{"id":4107,"date":"2015-09-16T21:43:57","date_gmt":"2015-09-16T21:43:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tmc.edu\/news\/teaching-from-experience-2\/"},"modified":"2019-08-16T15:00:22","modified_gmt":"2019-08-16T15:00:22","slug":"teaching-from-experience-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tmc.edu\/news\/2015\/09\/teaching-from-experience-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Teaching From Experience"},"content":{"rendered":"
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On any given day, the rehabilitation gym at TIRR Memorial Hermann is full of light\u2014from the large windows pouring sunlight into the room, to the\u00a0encouragement offered by TIRR Memorial Hermann\u2019s physical and occupational therapists. Each therapist is a tireless champion for patients, teaching them how full life can be even after a catastrophic injury or illness. But one occupational therapist in particular has intimate knowledge of the ups and downs of rehabilitation\u2014it\u2019s a journey she took just over a decade ago.<\/p>\n

In 2002, Emily Potter was in the car with friends. After an evening of letting off steam, shooting fireworks at a friend\u2019s house in the country, the car full of teenagers was speeding down a winding road.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy friend was driving too fast, we were being young, feeling invincible,\u201d said Potter. \u201cThere was a sharp right turn on the old country road and he missed it, lost control of the car, and hit a tree going 80 miles an hour.\u201d<\/p>\n

A typical teenage night, the kind that might have been forgotten by the next year, became life altering. Potter ended up with a spinal cord injury that put her in intensive care. She was 19 years old.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember waking up in the ICU thinking, \u2018I just got my independence by moving out on my own and starting my life,\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cAt that time, I didn\u2019t know whatIwouldbeabletodo.Ididn\u2019tthinkI\u2019dbeableto do anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Soon after Potter arrived at TIRR Memorial Hermann for rehab, however, she learned her initial\u00a0fears about how deeply her injury would impact her life were unfounded. Her future looked different, but it would still be fulfilling and independent.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWhen I started the rehab experience here at TIRR, it became clear very quickly that there is life after a life-changing event,\u201d said Potter. \u201cThe feeling of being here was, \u2018You\u2019re part of the family. We\u2019re going to come alongside you and we\u2019re going to help you and your family move down the road and get you to the highest level of independence possible.\u2019 That attitude and that motivation they gave me inspired me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Potter\u2019s own rehab experience put her on a completely different career path. Prior to her accident,\u00a0she had two possible vocations in mind. On one hand, she was interested in teaching. On the other, she had volunteered at a hospital and was considering nursing or physical therapy. During rehab, Potter became acquainted with occupational therapy and realized
\nit was a perfect match.<\/p>\n

\u201cOccupational therapy was a good mix of getting people strong enough to participate in everyday life activities and education, and a light bulb went off: this is what I need to do,\u201d she said. \u201cI went back to school and came back here for an internship. I fell in love during my internship and I\u2019ve been here ever since.\u201d<\/p>\n

As an occupational therapist, Potter\u2019s first priority is helping her patients make a plan to get back out into the community and regain their independence. That begins with learning how to do everyday activities\u2014grooming, dressing and bathing\u2014in a new way. These are things all occupational therapists teach, but as someone who uses a wheelchair, Potter offers her patients a different perspective.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can show them, \u2018We might not have the same injury, but I can relate to you because I use a wheelchair every day, so let me show you how I dress myself,\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cI may demo with some large pants and show them how I do it. I say, \u2018You may not be able to do it\u00a0just like me, but maybe you will down the road.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to practical demonstrations, Potter said she hopes her patients will be able to initiate tough\u00a0conversations they are not comfortable having with anyone else, knowing she has personal experience.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI feel that I can get away with saying some things to them at times, like, \u2018Hey, we\u2019ve got to get you to this next level. I\u2019ve been there, I know how hard it is, but let me give you some advice,\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cI think sometimes they listen to me on that level and I can help them a little more in some ways that maybe someone else may not be able to.\u201d<\/p>\n

TIRR Memorial Hermann patient Michael Bullitt knows the value of Potter\u2019s motivation firsthand.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a lot easier to have someone who\u2019s been there and experienced what I\u2019ve experienced,\u201d said Bullitt, a couple months into treatment. \u201cYou don\u2019t want to say \u2018can\u2019t\u2019 around here, because they\u2019re going to make it to where you can. I\u2019ve progressed more here than I ever thought possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Six years took Potter from patient to therapist. Getting to where she is today was not always easy, and Potter admits to struggling at times. She encourages her patients to seek out a therapist to talk through any emotional issues, something she did at the beginning.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a phase of two years where I felt sorry for myself and got a little bit depressed,\u201d said Potter. \u201cI believe in tough love, and I had to have some tough love myself, to say, \u2018You have got to get yourself moving.\u2019 Once I did that, I did better. The picture of where you are now is not what it\u2019s going to look like in a week, two months, a year.\u201d<\/p>\n

That tough love is something she shares with her patients. The first task after injury, getting up out of the bed, is often the hardest, Potter said, but it leads to bigger and better things. You might be moving differently, but you\u2019re still moving forward. Using a wheelchair will change your life, but it doesn\u2019t define it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew I wanted to do something with my life and I knew I wanted to give back, but I don\u2019t think I ever could have imagined I\u2019d be as fulfilled by my job and life in general.\u201d said Potter. \u201cGet up out of the bed, get in a chair and do something. Then you build momentum and all of a sudden, you\u2019re out living your life.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On any given day, the rehabilitation gym at TIRR Memorial Hermann is full of light\u2014from the large windows pouring sunlight into the room, to the\u00a0encouragement offered by TIRR Memorial Hermann\u2019s physical and occupational therapists. 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