determination. The Charleen B. Flood Memorial Fund is managed by Charleen’s husband, Donald L. Flood, Col. USAF (Ret) and son, John C. Flood, Professional Musician and Lecturer, School of Music and Dance at San Diego State University.
She was diagnosed in 1984, and after 15 years her symptoms became so severe that she began experiencing frequent falls, resulting in numerous trips to the emergency room for treatment. More importantly, she had more serious events that required hospitalization, skilled nursing, complex Parkinson medication adjustment and finally, lengthy in-patient and outpatient therapy at the Scripps Encinitas Rehabilitation Center.
Charleen’s vigor and determination, coupled with the outstanding and cooperative work of Neurologist Dr. Michael Lobatz and her family, allowed her to walk unassisted after her hip replacement in 1999. The surgeon who replaced her hip was astonished when she walked on her own into her first follow up appointment. He was amazed, but her family was not!
Charleen's lifelong work as a medical technologist, including her extensive volunteer hours spent in base hospitals, combined with her love of music, including years spent singing in the Skylarks ( Airforce Officers' Wives' Chorus), prompted her family to explore the NMT field. "As a combination of science and music, MT would have fascinated Charleen and was the perfect choice for our family to initiate a fund," says Donald Flood.
About Charleen B. Flood
Charleen's life was spent in constant pursuit of ways to help people, and she expected nothing in return for herself. When she received anything, she always tried to use it for the benefit of others, to simply "pass it on." She used her life experiences, especially those involving her sometimes-successful navigation of a path filled with seemingly insurmountable obstacles, to motivate and inspire others to follow her example. That is: to disdain the idea of denial, to study the path required of her and learn it well, to accept help graciously, and to brush aside all obstacles or turn them into stepping stones. She charged forward and attacked everything in her way with vigor, enthusiasm, and above all, her delightful sense of humor.
With the attributes cited above, she had a remarkable ability to respond to aggressive medical treatment and therapy and was able to complete three successful trips through Scripps Rehab, Charleen held the Parkinson’s at bay because of her inner strength and through it all never took credit but always gave it to others.
Give to the Charleen B. Flood Memorial Fund
For information on giving to the Charleen B. Flood Memorial Fund through the College of Liberal Arts please click here.