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The lessons we learn in life are not always appreciated or understood at the time we learn them.
Growing up I was responsible for preparing lunches for my nine siblings.
I made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, stacking them one on top of the other and cutting them all at once. I was also responsible for other tasks evaluated by my mom or dad. Waiting to hear my parents’ assessment of my efforts was always a trying time. Almost every job was “incomplete” or “not up to par.” I hated those evaluations. I hated being held accountable in my own home!
Looking back, I realize their demands challenged my siblings and I and even instilled a bit of fear in us. We did not see that they were teaching us a more valuable lesson than we had ever realized. I could and have thanked my parents for the lessons they taught us all. I can only speak for myself, but it prepared me for the future, knowing I had the strength and confidence to overcome challenging situations. Within my family we may argue about how to bring up children, who to vote for, or even who was responsible for some dire event in our family history. But there is
one thing we all learned that has made us successful as individuals – we are all responsible for what we do. We learned early and often that we needed to work hard and care about what we did. We knew not to blame others for our mistakes.
When I first moved to South Bend 36 years ago to begin our McDonald Physical Therapy practice, I was 34 years old. My wife and I had two young children (Mara & Michael), who were 4 and 1 at the time. I was very anxious about the move. The stress of making this decision (in my mind) had lowered my immune system, and I had gotten very sick before
making the decision to move. At the time, we lived in a western suburb of Chicago, where I had a successful physical therapy practice. Starting a new physical therapy clinic in a town where we knew very few people was very stressful. Would I succeed? In Illinois, I had developed my reputation, and patients could see me with or without a referral from a physician. In Indiana, I would need to establish my reputation by meeting the physicians,
because patients were not allowed to come to a physical therapist without being sent by a physician. I needed somehow to get to know the physicians and prove to them that my physical therapy would benefit their patients more than the physical therapy they had been using.
During those stressful times when I wondered if I would be able to pay the bills, the lessons my parents taught came back and helped me a great deal. As the practice developed more slowly than I had hoped, I felt a familiar pressure, (Similar to when I had been waiting for my parents to inspect my efforts at home years ago) I knew I needed to meet with physicians to let them know about my new physical therapy clinic. I hated marketing of any kind. I hated the thought of going out to meet with physicians. Nevertheless, I did go out and meet physicians and introduced myself. I asked them what kind of injuries they enjoyed seeing more than others. I shared what I had been doing in the Chicago area. I spoke of my experience with the Chicago Bears and Blackhawks. I had been blessed to see several exceptional orthopedic surgeons & neurosurgeons perform many of
the latest surgical techniques on high school, college, and pro athletes. Rehabbing this level of athlete and being in on the surgeries was unique. I had been fortunate enough to learn and see the surgery techniques of great surgeons, which helped me develop a greater understanding of what I needed to and was able to do with my rehabilitation programs. Seeing these surgeons perform their surgical techniques on patients’ hips, knees, ankles,
shoulders, lumbar and cervical spine was more beneficial than I could have ever imagined at that time. As my meetings with the surgeons ended, I asked them to refer patients who had had surgery, been to physical therapy and had not gotten better. I informed them that if I got them better, and the patient was more than satisfied, to please send more. If not, I would go out of business, and they would not have to deal with me again.
It is hard to believe that 36 years has passed, and McDonald Physical Therapy is still treating patients. We, at McDonald Physical Therapy, love being a part of this community. It is a special community because it cares for those most in need. Whether its Logan Center, St Margaret’s House, The Homeless Center, Cultivate, etc. our community is one that cares for one another! I am so glad we have been able to sustain, during many
challenging times (most especially Covid) for this community I am proud to call my home. I must say, however, I owe much of the growth of my business to the challenging lessons of responsibility my parents taught me as a young person. I may have not enjoyed learning these lessons, but I thank God for my parents’ efforts and unwavering resolve. I also owe much to the patients who were willing to tell others about the new 34-year-old kid
on the block and the physicians who gave me a chance.
Thanks to all of you!
Enjoy the journey,
Fran McDonald President/CEO
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