Susan Rankin
My inspiration to become a physiotherapist came when I was in Grade 10. Her name was Susie and she was a five year-old, bilateral lower extremity amputee. I was volunteering at what was then called the Crippled Children’s centre. I had no idea what I was doing when I agreed to take children swimming on Saturday mornings at the centre, but I loved children and swimming so I thought I’d give it a try. Susie taught me everything: how to take the hospital bed rail down, how to position her chair and transfer her. Most of all it was how she spoke about her physiotherapist that intrigued me. Her reverence for this person was palpable. Not long after two of my friends ended up going to physiotherapists for sports injuries. Aha, the plot was thickening! Who were these people? When I read up about the profession, I immediately decided to pursue this as my future career. In fact my guidance counselor advised me against this choice stating that my languages were my strongest courses. I just kept repeating “I want to be a physiotherapist!”
I was inspired by many of my professors at McGill and McMaster University and by other physiotherapists that I worked with, but mostly I was inspired and motivated by my patients. After doing an amazing neurological course with Darcy Umphred, a completely inspirational physiotherapist, I quickly fell in love with treating neurological patients. I have seen people overcome terrible odds through hard work and determination.
Another person inspired me, when I was a young physiotherapist; and taught me so much about motivation, determination and life in general. This was an elderly lady who arrived in the Rehabilitation centre in a wheelchair and with a flaccid right arm. She had had a serious stroke. While doing my initial assessment I asked her what her primary goals were. She immediately said that her neurologist had told her that she would never walk or use her right hand. She said, “ I want to walk into his office and shake his hand when you’re finished with me.” I remember wondering if that would be possible. Mrs. B. was the ideal patient practicing everything I gave her to do and working to the utmost of her capability. I am pleased to say that when I did a 3-year follow-up with her the only thing she said she couldn’t do was to take the roast pan out of the oven as it was a bit too heavy. She met her goal and much more! I take very little credit for her recovery, as I suspect that if I had worked with someone with less drive, the results would have been very different.
Over time, I started to treat facial palsy patients. Once again, I had the pleasure of working with a very special young girl. She was born with a facial palsy and had never had any treatment. The plastic surgeon I often work with, recommended she see me before she considered any surgery. This 8 year-old girl was a perfect case study for the technique of facial neuromuscular retraining, as any changes that occurred would have to be due to the treatment. This technique requires a lot of cognitive attention and I was impressed with her ability to tune in and find movements that she had never done! She was diligent in carrying out her program daily and also worked hard when she was with me. Her result was so good that she never required any surgery for her face. This proved to me beyond any research project that the technique I was using worked!
I will end with one last patient who inspired me and made it so worthwhile to be a physiotherapist. This young man came to see me for both facial and vestibular rehabilitation. He had surgery to remove an acoustic neuroma that resulted in facial palsy, dizziness and imbalance. As sometimes happens in life, I misjudged him by his looks and figured he would never do the work. I couldn’t have been more wrong! This young man taught me more about what it was like to have a facial palsy and vestibular issues than anyone before or since. He had a gift for helping me to understand what he was experiencing with words that had immense clarity. It was as close as I could get to having these conditions myself! We worked together for a long time and the pleasure was all mine as he taught me as much or more than I taught him. I often use his words with other patients and they marvel that I know these things!
It has been such a pleasure to be a physiotherapist and help people to realize their goals. I have enjoyed working with teams of talented health professionals and with other fine physiotherapists, but for me it has really been all about the people I’ve treated. I am so lucky to be in a profession where you experience so much fulfillment from the work that you do.