Dear Friends,
There are times in our life that we are unaware of how much our efforts help one another. I realize there are obvious times when someone needs help with a flat tire or a loan. Sometimes it’s opening a door or helping someone up after falling. What I am about to discuss is when we may be touching someone’s life in a more powerful way then we knew at the time and may never have known.
Last month, I wrote about our team mentioning some of the great things they accomplished during this Covid-19 pandemic. I wrote how proud and touched I was that our staff was able to find the silver lining in what seemed to be too many clouds. To my surprise, a number of our patients and friends wrote back regarding how glad they were to hear about some positive things in the midst of a very challenging time.
One letter, in particular, stood out. It was very powerful and demonstrated the many great possibilities that can occur when we see challenges as opportunities. This letter was written by a veteran who continues to believe most often in the goodness of others. He is a remarkable person, who, in spite of his physical challenges, seems to most often find a silver lining in many “cloudy” situations. He had been to our clinic a number of times before, but, for whatever reason, we had never addressed his number one problem. Why we never discovered what was most important to him before, I wish I knew. The good news is that on a recent visit, when he was asked the question, “What do you truly hope to accomplish?”, he chose to be much more specific than ever before. As a result, as you will read below, he tells us how his quality of life was improved more than any of us could have imagined. We were so touched to receive the letter below from this special person who has experienced more challenges than most of us will ever face.
Please take a minute to read this uncensored letter which we received, May 11, the day after our patient read the last newsletter. The fact that he took the time to write this note is so very appreciated by all of us on the McDonald Physical Therapy team and also serves as an inspiration to be more open to looking for and affirming the good in others.
“Fran,
Thanks for the newsletter. They are always informational and inspiring but this one hits a new level, likely because I am so familiar with your staff. I often joke with them that I should be on the payroll because I am there so much. The reality is that I know that I have a choice of places to go and I specifically request McDonald when I need help every time.
True story - for some reason about two years ago, my doctor sent me to a different center on the South side of Mishawaka, St. Joseph Medical, if I recall. I was there for two weeks and called my doctor and told him that I am done with therapy unless you send me back "home". I told him home was McDonald Physical Therapy. I literally got a call the same day and was at McDonald the next afternoon and have been blessed with feeling stronger and more positive ever since.
Another true story - two sessions ago, I was fortunate enough to be assigned Francis. His energy and out of the box way of helping me made me look forward to therapy days. I tend to joke with him a lot and one day I told him that I had a mission for him, i.e., "your job is to make 591.46 disappear". Obviously, he asked what that was and I explained that that's how much it costs every time I have to have the fire department come and pick me up off the floor after falls. When I finished my warmup on the recumbent bike that day, he said, "...get on the floor Jay". He took my challenge to heart (immediately) and dedicated himself to helping me in a way that was probably more meaningful than any therapy I had ever done. My therapy became centered around what I thought I needed to make my day-to-day life better. After a few short weeks, for the first time since my diagnosis, I was able to get up off the floor on my own. Just a week ago, for the first time in over two years, I took a fall (for the first time outside) and was able to get up unassisted in a matter of seconds. I sat down and said to myself, "good job Francis".
While I am proud of myself and forever thankful to and for Francis, I point out those stories for a different reason - You. I've been around business long enough to know that great people and great businesses are the result of dedicated great leaders. In your very selfless way, you highlighted your Team but didn't mention yourself. As a military veteran, one of the guiding principles that my leaders taught me was to never ask my men to do anything that I was not willing to do myself. Every day that I watch you run a business and continue to provide the same therapy services that your staff does gives me an appreciation and respect for you that's reserved for a select few. You have long tenured employees, a successful business and people like me who know where to come when/if they need therapy because of your leadership and I'm thankful for how I've benefited from it.
While I hope that I don't suffer any injuries that require therapy in the future if I do, rest assured I will be coming back "home".
Thanks to you and your Team for all that you do to help folks get 'Stronger Every Day'. Jay”
Enjoy the journey,
Fran McDonald, PT,DPT,OCS
