Today was tough. Really tough. Ive dreaded the day that we would learn acute care practices in physical therapy since the day I started in this program. I dreaded the day that we would talk about monitoring people in the ICU and how to help family and friends through the hard times. Today was that day. When we talked about brain injuries in class, it took everything in me not to leave the room. I seriously covered my ears and blinked back the tears. When we visited the ICU today at OSU med center, there was a girl who was in a car accident with a brain injury, and all I could see was Tania where she was, and all I could feel was the pain that her family was enduring. I remember those couple of days in the ICU with Tania so well. My friends held me up during this time (emotionally) as they knew how difficult it was for me. They told me they could never imagine having that experience to reappear every time I was in the pods. And I agreed. But its what pushes me to be a better therapist. Every day I walk into the hospital, Ill not only have all of the crazy memories of my beautiful best friend, but Ill also have the empathy that can only be truly felt by others who went through traumatic experiences with loved ones. Because of the experience and my ability to relate to the patients and family, I can better serve them--better love them, even. Tania taught me how to live, but also how to serve and love others with all of your heart and soul, to be the empathetic heart in a place with so much trauma and sadness. Because thats what she would do. Thats what she watched us do for her. And thats what we can do for every life we touch. Its hard to remember the difficulty of losing her. Its what you dont want to do. Its hard to think about those moments and say, Hey, Tania would tell me to get my chin up, stop moping around, and use my mind and time to help others. But when you do that, you have this ability unlike so many others. You can turn to the family of a patient and say, I can appreciate what youre going through because Ive been there. You can look at a patient as a best friend and not just another person with impairments. You can give that person your very best every minute, every day. And in the case of a therapist, you can give it your everything to help heal a patient physically and even sometimes emotionally. Id take Tania back in a second, but I hope she knows her story is impacting so many people--every patient I assist, she is changing his or her life. I wouldnt be the same therapist without having her story on my heart every day. I knew Tania would always have an impact on me, but I didnt expect her story to give me the fuel and fire every day of my career. But, oh, she will. We all have the opportunity to live by her story (healthcare or not), serve others fully, and love others fully. We have the opportunity to give our 100% all of the time, be the light in the rooms of darkness, and let Tania live on through our actions in her name. Its what Tania deserves. :)
Posted on: Wed, 19 Mar 2014 21:11:32 +0000
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