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On Nov. 2, Reset, the midday show on WBEZ-FM — Chicago’s NPR affiliate — ran a segment on SkyRise Chicago, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab’s annual fundraising climb up Willis Tower, that included perspectives from Laura Ferrio, chief operating officer.
Laura was joined by Maria Odenkirk, a Shirley Ryan AbilityLab research participant and advocate for those with functional impairments, who will be participating in SkyRise. She also was joined by Maria’s brother Bob Odenkirk, an actor who starred in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, who will be completing a virtual climb up to the Hollywood sign in California.
Laura explained what differentiates Shirley Ryan AbilityLab:
“What really sets us apart is our care delivery model. Not only do our patients receive care from physicians, nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists and the entire interdisciplinary team; they also receive care, treatment and discovery by our researchers and scientists, who we’ve dropped into the clinical care environment,” she said. “Our patients are demanding answers to questions they have today. They are demanding better, faster outcomes. And we want to deliver on that by having our researchers and scientists work side-by-side with our clinicians.”
Laura provided some background for all the listeners — and Reset’s host Sasha-Ann Simons, who also will be a first-time climber at this year’s SkyRise — on what to expect at the Willis Tower on Nov. 5.
“It’s a super high-energy environment; everyone is so excited to climb. We’ll have more than 1,700 people participating,” said Laura. “The elite climbers will go up first. I don’t know how they do it, but they can get to the top in 13 minutes! But you get to climb at your own pace. Most people will get to the top in under an hour.”
