Will Humphreys fell while mountain climbing on Friday the 13th, 1993, breaking multiple bones. During recovery, his physical therapist Connie's confidence and compassion inspired him to become a physical therapist himself. He reflects on how love for patients drives many healthcare professionals.
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I looked down and the bottom part of my right foot was broken and was laying on my calf.
You know, when people ask me why I became a physical therapist, the real question is, when did I become a PT? The answer to that question is Friday the 13th, 1993. I took my then girlfriend mountain climbing in El Paso, Texas. And I wanted to show off, so I didn't use any ropes. And as we started to climb the 30 to 50 foot face, it occurred to me how stupid it was. Gratefully, she was able to make it over the top of the mountain. Me on the other hand, when I was about one foot from the surface, from the top of the mountain, the side of the mountain I was holding onto peeled off and I free fell between 30 and 50ft, landing on both feet. When I hit the ground, I heard snapping like branches from a tree breaking. And I hit so hard that not only did I land on my feet, but it threw me backwards. My hands went behind me to brace myself after rolling. After impact, I stopped face up in a bush. I started losing my mind. I didn't understand what was happening or if I was dead or what. I didn't feel any pain except for some pressure down in my right leg. I looked down and the bottom part of my right foot was broken and was laying on my calf. As I reached down to grab it my leg, to pull my foot from underneath my leg. My hands were facing me with my arms extended. They had both broken and my hands were turning back towards my face. I quickly looked over to my left leg and saw my femur sticking out of my thigh. I was on that mountain for five hours until the mountain rescue team could harness me down the mountain into the helicopter. And so I was discharged home weeks later after multiple surgeries, where my living room had been converted into my bedroom so that the many people it took to care for me could handle the job. And then there was a knock at the door. And I'll never forget when I saw my physical therapist's face for the first time. We're gonna call her Connie. And do you know why? Because her name was Connie. And she said, man, Will, I've heard you had a horrible fall. Let's get you up. I said, you know, look, I don't know if you know this, but I broke both my arms and legs over 20 bones. Like, get out of my room. And she went, yeah, I know we're gonna get you up today. Anyway, she put this gait belt on me. She set me up on the side of the bed on the count of three, she lifted me up with a platform walker and I passed out. What I remember is coming to and seeing her face above me, smiling from ear to ear, saying, hey, Will, you passed out, but you did great. That was it. That was when I knew I was going to become a physical therapist. Over the next weeks, I was inspired by her dedication. She was always on time. She loved me professionally, from a place of getting me better, personally, from a place of being a friend like no other healthcare professional ever had. So why did I become a physical therapist then? For me, it's all about paying it forward. I'm 44 now, and that experience has resonated into who I am. And it's come to my attention that all medical professionals have a story, even when they don't think they have a story that's nearly as dramatic as mine. I've come to realize that people in healthcare do what they do for love. They love the people they serve. They love being able to help people in the darkest of nights, to help them create the dawn of a new day, just like Connie did for me. And so the question I have for you is, why did you become a healthcare professional? I would love to hear about it in the comments below. Thank you for listening. Until next time.
