Aphrase I hear over and over again from PTs regarding patient recovery is "realistic expectations." As PTs, you rightly emphasize that each patient has his or her own goal to reach, given each patient’s unique conditions. However, every now and then, you encounter individuals who overcome challenges and go beyond these realistic expectations, inspiring other patients to dream big.
One of these individuals is MacKinzie Kline, a 14-year-old top-ranked female golfer in the United States, who was recently featured in the Los Angeles Times.1 A birth defect left Kline missing one of two pumping ventricles in her heart, substantially decreasing the amount of oxygen in her blood. She has survived two open-heart surgeries that took place when she was an infant. Though she lives near the beach in San Diego, she breathes as though she lives on a mountaintop. Because she could never play any running sports, she picked up golf—and is now a star. At the age of 10, she won the California Junior Girls championship, which was one of the first of several wins that pushed her to the top of the national rankings. Kline was eventually named the National Spokesperson for the Children’s Heart Foundation.
With two important championships coming up, Kline is facing yet another trial with her health. Her breathing has unexplainably slowed down to the point where she can barely breathe. While her physician recommended immediate catheter surgery—which would force her to miss the championships—she came up with an innovative solution to her condition: portable oxygen. Kline was granted unprecedented permission by the US Golf Association to carry an oxygen tank in her golf cart. She will play the Girls’ Junior Championships in Charlotte, NC, with the oxygen under her nose between shots, and she will rest in the cart between holes. Kline’s self-motivation, despite her health condition, is inspirational.
While every patient presents with different complications, inspiring stories are all around us if we choose to take notice. How do you encourage and motivate your patients in your facility? Perhaps you can create a message board of success stories for all to see. Or, as suggested by the authors of our prosthetic gait training story, "Rising to the Challenge," (page 18), you can organize group events in which patients meet with other patients who have similar conditions but are successfully further along in their rehabilitation programs.
The US Paralympics Team members are examples of individuals with disabilities who have set great expectations of their abilities and have overcome astonishing challenges on their way to being successful athletes. The team members’ inspiring stories can be found at www.usoc.org. Upcoming events include the 2006 US Paralympics Swimming National Championships in San Antonio, Tex, August 10–12, and the US Paralympics Las Vegas Open (table tennis), December 13–17. Support these events with your patients to encourage them to aim high in their recovery process.
Of course, not all celebrated milestones in the rehabilitation process come from athletes. Let me know about any of your inspirational patients and how you strive to encourage your patients to exceed expectations.
Aphrase I hear over and over again from PTs regarding patient recovery is "realistic expectations." As PTs, you rightly emphasize that each patient has his or her own goal to reach, given each patient’s unique conditions. However, every now and then, you encounter individuals who overcome challenges and go beyond these realistic expectations, inspiring other patients to dream big. 
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