When I was sixteen, fresh out of another brain surgery and stroke recovery, I felt stuck. I was back in high school, back in therapy, and back to feeling like I didn’t belong anywhere. The physical therapy clinic I was going to was quiet and sterile—no laughter, no music, no energy. Everyone around me was decades older, and no one pushed me to try.
Then I met Dave Nitti, a physical therapist my dad found when he realized I wasn’t getting better. From the moment Dave smiled and said hello, everything changed. He didn’t see a fragile girl in a wheelchair; he saw a strong athlete fighting her way back.
Dave treated me like the competitor I still was. He’d put a gait belt around my waist—not too tight to hold me back, not too loose to let me fall—and he’d say, “I’m right here, but one day soon, you’ll do this on your own.”
With his help, I went from a walker to a cane, and eventually to walking independently. But the real change wasn’t just in my body—it was in my mindset. Dave believed in me before I knew how to believe in myself. His empathy didn’t sound like “I’m sorry you’re struggling.” It sounded like, “I know you can do this.”
Takeaways for Healthcare Teams:
- Empathy isn’t just understanding someone’s pain—it’s meeting them where they are and reminding them who they can still become.
- Patients don’t just need treatment; they need someone to believe in their potential.
- The smallest gestures of confidence—a word, a tone, a shared smile—can restore hope in someone who’s lost it.
Reflection:
Who in your care right now needs to borrow your belief until they find their own?
With gratitude,
Kelsey
Recent Comments