What Rehabilitation Means to Me

An essay contest was held as part of the recent National Rehabilitation Week celebration at The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research. “What Rehabilitation Means to Me” was the topic explored. Participants, all TIRR Systems employees or affiliates, submitted essays of 250 words or less. TIRR’s 2002 Rehabilitation Week committee members judged entries.

The winning essay writer received a $100 prize from TIRR, and the top two entrants’ essays are published in Texas Medical Center News, below.

Winner

Liza Criswell, occupational therapist

Allow me to start my understanding of rehabilitation with this quote that I love to share with my patients.

“I cried because I have no shoes, until I saw a man with no feet.”

For me, rehabilitation is letting go of what is gone and focusing on rebuilding what’s left. As a child of parents that both suffered strokes, my definition is more poetic than scientific.

My parents’ lives practically stopped after their strokes. I watched how their lives deteriorated and situations changed the lives of everyone around them. It was tough and depressing. I pursued occupational therapy to learn what causes this catastrophic injury, how to prevent it and what to do to make victims’ lives more meaningful. I vowed that someday I would make a difference in these people’s lives.

I have now been an occupational therapist for the last seven years, and have never seen anybody with the same clinical features, even with the same diagnoses. This made me realize that treatment should be tailored to fit patients’ unique needs.

As part of the spinal cord injury team, remembering that “absence of sensation does not equate to absence of feelings” made me more sensitive to their needs. Understanding prior level of function, assessing potentials, setting realistic goals, and eventually transcending limitations is what rehabilitation is all about.

To be an effective clinician, dedication, compassion and perseverance are essential. As a therapist I know not all wounds can be healed, but I can always help heal the spirit.

Second Place

Aurora Garcia, administrative support specialist

As a newcomer to TIRR more than 30 years ago, I got a taste firsthand of the meaning of rehabilitation. My supervisor was in a wheelchair.

As a matter of fact, I shared a room with my supervisor and several other employees who were also wheelchair users. I was amazed at my supervisor’s stamina, and her zest for life. She was smart, beautiful, and very capable of doing her job. I never had a bad day, because she never had a bad day.

My little problems became insignificant. Since I came to work at TIRR, I view my life in a very different way. I was in awe at what TIRR was doing for patients. Working with my supervisor gave me a sense of what TIRR could help them accomplish.

I also got to know the other employees who shared our office space. After a while, I did not see the wheelchairs anymore. They were just like any other people. As far as I was concerned, they were geniuses. They possessed such great skills and knowledge. I realized that after rehabilitation, someone who became disabled could go on with their life and accomplish great things – if they set their mind to do so.

I have enjoyed many wonderful experiences since I’ve been at TIRR. Many former patients come back to see us. It’s rewarding to see them again – some walking; some with new wives and children; some are almost unrecognizable.

I love working at TIRR!

---

©2006 Texas Medical Center

---

E-Mail: tmcinfo@texmedctr.tmc.edu
URL: http://www.tmc.edu/tmcnews/11_01_02/page_08.html