Overcoming Challenges as an OT Student: I am > a Stroke
Karly Brown, Thomas Jefferson University
Roger Crawford, best-selling author and Hall of Fame speaker said, “being challenged in life is inevitable, while being defeated in life is optional.” As I understand, is it is not the challenges experienced that define us; it is instead our response to the challenges that really speaks to our character.
Two years ago, I experienced the greatest challenge of my life. In my eyes, I was healthy, happy, and most certainly, indestructible. I came down with what I thought was a cold, but what was actually bronchitis. After a little more than 2 weeks of coughing, I decided to see a physician. The cough seriously threatened my health; the pressure exerted on my carotid arteries caused an internal carotid dissection. This cascade of events led to an ischemic stroke affecting portions of my frontal, temporal, and parietal lobes.
The stroke happened after I just completed the rigorous process of applying to Thomas Jefferson University’s (TJU’s) Occupational Therapy (OT) program. I felt that my once obtainable educational goals were now placed on a shelf dangling far above my head. Because of my stroke I could hardly interpret words people were speaking to me, let alone hold a coherent conversation. How would it be possible for me to learn?
What is OT School Like After Having a Stroke?
When in a room with multiple people speaking at once, my brain feels as if it won front row tickets to a rock concert with special surround sound. Under these circumstances, like when in OT class with 70 other students, I cannot help but find myself wishing for the world’s most efficient noise canceling earplugs. When feeling vulnerable in these situations of extreme auditory stimuli and unable to respectfully make a break for the exit, I resort to taking deep breaths. This is solely due to the fact that I have been unsuccessful in my ability to find additional outlets to relieve my over stimulated brain, so deep breaths is a convenient way to take a socially appropriate “time-out” from attendance at the rock concert.
My cognitive abilities also became impaired. On occasion, my mind goes blank, as if experiencing a massive power outage. The outage causes me distress because it is one of the things I cannot conceal from the public. Additionally, now reading is a different experience for me. I cannot read as quickly as I once did, and new words are a challenge. There are times that I think about my role as a student and worry that my cognitive abilities will somehow hinder my professional growth. To counter this, I work hard to develop an increasingly complex vocabulary and have been fortunate enough to learn ways to camouflage some of the internal conflicts I face from my changed cognitive abilities. I have learned to laugh at my mistakes, triumphs, and most importantly, my failures, because without bumps in the road, we would never appreciate our successes.
Lessons Learned and Added Life Meaning
Being an OT student at TJU is by far my most proud accomplishment to date. I made the decision to decline any and all accommodations. I would much rather be put to the test, so to speak, while in OT school, a safe environment where I am able to explore my options of viable coping skills. This way, once fully submersed into the professional world, I will have an efficient toolbox of coping mechanisms. What once seemed almost impossible, pursuing my OT degree, is now the stimulant that is essential for my life.
I, along with two TJU OT student colleagues, Amanda Breem and Alyssa Armstrong, are on a mission to raise awareness of conditions that may threaten occupational performance and the role of occupations to help one lead a meaningful life despite challenging health conditions. This platform provides an opportunity to discuss my viewpoint on life after a stroke, allows Amanda a platform to discuss her perspectives stemming from her experience living with Hydrocephalus, and Alyssa to share her experience with a spinal cord injury. So far, Amanda and I have had the opportunity to speak with fellow students in a neuroscience course at TJU, OTA students at Philadelphia University and OT students at Stockton University. Soon, Alyssa will be joining Amanda and I to speak with OT students attending Temple University and Misericordia University. As a team, we hope to shed light on the effects of our conditions and the perspectives they bring to OT.
My overall experience has taught me many meaningful life lessons. First, IT IS OKAY to have challenges; it is okay for me to admit that I am not perfect, and [gulp] I sometimes need help! I not only feel more humble now, but also more appreciative of the goals I have tackled. As a prospective OT, I can only hope that these life circumstances will further enhance my ability to relate to patients on a deeper level.
I realize how terrifying the rehabilitation process can be, and I hope that my personal fight for improved health will be the spearhead of my client-centered career. Furthermore, I believe that without the kind-hearted individuals who provided skilled therapy, I would have failed to regain function. It was these individuals who looked past my deficits to discover that there was still a “Karly” underneath my diagnosis yearning to be recognized. I hope that with one individual at a time, I can change the point of view through which people frame health conditions. For this reason, I believe it is not our challenges that shape us; rather, it is our response to those challenges that make us resilient individuals.
Karly Brown is a second-year occupational therapy student in the bachelor’s to master’s (BS/MS) degree program at Thomas Jefferson University (TJU) and is expected to graduate in the summer of 2017. Karly’s involvement in extracurricular activities includes professional memberships (SOTA and AOTA), liaison to the Health Mentors Program, representative to the Task Force program, and co-editor of TJU’s artistic magazine, Inside Out. Karly has been interviewed for publications including Stroke Smart for an article titled “Your Dreams are Still Possible”, and the TJU website for an article titled “Insight From the Other Side of the Bedside”. Following life at TJU, Karly’s is interested in practicing OT in mental health arenas with returning combat veterans.