During my second semester of freshman year, my grandpa got super sick and was in the hospital for two months. I wasn’t really close to him so when we went and visited him it was weird seeing him hooked up to a ventilator and IVS. He is also hard of hearing so you have to use a really loud voice when talking to him. After being in the hospital he was finally discharged. He was not allowed to live on his own anymore so he had to move in with one of his three sons, it ended up being my Dad. Ever since he has been living at my Dad’s house it has been a roller coaster. When he first moved in he stayed in his bed and would only get out to use the bathroom. He would have a nurse come and check on him every day and make sure he was doing good.

 After about two months he was in better shape and began at-home physical therapy where most of the days he would refuse to do anything because he didn’t have any motivation. One day in particular that stuck with me, was when I was homesick and had finally gotten up and went out into the area where my grandpa was. His physical therapist was trying to get him to get up and walk around. I decided to go over and talk to him and was able to convince him to get up and start exercises. Now three years later he is doing better than ever and living with him is still a little difficult at times. He keeps the door open when he uses the bathroom, needs a lot of help from me and my sisters, and I have to almost yell when speaking to him. There are days when having an extra family member in my house can be hard. He keeps the tv on at 100 or he uses the bathroom when I need to. There are things that I have learned from my grandpa living there that I couldn’t even imagine knowing without my grandpa there. I have learned how to have patients, better communication skills, and I learned how to adjust. I wouldn’t change having my grandpa live with me for anything. Without him living there I wouldn’t have been able to get close with him and see how awesome and caring he really is. This is what has led me into the interest in physical therapy and why I believe I would make a great physical therapist.