I work at a rehabilitation hospital. I am the program secretary for our outpatient clinic. I used to have way more patient contact than I do now....which now is very very little. I miss it at times, and other times, I am perfectly fine just where I am at. Several months ago I was delivering some items, that one of our physical therapist had ordered, to the back therapy area. I noticed a young man, in a wheelchair, staring at me. I didn't think anything of it, as we get a lot of patients in wheelchairs, and most patients do look at me as I open my door and walk in their path way. I was making my way back to my desk and made a stop at the printer. There is a small window that looks into our waiting area, and you can see out the small window if you are at the printer...which I was at. I looked up, and there he was, that same young man staring at me, but this time he gave me a big smile. I smiled back and waved. His entire body started to move and his smile got even bigger. I guess you could say he was smiling with his whole body. I went back to my desk, and felt as equally happy, as he looked. He made my day, and I hope that I made his.
Later that same day, I found out why he was here. He was born with Cerebral Palsy, however that is not what brought him in this particular day. He was involved in a motor vehicle accident. It was a hit and run. He was a pedestrian, and someone hit him, and left him to die. When I learned of his accident, my heart just broke. I started crying uncontrollably. My heart went out to him, and his family. Prior to being an outpatient with us, he was in a coma. He had a TBI, broken bones, and was now bound to his wheelchair. Before his accident he was an independent person, did not use a wheelchair and could take care of himself. I thought about him for days after seeing him. I just could not get the fact out of my mind....someone hit him, and left him. Even now when I say that my throat gets tight, and I get teary eyed.
Months and months have gone by, and in these months, he has been here for various types of therapy. I've watched him transform into his once independent self again. Over the months and months, I have never been able to bring myself to speak with him. Every time I'd try I would end up back in my office secretly crying. Then it got to the point where I would just see him moving about the hallway, and I'd get teary. Last week, I finally spoke to him. I had to deliver something to another department and as I was making my way back to my office, he was standing outside waiting for his ride. I almost froze, but didn't. I approached him and said, "You've done such an amazing job." "I remember when you first came in here and you were in a wheelchair." He replied, "I know." He had a big grin on his face. He said, "Sometimes I can even walk a few steps without my cane." Then he proceeded to show me. This young man has gone from wheelchair, unable to speak more than a few words, unable to do anything for himself, to a young man that is walking, talking, comprehending, and doing a lot on his own. I told him that seeing his great progress is so inspirational and that every time I think of how well he is doing, I makes me very happy. I told him that I know how hard he works and that all his hard work, is certainly paying off. He smiled and said, "Thank you." "I too remember being in a wheelchair, and I didn't think that I would ever walk again." "They do work me very hard, but its worth it..." I told him to have a wonderful rest of the day, and he said, "You have a good day too."
I got into the elevator, pushed the button to get to my floor, got out of the elevator, almost made it to my office, and I started crying. My good friend asked me if everything was ok. I said, "I just saw my patient." She knew who I was talking about. I told her how I talked to him. Her eyes got wide, as she knew how hard this was for me to do in the past. She said, "You've always had a connection with that kid, do you know why that is?" I told her that I wasn't sure what it was, but that every time I saw him, I instantly thought of my son. She told me that it was okay to cry, and I assured her they were happy tears, not the sad ones....
