Before I talk business, I’m going to get a bit intimate with you and answer this question that everyone asks. This is a bit long, but I think it’s important to know where someone is coming from to better understand them now. This story defines me as a (future) occupational therapist. I hope you enjoy.
“Why did you want to be an occupational therapist?”
The answer has a lot to do with this smiling face.
This is my youngest brother, Garrett.
Garrett started off as a happy, healthy baby, reached most of his infant/toddler milestones and then something happened. He got sick. He got sick at 18 months-old from something in the desert air, which led to fungal meningitis. This is very rare. Don’t let this scare you from ever taking your children outside (because that’s so important to their development!) More on that later…
The first hospital my mom took him to didn’t run the proper tests, said he “probably” had something viral and that it would go away on its own. So, they sent him home without the proper care. (This place is now out of business.) My mom, being the amazing woman she is, noticed he had dropped in weight and was falling to one side and took him in for a second opinion at a local children’s hospital. I was young, so I’ve only heard the relay, but from what I’ve been told the doctors immediately said it was serious and that she was lucky she came in that day or he’d be dead. They also said, even then, he had a 50/50 chance of making it through the night. He had a stroke. He immediately went into multiple brain surgeries and at the end of it all, he made it through the night. I remember getting that phone call at six years-old. I was at community youth theater rehearsal and a neighbor picked me up right after. It’s almost as if I grew up immediately. No play dates, no memorizing lines, no schoolwork… nothing else mattered except being there for my brother.
Pretty heartbreaking, to say the least. Thankfully, my brother had the best team of therapists on his side and he wasn’t done fighting!
The original prognosis after the surgeries was that they saved his life, but he had lost the ability to sit, stand, walk, talk, grab things, play… everything. The doctors said that he would be unable to regain back most of those skills and that he would be functioning at a very low level for his whole life. Well, that was only partially true. He began thriving more than they thought possible! As soon as he got home from his stay in inpatient rehab, I naturally took on the role of big sister/mini therapist (without knowing) and began helping with his play time. I used hand-over-hand techniques without being told and started to integrate his left hand (the side affected by the stroke) into his activities.
When his at-home therapy started, I sat in on as many of them as they would let me and often assisted the therapist. Looking back, it’s kind of funny picturing a six-year-old girl always acting as the therapy assistant for her little brother, but that was me! I kept this up for years. The therapist would end up debriefing my mom and me at the end of the session. My brother’s OT, in particular, noticed my interest over the years and invited me to shadow her for the summer. I did in junior high and it was a life-changing experience. I knew, from then on, that I was meant to become an occupational therapist and I would do whatever I could to make it happen.
So, I continued to help out with therapies, mostly OT, and kept this up through high school. As soon as I turned 18, I worked as a respite and habilitation provider with children with special needs. I did most of this work one-on-one in their homes and in the community. I continued this throughout college. In my junior year of college, one of my brother’s old providers asked if I’d be interested in working in special education. OT was the goal, not special education! This is something I had never considered before, but I went in for the interview anyway. I came out with the job and became a special education independent contractor.
I’m so glad I did because I ended up working in SPED for 3.5 years (part-time through college and full-time afterwards) and it was the most amazing experience! I consider that my biggest period of professional growth. I was able to work with kids with autism, developmental disabilities, ADHD, learning disabilities, emotional disabilities and more! It was a dream! It was incredibly rewarding and the kids’ personalities made it all worth it!
In my third year, I recognized that it was time to take what I had learned in SPED and move towards my ultimate goal in OT.
And here I am today. I knew back then that I loved OT and that I was meant for it. I was the lucky one at 12 years-old who knew, without a doubt, what she wanted to do with her life. It stuck with me and guided me through some pretty difficult times.
As for my brother? He’s walking, running, talking, smiling, eating, and functioning much higher than they thought he ever would.
Sure, he has some delays and obstacles he’ll be facing his entire life, but he is absolutely a miracle. Just his existence, let alone his progress, despite doctors’ doubts is incredible! He’s a light to me and many others in this world. If you meet Garrett, you know that your day is brightened just by seeing his face.
I call him my North Star, because whenever I doubt that I’m not capable or it’s not right for me, I look at him and am reminded all over again why I did it in the first place.
Sissy loves you, Garrett.
That’s all for now. See you soon!
~ Taelor