Not bad for a Colored Guy?

This week has been a pretty rewarding week for me and it has reminded me why I entered the field of physical therapy. Over the course of the week I was able to treat people that were truely grateful that I was there to get them up and moving so they could return home. One of patients this week paid me one of the ultimate complement, he said that I had taken care of him better than anyone else at the hospital. It kind of amazes me that of all of the people that saw him on a regular basis my 20 minutes or so with him was the bright spot of his day. The funny thing about the whole situation is that the last two times I saw him all I did was stand him up and walk him into the restroom, and when he was done I walked in back to bed. I did help with the cleaning process just a bit, but I attempted to help him keep his dignity. I guess that listening to him and taking what he said into consideration was all it took make him feel like a person instead of a patient.

One of my other patients who I say only twice this week told another student physical therapist that I worked with that I was "not bad for a colored guy." I am not sure what that means but in the wake of Juneteenth I will take it as a complement. No matter how the complement is expressed it is good to know that my work in not in vain.