Becoming A Physical Therapist Essay

While there are many high school students, and even students in college, that do not know in what direction they want to go, I am one of the lucky few that do know the direction I am headed. Since the summer of my sixth grade year, I have known that I wanted to become a physical therapist. During that summer, a devastating event in my life occurred and, ultimately, placed me on the path that would lead me to choosing physical therapy as a profession.
On a Saturday morning in the middle of July, my uncle, who is also my godfather, suffered a stroke. He was unconscious for days and there were many doctors that wondered if he would ever wake up. After many days that were filled with emotion and uncertainty, my uncle finally woke up. While this was a great accomplishment and everyone was overjoyed, the real struggle was only beginning.
Once my uncle was awake, the doctors were able to further examen his mental and physical state. Very shortly after, it was determined that he had lost all motor skills and all ability to speak. It would take countless therapists and numerous months for my uncle to regain these basic skills of life and,

even though he would be receiving these many treatments, he would still never be the same.
Because I was very close with my uncle, I would often go to the hospital to visit him.

While I was visiting him, I was able to observe his physical therapy sessions. Watching the therapists re-teach him how to walk and move again was such an eye-opening experience. The therapists were so level-headed, even when the patients were making no progress, and positive; they always encouraged the patient and made sure that each patient knew that he or she was going to improve and reach their goals. After each therapy session, there were astonishing improvements with my uncle’s movements. Around six months after his stroke, my uncle was able to walk on his own again. Although he walked at a much slower pace and inevitably shuffled his feet, the amount of progress he had made in those six short months was absolutely

breathtaking.
Living through that experience has forever changed me. By witnessing the incredible impact that the physical therapists had on my uncle’s life, I knew that this was the path I wanted to take. Having a career that changes the lives of people for the better, like those physical therapists did for my uncle, would be a dream come true. I want to change lives and teach people walk again or how to move again; I want to ease the pain of patients and help patients stay positive. Because of the battle that my uncle fought through, becoming a physical therapist and helping others throughout their journey is extremely important to me.