Thank You for Changing My Life

I know I have had many students, particularly friends or acquaintances, shadow me to become more familiar with the world of occupational therapy.  The reason is two-fold: 1) To teach is to learn something twice, and 2) The great satisfaction of your work.

Being an occupational therapist is exhausting in many ways.  Your patient can be struggling to live.  Your client can have depression, refusing to cooperate with you.  You see people at their worst and have to instill motivation and energize them to do something challenging, even painful.  Yet, at the end of their stay (for a rehab or SNF setting it is usually 2-10 weeks), the reward is un-measurable.

A patient told me today they wanted to thank me.  In 1-2 weeks, the facility is talking about discharging Breanne (pseudonym) to return home to live with her son.  For the past 2 years, she has been struggling to perform even the simplest tasks without pain.  A few months ago, Breanne was put on hospice care (for those unfamiliar of this healthcare, it is service provided for end-of-life care).

A month ago, she grabbed me mid-task and asked "what do you do?"  I explained to her I am an occupational therapist who provides physical rehab to help people become more independent in their everyday lives.  She proceeded to explain to me how important her independence was to her and how the facility is trying to get her to move from a skilled nursing facility to an assisted living facility (one step up, but still requires a lot of help and is still pricey).  She asked if she could receive therapy services to achieve her goals... I asked my boss if she qualified.


After searching, we found her insurance had the flexibility for her to receive OT/PT services everyday.  Great news!  This was the beginning of a new Breanne.  After evaluations, we concluded she could benefit from our services (OT services) by strengthening/endurance work, increasing activities of daily living skills, and safety during functional mobility.

Every day Breanne worked hard.  She challenged and pushed herself.  She asked questions about this and that, testing the waters to see if she was able.  After treatment with me to perform a meal preparation task (we made a ham and cheese sandwich, something she loves to eat at home), I concluded that she would be able and safe to return home.

Someone who went from 2 years of pain and suffering, to hospice care, to assisted living, and now home under supervision of her family member... isn't that a miracle story?

Today she reached an genuinely stated "Thank you for changing my life.  If I hadn't pulled you aside, I would be stuck here, at assisted living, or worse, on my death bed.  Thank you for being the one to change my entire future.  I have seen you work hard at helping me achieve my goals [but between you and I, she did all the work] and I have hope for the future.  I would highly recommend this facility, especially the therapy, to anyone."

That touched my heart and made my day.  I'm so glad I was able to help a person in need.

Breanne, I wish you the best of luck.  Congratulations on your accomplishments-- you really are a living success story.