John O’Leary spoke at the Physical Therapy Private Practice Section meeting several years ago. As part of his fantastic presentation he suggested everyone in the audience take a few minutes to do something extra for somebody.
I am certain my old client never heard O’Leary speak but I really appreciate her taking the time for us. A Christmas card arrived at the office today and it was welcome news. She is a client battling Ehlers Danlos and Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) and sent pictures of her fur-babies and a message of how well she is doing.
She had two major surgeries to address her issues. One immediately followed the first’s catastrophic failure. In physical therapy, we worked on strength, endurance, activity tolerance, exercise capacity, tissue quality, posture, with lots of encouragement and emotional support. She left us to return to college and we have not seen her in a few years.
Before surgery her GPA in college was a 1.9. After surgery, her GPA was a 3.5. She graduated and is working at an internship while she pursues a Master’s degree and a career in counseling.
Life is definitely going better for her now than it was four years ago. It is great to know that I was part of that transformation and that my contribution meant enough for her to reach out three years later.
I hope you get a late Christmas card too.
Tom