Perspectives Spring 2015

R achel Woodson, a class of 2015 D.P.T. student, began participating in humanitarian trips in the sev- enth grade and has never stopped. As a result, her commitment to medical out- reach and the people these trips serve is unending. Being exposed to this type of outreach through church trips, including inner-city outreach programs and Hurri- cane Katrina relief, was her introduction to helping those in need. Her love of children and desire to be- come a pediatric physical therapist ex- panded her focus to wanting to work with special-needs orphans in countries that typically abandon them due to the country’s belief system. Most of these countries believe that children with spe- cial needs are cursed, and if the family cares for them, the entire family will be outcast from its village and often be un- able to provide for the family. Parents that abandon these children typically do want to keep their children but know that the effects on the rest of the family can literally be deadly. “While I want to start an orphanage for these children in the future, in my re- cent outreach trips, I have learned the importance of educating parents and leaders in the community of the etiology of these disorders,” Woodson explained. “I had the opportunity to spend a few days with a missionary who is a special education teacher, and she was explain- ing how she has had quite a bit of suc- cess in getting communities to accept and adapt for these children because of her commitment to educating the impor- tant figures in each of the communities.” One of the humanitarian trips she participated in while attending graduate school was with an organization called Mission of Hope. This trip proved to be especially interesting because she had an opportunity to visit an orphanage and a prosthetics clinic. “It was a truly incredi- ble experience to see how they make prosthetics for a community that has much different functional expectations,” she said. “While working in the clinic, the prosthetist and I talked about further opportunities to return to work on gait training with the patients.” This opportunity became a reality last November when during her two- week break from internships, Woodson, her mother (a pediatric PT), and her mother’ co-worker returned to work in the prosthetics clinic as well as volun- teer in a mobile clinic with other med- ical professionals. During one of her visits to Uganda during a three-week Christmas break to volunteer at the Good Shepard’s Fold Orphanage, Woodson had the chance to teach as well as learn. The orphanage, which is home to over 100 children, pro- vides care for 17 special-needs children thanks to the occupational therapist (OT) that works with the children on a regular basis. During this trip, Woodson got to spend time with the OT in a ben- eficial exchange where they learned from each other. “There was one child in particular that the OT did not know how to treat,” she explained. “I had brought a belly scooter, so we put a large bag of rice on the child and had him do 100-200 feet on the belly scooter. After this exercise, the child was able to organize himself and was able to perform tasks and follow direction much better.” Since that memorable trip, Woodson has kept in contact with the people who work at the orphanage, who have uti- lized the belly scooter and other heavy work activities to allow the child to attend school and sit at the dinner table with the other children. Because of her com- mitment to the orphanage, Woodson re- ceived an invitation to return to Uganda in the summer and fall of 2015 to work with special-needs children and the com- munities they live in. Once Woodson graduates from the D.P.T. Program in May, she has plans to continue her service to the children she loves. The potential for Woodson to im- pact many more children is great—and is a goal that is tangibly within reach. PERSPECTIVES • SPRING 2015 40 PT Fort Lauderdale Rachel Woodson Showcases By Shari Rone-Adams, D.B.A., M.H.S.A., PT Director, Entry-Level D.P.T. Programs and Rachel Woodson, Class of 2015 D.P.T. Student Her Love for Humanitarianism and Children