Today We Say Goodbye To A Great Physical Therapist

Goodbyes are never fun (unless of course you don’t like the person you’re saying goodbye to!)  Sadly, that isn’t the case with a few goodbyes we have to say over the next few weeks.

The first of these goodbyes is Jill.  Jill’s a physical therapy student touring this side of the country doing clinicals.  She worked with Noah (and us) all summer at Our Children’s House at Baylor and sadly her time in Dallas is coming to an end.

We were blessed by her love for our son, and all of the encouragement she gave us.  Noah adores her, especially her hair. He always lights up when she comes to get him from the waiting area prior to his physical therapy appotinment.

Jill’s Job

Jill was a great motivator for Noah. She was able to keep him focused on the task at hand such as doing sit ups, playing with toys, or walking on the treadmill. One of Jill’s tasks was to look into the various research that has been done on the use of using a treadmill in physical therapy for  children born with Down syndrome. She got to hold him over the treadmill for his first attempt as we put all her research into action.  Today she had her work cut out for her as she was doing a Peabody assessment on Noah.  (Be sure to check out tomorrow’s post, as I’ll be explaining what the Peabody assessment is all about.)

Medical Professionals Couldn’t Do It Without You

I don’t know if any of you have been involved with the education of medical professionals. As a Doctor, I can tell you we can only learn so much from books.  We have to get first hand experience, and we get this by doing clinicals just like Jill. I would not have learned much in my career if people refused to let students or residents be a part of their care.

It was always fun to let little patients know they were my teachers, however I know it can be scary (and sometimes annoying) for parents. It usually means that you’re going to have to tell your story 3 different times as each level comes to assess your child. It also means you’re going to hear 3 different explanations of what’s going to happen to your child.

Ok parents, now for the good news: I promise there is someone there overseeing everything that’s going on with your child.  I speak from experience when I say I know it can be frustrating at times trying to figure out who that someone is.  But you can take a deep breath and trust that your child will be taken care of.  I want to say thank you to all of those parents who trusted me to learn from their children. I hope you also take pride in the fact that you have helped shape their (and my) future.  🙂

Thank You For Everything Jill!

Goodbye Jill 🙁

I am glad that we were a part of Jill’s education. I hope we were able to teach her a little something about Down syndrome and how much fun it is to help these children attain their goals. I am positive she will go on to make a significant impact on other families. We will miss her bright smiling face, her love for our family (and our son), and the genuine care she had for the families she got to work with…and Noah’s definitely going to miss her long blonde braid!  🙂  We want to wish Jill the best of luck in her future career!

Has your child taught a therapist, medical student, or other medical professional lately?  Have you ever had to say goodbye to someone that had a significant impact on your child?