Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenna Kuiken.
Hi Jenna, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I am a Korean adoptee with a congenital birth defect of my left hand who was very fortunate to be adopted by my family, The Kuikens back in 1992. I was raised in the small town of Aitkin, MN, two hours north of here alongside my two older brothers.
We had a wonderful childhood growing up in the countryside, learning to fish, hunt, and participate in an abundance of after-school activities. Even though I was born without a hand my parents did not treat many any differently than my two older brothers that had both their hands each. I took piano lessons, rode a bike, did my hair, joined the dance team, and so much more. I think the main reason I pursued chiropractic was simply I have a dad who’s been a chiropractor since 1981. All of us kids were adjusted from an early age and it benefitted our health in so many ways.
I had considered other professions such as becoming an athletic trainer but at the end of the day, I always came back to chiropractic and its ability to heal so many ailments. I think by my junior year of high school I knew I wanted to become a chiropractor and had some very lengthy discussions with my father about if I would be able to since I was missing a hand. My dad just looked at me with this confused look on his face and said why would it be an issue?
So I got my hand on an application to Northwestern Health Sciences University (NWHSU) and when I got to the part asking about if I had any disabilities I was truthful. I told them what I already told you, that I was born without a left hand, that I wore a prosthetic device and if they had any questions please let me know. I sent my application back in and never heard anything from them until I received my letter of acceptance. I was over the moon about the fact that I got accepted and was to start that Fall, September 2012. I was young, 20 years old with no idea what lay ahead, I wish I had known…
The first 2 weeks of school were awful. Faculty, students, my classmates just whispered and pointed and stared… It wasn’t until those first two weeks were at an end that I was requested to go to the Dean’s office that day to discuss an “important matter”. Before I even had my foot through the door the Dean asked me if I was there to cause trouble and sue. I had no idea what they were talking about, or why they would say that to me. I was young, heck I didn’t even know how to sue someone. All I could do was sit there and try to not cry.
After a multitude of other abrasive questions, they let me go but the fight wasn’t over. My father had to come before the board in my defense to discuss what they would do with me as if I was a disobedient child. And simply put they told my father that I was too handicapped to be taught chiropractic… After two meetings with the school board, and the possible threat of us involving the NAACP, ADA and our lawyer, I was allowed to continue my education at NWHSU. But just because they let me continue on as a student did not mean they accepted me.
Over the next 6 years of school, I fought to be accepted, I had faculty that made it difficult for me at every turn, and I had students that would come up to me and told me that I did not belong there because I did not have two hands, and when I asked the Dean to find me a mentor who went through school missing a hand there was no one. Every chiropractor out there missing a hand, lost it after they graduated. I was alone. I had to work extensively with the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners to prepare myself and confirmed I was the first one to do this and pass.
My whole journey was not easy. I fought tooth and nail. I worked for my father for 4 years after school until I found my beautiful clinic space here in St. Paul, MN. Those 4 years were amazing to work under my father but unfortunately, my hometown wasn’t what I remembered. I faced many racial slurs and sexual harassment. I am so happy to be back in St. Paul, surrounded by so much diversity and acceptance.
I hope to continue to serve many patients, no matter the color of their skin, their backgrounds, or who they identity as. And if I’m not busy with the clinic I work with about 15 chiropractic students at a time from around the world on set-ups and other lessons they might not be getting in school.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Ha, I think I just told you many of those struggles on the last page. When I moved home to Aitkin, I thought it would be a breeze. I would work with my father, Dr. Paul Kuiken for two years. Get good at adjusting and then move out west to Oregon. But things never go as planned and I ended up there for 4 years total. I started job hunting beginning of March 2020 and then surprise, Covid plus my mom got cancer a few months later. She beat it!
But for that year of Covid and her cancer, we learned to navigate Covid, her cancer, and how to run a family-run clinic when my mom ran the entire front desk up until her diagnosis. It was very stressful but we did it. But on the other hand, I was miserable during my time back home. For someone who was raised from 7 months on in that community until I was 20, you would have thought I was a stranger in a sense. I mean I was involved with the youth group, dance team, choir and so many other activities as a kid, I knew everyone. But when I came back I was questioned because of the color of my skin.
I didn’t look like my Caucasian father. And so without fail, I was asked if I was his love child, if he was in the military and that’s how I came to be. If he maybe sent me to another school since I was Asian and his love child… the accusations blew my mind. And if I wasn’t that I was stereotyped as the Asian massage therapist that was supposed to give men a “good rub down”, To say, the cities are safer for me, is a huge understatement.
Yes, I have faced struggles just like any other business owner but the biggest freedom here is I can be surrounded by a community of diversity with people of color and different backgrounds that are accepting.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
When I first started creating The Spinery, I wanted it to be a safe space for those that may have experienced prejudices in the healthcare system.
Often because of who we identify as or the color of our skin, we are limited to the care we deserve or unable to obtain certain resources. Here at The Spicery, it doesn’t matter what your background is, who you identify as, or the color of your skin, we believe everyone deserves a right to healthcare. We are a Gonstead chiropractic clinic.
This means we take full spine xrays with measurements and calculations, do exams, and consultations, use special tools that detect inflammation in your spine, and spend time with you to get the full picture. We are changing the typical “5-minute” chiropractic appointment that doesn’t allow you to tell your doctor everything.
The Gonstead chiropractic system is considered the Gold Standard of chiropractic care and we wanted to bring that to the heart of St. Paul as there are no other Gonstead chiropractors in the area. I think the closest one is 20 minutes away. It’s a super specific and gentle technique that works great for all ages and walks of life.
What matters most to you? Why?
Simply put, my patients know that I’m here for them. I have experienced healthcare from the other side as a patient, and it’s not always pretty. You can feel rushed, shuffled around, and often unheard.
I spend 20 minutes easily with most patients and that’s because I know at the end of the day it’s not always just about their back pain or headaches, sometimes they carry the weight of the world on their shoulders and if I can just sit and talk to them for a few minutes and take some of that weight off their shoulders I am happy to do so.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thespineryclinic.com
- Instagram: @thespineryclinic
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091461170034
