The evening of 4th October 2010, a car hit me at the crosswalk. Due to tissue damage, internal bleeding in my knees, and a head injury, I was disabled for three months. Three months of physical and occupational therapy got me back up. I was quite psychologically distressed during this time. When I look at disabled individuals around me, it’s unimaginable to be in the shoes of people who have been disabled for life. With chronic illnesses on the rise, I believe occupational therapy is the motivation people need to get better and they can only get that with someone interacting with them personally on a day-to-day basis. Seeing someone closest to my heart suffer from chronic illnesses showed me the paramountcy of Occupational therapy in people with chronic illnesses. My mom was diagnosed with major depressive disorder and fibromyalgia ten years ago for which medications weren’t effective, and her insurance didn’t cover occupational therapy. Thus, I took it upon myself to implement evidence-based and client-centered practice on her, which included the addition and omission of routine activities, the addition of specific exercises, an alimental diet plan, and improvement of social skills. Her health has flourished since then. Moreover, my volunteer experiences have intensified my …show more content…
I recently came back from a five-month trip to Pakistan, where I contributed to the curriculum and activities for the children in Al-Madad foundation. These children substantially needed occupational therapy since a number of them came from poverty-stricken backgrounds and had no access to healthcare. Some of these children showed signs of cerebral palsy, ADHD, autism, and mental retardation, but since Pakistan is quite lacking in any form of medical rehabilitation, these children are at a