Making an Impact with Word Surge: Elisabeth’s Mission to Educate and Give Back

In this blog post, we’re thrilled to spotlight Elisabeth Pol, a NICU Assistant living with Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa (RDEB), who has channeled her passion for learning into a unique and impactful project. Elisabeth created Word Surge, a word search book focused on medical terminology, with proceeds supporting debra of America. 

Driven by her own experiences learning medical terms in college, Elisabeth recognized the need for an engaging tool to help others understand complex terminology in a simple, meaningful way. Word Surge is designed to do just that, with root words and meanings organized in a format that helps readers learn and retain the terms. 

We asked Elisabeth about her inspiration, her process, and the impact she hopes to make with Word Surge: 

Can you tell us about Word Surge? What inspired you to create it? 

Elisabeth: It all started when I took a medical terminology class in undergrad, So many new words. Words with similar meanings. And words where just the difference of one letter could change the whole meaning. I thought to myself, “There has to be a fun way to LEARN these terms.”  

When I was younger, I used to LOVE doing word search puzzles. So, I started looking for a medical terminology word search book. I couldn’t find exactly what I had in mind. I found word search books that had you searching for big wors like ‘cardiomyopathy.’ Sure, that’s cool, but it wasn’t a way to actually learn the word. 

My goal was to break it down: learn that “cardio” means heart, “myo” means muscle, and “pathy” means disease. Then, “cardiomyopathy” becomes clear — it means a disease of the heart muscle. 

I put my idea aside so I could focus on finishing my degree in psychology, study for the MCAT, and take care of my health. In October 2023, I revisited my idea and actually started working on the puzzles. I had a few more surgeries towards the end of that year, then January 2024, I started creating this book as my full-time job (while balancing my other jobs). 

Every word search puzzle you solve started from a blank page. Every crossword puzzle you test your knowledge with began as an empty document. It had to be perfect! 

How has living with EB shaped your approach to writing this book? 

Elisabeth: I have always felt very fortunate that, despite having a severe form of RDEB, it hasn’t impacted me as much as it could have. It has been my initial inspiration to get involved in studying medicine. I hope to not only be able to help others with EB on a more professional level, but also be able to help others with unique genetic conditions. My path to becoming a healthcare professional is going to be long, so my way of helping NOW is through my book, by donating proceeds to debra in order to help make a difference in those with EB, NOW. 

Who do you envision as the audience for Word Surge? 

Elisabeth: It wasn’t hard to envision my audience. My three audiences are: 

• Students (like myself) - As mentioned before, I originally got this idea when I was a student taking a medical terminology class. As a prehealth student, it is very common to try to find different resources out there to help us learn. So, I thought how cool would it be to be able to actually make my idea come to life and be able to provide students, like me, with a fun resource to help them learn? 
• My Coworkers in the NICU – I have been working in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for a few years now. I have learned so much and worked with so many great people. The coworkers that have inspired me the most are the ones who are not students and making a living for their families, the patient care technicians (PCTs). Every day, we encounter medical terms simply because we work in a hospital setting. I have had PCTs ask me, “what does this mean?” I figured this book could be useful for them to familiarize themselves with some of the big terms they are exposed to everyday. It is also a way to unwind at the end of the day and calm the mind. Working in the NICU, you never know what the day/week might bring so being able to unwind at the end of the day or on a day off is very important. 
• My Mom – Having EB has brought its challenges, including the many different doctors' appointments, specialists seen, and procedures I have had done. My mom and dad have always been there as a great support throughout my life with helping manage my condition. My mom has sat in the waiting room with me for several appointments. I created this book for parents like mine to be able to familiarize themselves with medical terms they might be exposed to during appointments. If you know nothing about the medical field, a lot of these terms can sound intimidating and make situations seem wors than they actually are during appointments. By doing word searches and crossword puzzles, it will also help individuals like my mom calm/relax her mind while she is waiting for me to finish with my appointment(s). 

The neat thing about the book is that you do not need to have any science or medical  knowledge to enjoy it. 

In what ways do you think Word Surge can help readers understand medical terminology better?  

Elisabeth: I was very particular with the word search puzzles. Root words are separated from their meanings—they're not all mixed into one large puzzle. The idea is to start with the root word on the left-hand side of the page and search for it in the corresponding word search puzzle on the right-hand page. After finding the root word, you then look for its meaning in its own puzzle. This not only keeps things organized on paper but also helps the brain organize and visualize the term and its meaning. 

Think about it:  What's happening when you’re searching for a word in a word search? You’re repeating it over in your head, right? Repetition is a way to get information into short-term and long-term memory. The next step in memory is retrieving, or the recall process. And with that, comes the crossword puzzles where you can then test yourself with what you just did in the previous word search puzzle. 

What advice would you give to others living with EB who want to explore creative or entrepreneurial projects like yours? 

Elisabeth: If you have an idea, go for it! The worst thing that can happen is it just doesn’t work out, and that’s OK!  With me, I never want to live in regret. If it’s something you think you will regret not doing, you should do it. 

Do you have any plans to expand Word Surge or create additional books in the future?  

Elisabeth: I do hope to expand and offer other word search books under the category of medicine/biology/science. 

Where can people buy Word Surge? 

Elisabeth: The word search book can be purchased by visiting the website here. 

I have created a discount code specifically for the debra community and anyone reading this blog post. When you purchase the word search book through the website, at checkout you can use the code DEBRA24 for 10% off your order. 

I also recently launched the book on Amazon (there is no discount code for Amazon).

Never miss the latest news like new books, giveaways, tips, etc. by following the Instagram (@wordsurge) and Facebook page. 

I hope you all enjoy the word search book just as much as I have enjoyed creating it! 

debra of America is grateful to Elisabeth for her incredible work in creating Word Surge and for her support of our EB Community. THANK YOU, Elisabeth!