September 23, 2016

by: Guest Contributor

A Precious Experience in a Special World

This week’s blog was written by Paul Lungu, who volunteered in LeafBridge this past summer. Below Paul shares what his volunteer experience meant to him.

On June 15, 2016, I began a new adventure entering a place that would ultimately alter my decision to become a clinical pharmacist. This adventure took place at LeafBridge, the children’s services therapy center at the UCP of Greater Cleveland. It has opened the door that has offered me priceless opportunities to serve children with disabilities and has given me the grace to partake in the rehabilitative healing process as a volunteer.

From my first day volunteering, the affectionate environment created by the staff made it seem as if we were one big family sharing various responsibilities to tenderly care for the children in the summer Steps to Independence program to fulfill their therapy goals for each of their sessions. I was particularly moved by the vision of the therapists and staff at UCP which was to help, to heal, to inspire, to lead and discover, and most of all to further the independence and productivity of children with disabilities. These are the prime qualities which have instilled in me a passion to work with people with disabilities in a healthcare setting.

Every day of my volunteering experience offered new learning opportunities. The “spider cages” are where children with poor structural support were placed in a belt and hooked up to bungee cords to work on motor planning, trunk strengthening and eye-hand coordination. Despite relentless episodes of the children to finish their exercises, the therapists always encouraged them to finish tasks such as reaching for a ball I would hold for them. The incentive for the child was being rewarded with a snack before moving on to their next therapy session. I would often participate in the yoga exercises done by some clients, and this gave them a deep seated belief that they could do the impossible and overcome their obstacles, improving their performance one day at a time.

The multidisciplinary approach to rehabilitation that I have seen at UCP was very unique and ambitious in scope. This agenda was designed to abolish any pre-assumptions about a client’s disability and rather to patiently monitor their progress driven by a passion to exhaust every option possible from casting a client’s orthoses, to using innovative therapeutic technologies such as micro-current therapy and electromyography (EMS). The altruistic and compassionate character of the therapists at UCP and professional healthcare partners from the community, taught me to gently and patiently care for the children through activities such as reading books for the girls in the day program.

One of the most significant memories I have volunteering at UCP is when I helped a physical therapist and a child to go for a walk in a gaitrainer. As he started walking, I went ahead holding an iPad playing his favorite song: “the ants go marching one by one”. At one point he stopped walking and despite the therapist’s efforts to motivate him to continue, he would not proceed. As soon as I observed this phenomenon, I started marching to the song and instantly a smile emanated from his face and he continued to walk. It was in such moments during my time at UCP, that I fostered a great love for working with children with disabilities and found my future niche in this community for which I aspire to work diligently to occupy.

The well-known neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson once said: “Happiness doesn’t result from what we get, but from what we give”. My volunteer experience at UCP this past summer was invaluable and is an integral part of my life’s story that is continually shaping the person I aspire to become as a pediatric physical medicine and rehabilitation physician. This volunteering experience has given me more than I could have dreamed of, as I had the wonderful opportunity to shadow Dr. Ben Katholi and his partner Dr. Doug Henry at the Cleveland Clinic Children’s Rehab Hospital. Each morning they collaborated with therapists, nurse practioners, other specialists, and medical residents to create a comprehensive treatment plan adaptable to each client. I have seen the gentleness and care with which they treat their clients and someday thanks to my experience at UCP, I will be able to share their joy for the lives being changed.

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