Katie Evans: What inspired me to become a physiotherapist

I remember in highschool I wanted to be some form of health professional, but I hadn't decided on anything permanently until the my first year at the University. A friend of mine, who was tough as nails, had training in the military, and was a provincal level track athlete, whom I spoke to on a regular basis at the time reached out to me. "I'm scared." He said. "about what?" I responded. "I'm going into surgery tomorrow." I was shocked, I had no knowledge of anything he required surgery for. He proceeded to tell me that during some training in the military some (let's say the word is ding dong) forgot to put the safety on the firearm he had (with rubber bullets) and it had gone off impacting my friend at his C1/C2 junction (neck). He went into surgery to stop a progressive damage to his spinal cord due to tiny fractures of his first cervical vertebrae, where by some fragments were rubbing against his spinal cord. He was told there was a 60% chance he would not get 90% of his functional motion back, something that would change his life forever especially as the active person he was. I was there for him as he progressed, how he was pessimistic at first, but through rigorous physiotherapy over several months, became more positive. Eventually he gained close to 90% of his functional ability back, being able to still be a part of the military, but not being able to compete at track at the same level as he once did previously. At that point, I realized that physiotherapy was something I wanted to be deeply involved in. I want to be in a profession where I can make a significant difference in someone's life.