Employee Spotlight

Employee Spotlight

DataCeutics Employee Becomes Hero as he Helps Neighbor Escape Attack

As released by Brady McCombs - Apr. 23 9:52 PM EDT by The Associated Press, a Samurai sword-wielding Mormon bishop helped a neighbor woman escape a Tuesday morning attack by a man who had been stalking her.  

To watch video on Good Morning America, click the following link: http://gma.yahoo.com/video/samurai-sword-wielding-mormon-bishop-120245789.html.

Kent Hendrix – (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Kent Hendrix woke up Tuesday to his teenage son pounding on his bedroom door and telling him somebody was being mugged in front of their house. The 47-year-old father of six rushed out the door and grabbed the weapon closest to him — a 29-inch high carbon steel Samurai sword. He came upon what he describes as a melee between a woman and a man. His son stayed inside to call 911 while he approached the man along with other neighbors who came to help. The martial arts instructor didn’t hesitate in drawing the sword and yelling at him to get on the ground. ”His eyes got as big as saucers and he kind of gasped and jumped back,” Hendrix said by phone Tuesday afternoon. “He’s probably never had anyone draw a sword on him before.” 

The man ran away down the street toward his car with the barefoot Hendrix and others in pursuit. Hendrix said he couldn’t catch the suspect before he fled in his car, but he picked up chapstick that the man dropped and memorized his license plate. ”I yelled at him, `I’ve got your DNA and I’ve got your license plate: You are so done,”‘ Hendrix said. The suspect turned himself in to police an hour later, said Unified Police Lt. Justin Hoyal. He was booked on charges of robbery, attempted burglary, trespassing and violation of a stalking injunction.

Kent Hendrix, 47, draws his sword near his house Tuesday, April 23, 2013, in Salt Lake City. / AP Photo/Rick Bowmer

Hendrix, a pharmaceutical statistician, was one of several neighbors who came to the woman’s aid after she began yelling for help, Hoyal said. The incident began just after 7 a.m. when the victim, a 35-year-old woman, came out her front door, Hoyal said. The suspect, 37-year-old Grant Eggersten, was hiding behind her car port and attacked her, knocking her to the ground. He took her keys and tried to open the door into her house, he said. That’s when the woman ran down the street calling for help. The woman did the right thing by fighting back and calling for help, Hoyal said. She suffered minor injuries.

Hendrix, a bishop in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said it was the first time in 30 years of practicing martial arts that he’s used the sword. He didn’t swing it at the man, only showing him he had it. He said he’s proud of his 14-year-old son for alerting him and quickly calling 911. He said the family is still abuzz about the events. ”That kind of thing doesn’t happen every day,” Hendrix said. “Our neighborhood is a pretty quiet place.” A fourth-degree black belt in the Kishindo form of martial arts, Hendrix owns a collection of swords and weapons that he trains with, said his wife, Suzanne Hendrix. He has trained with the sword he used Tuesday for 20 years and keeps it by his bed. ”Some people have bats they go to,” said Hendrix. “I have my sword.”

AP/ April 23, 2013, 9:52 PM – © 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. To read this article, please see: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/mormon-bishop-samurai-sword-runs-attacker

A DataCeutics Family Sells Custom Scarves for Local Atlanta Lab Rescue – Sharon Hall Project Manager Clinical Reporting Services at DataCeutics, Inc.

Sharon Hall of DataCeutics and her 12-year old daughter, Kelsey, started Sydney Scarves a business that sells custom scarves for dogs. All proceeds go to Atlanta Lab Rescue in appreciation for the rescue uniting them with their own dog Sydney. After their beloved Labrador retriever passed away, the family turned to Atlanta Lab Rescue for a new companion.

“We all quickly learned that Sydney desperately needed someone to love her,” said Kelsey Hall

They then met and adopted Sydney who had been rescued as a stray. Kelsey and her mother came up with a fashionable way to show their appreciation to the local Lab Rescue. They began making scarves for Atlanta Lab Rescue dogs to wear on adoption day, hoping that the scarves would help get the dogs noticed and show off their personalities. They soon realized that people were also interested in having scarves made for their own dogs and Sydney Scarves was born.

“Everybody thought the scarves were so adorable, so we finally started selling them for anybody who wanted them,” Kelsey said. “We began by taking orders at local Farmer’s Markets and then my aunt helped us to create a website,” she added. Kelsey explains how the scarves are designed with computer software. “Then we put the fabric and thread into the machine, we plug the machine into a computer and then send the design over and it’s done,” explained Kelsey.

In less than one year they made about 120 scarves and raised over $1500 dollars with 100 percent of the proceeds going directly to Atlanta Lab Rescue. Today, they continue to make scarves for adoption days. Atlanta Lab Rescue is an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization whose mission is to identify and rescue Labrador Retrievers from overwhelmed shelters and abusive situations and place them in secure, loving homes. “I see Sydney Scarves as supporting the Rescue and giving back,” said Kelsey. What a remarkable and admirable accomplishment for a twelve year old child to achieve.

Helping Hands to Cleanup Haiti – Curtis Wolf Lead Consultant Clinical SAS Programmer Analyst at DataCeutics, Inc.

Curtis Wolf Haiti Relief Efforts

Curtis Wolf, a valuable member of the DataCeutics Team, traveled to Haiti for a 7 day mission trip in June, 2011. This distinctive group of 20 volunteers included Curtis’ wife Donna and his oldest daughter, Laura. The goal of the trip was to help a church and its associated school with reconstruction efforts after a devastating earthquake in 2010. In Haiti, the Wolf family experienced a culture that is so far removed from their daily lives in the United States. The poverty, despair, and challenges of everyday life were so staggering that it took Curtis’ breath away. Despite the extreme obstacles facing the lives of the Haitians, the people were warm and receptive to the mission relief efforts and they seemed to have a strong foundation in life itself versus material goods. The team saw examples of this as the Haitians sang beautiful songs to praise God; happy to be alive amidst the devastation.

Daughter Laura Digging Ditch

The Wolf family removed rubble by hand and dug trenches for new construction. They also visited a local orphanage where they had the privilege to serve a meal to 40-50 children and play games with them. The accommodations for the mission team were basic. They slept on air mattresses under the stars on a roof top. While the roof offered a slight breezy reprieve from the heat and humidity, it also offered them an amazing banquet of sounds and smells from the surrounding urban setting.

Wife Donna with Local Haitians

The trip was a success. The mission team accomplished its goals and the experience left a lasting impression on everyone. The team members significantly bonded as they supported the relief effort and each person experienced blessings in his own way.

Supporting complete burn care – Matt Ferdock CEO of DataCeutics, Inc.

A wall of fire blew toward 7-year-old Vinny Ferdock like it was shot from a flamethrower. Fumes from the solvent he and his brother were using during a science experiment accidentally ignited. By the time Vinny’s father, Matt, pulled the burning shirt off his son, 48 percent of Vinny’s body had been burned. At Lehigh Valley Health Network’s Regional Burn Center, burn surgeons Sigrid Blome-Eberwein, M.D., and Daniel Lozano, M.D., applied skin grafts and an artificial skin that promotes new skin growth. It was the first step on Vinny’s long recovery. “The 22 days Vinny was hospitalized were intense, but it was more difficult when he came home,” says Vinny’s mom, Lori. “The healing continued for two-and-a-half years.”

Vinny’s wounds needed daily treatments. He wore pressure garments 23 hours daily to promote healing and reduce scarring. He had to learn to walk and use his arms again. The healing scar tissue was intensely itchy, making sleep nearly impossible. The family also had difficulty with strangers staring and pointing at the scars and pressure garments in public. Through it all, the Ferdocks received support from Lehigh Valley Health Network. Its reintegration program sent a counselor to Vinny’s school to prepare his classmates for his return. Vinny attended Dr. Blome-Eberwein’s “Beyond the Burn” conference and a summer burn camp, which pairs young patients with adult survivors. It was such fun, he came home with blisters on his feet from hours of dancing with the camp’s college-aged volunteers.

Now the Ferdocks are helping people recover from burn injuries.

Their gift created the Scar Physiology, Treatment, and Research Fund. The fund will help purchase groundbreaking laser technology that modifies the appearance of scars and makes scar tissue softer. Additionally, Dr. Blome-Eberwein and her colleagues are researching ways to help burn injuries heal more quickly and completely. “This is one of a few burn centers working on shortening the scar management and recovery phase, which is very important,” Lori says. Although Vinny, now 12, faces many more surgeries, he no longer wears pressure garments. “His personality blossomed,” says Lori, who now volunteers to help other families affected by burns. “I met many families who were treated at other burn centers and didn’t get one-tenth of the care we received.”