Activity Analysis Blog Post #8

Today in Foundations, we completed other classmate’s activities that they did analyses on, and I led an activity for our group that I completed my activity analysis on. My activity that I led was wrapping a gift. Each of my group members wrapped a jewelry box and added a bow made of ribbon to it. A couple of my group members did not know how to make a bow out of ribbon for a gift, so it was fun to be able to teach them how to do something that they did not previously know how to do. In addition, one of my group members knew how to wrap the side of the gift box in a different way than I did. It was cool to compare her way to do it with my way to do it and have my other group members do it both ways and see which way they thought was easier. In addition, we made snow, paper airplanes, and Oreo balls. I had made snow before, but I had not made paper airplanes or Oreo balls. Both the Oreo balls and snow activities would be good activities to do for individuals who need sensory input. The paper airplane was fun to be able to have competitions about who could make their paper airplane go the farthest. The class was such a fun activity, and it was fun to do more hands on things for class.

OT's involvement with injury Blog Post #7

Yesterday in foundations we continued learning about ethics and professional development. In neuro, we had the pleasure of listening to Fletcher Cleaves talk. He sustained a C5-C6 SCI from a distracted driver. After being a star athlete in high school and making the football team at Lambeth College,  he had to make adaptions to many aspects of his life. One of the coolest adaptations we saw was his truck! I have never seen a truck like that. The doors slide, and he sits in his wheelchair in the truck.

Fletcher Cleaves had an amazing story and works for Autozone as an IT specialist. Even with his life being turned upside down, his faith remains strong. He said that he had to relearn how to do a lot of things. The main thing that resonated with me from his talk was how he said that his doctor told him everything that he could not do. Fletcher discussed that if he kept this mindset of how many things he couldn’t do, he never would have made as much progress as he did. As an OT, this is so important to remember. We need to focus on the client’s strengths, what they can do, and have an optimistic mindset about their recovery. If there is something the client wants to do or accomplish, as OTs we need to make that happen in some way, shape or form. The doctor’s take on Fletcher’s injury is exactly how we should NOT be as OTs.

Neuro Note 3: Memphis Rollin' Grizzlies

WOW! That is the main word I can use to describe last night. Last night, I had the opportunity to attend a Memphis Rollin’ Grizzlies practice, and I am so inspired. The Memphis Rollin’ Grizzlies are a nationally ranked, wheelchair basketball team from Memphis, TN. This team is made up of all kinds of individuals, all with different stories.

It is always amazing to watch the body take on any type of athletic event, but I did not realize just how intense this game is. It looked like it took such strategic movements to block other players or even make turns on the court. It was also cool to see how the players blocked each other. It looked sort of like “bumper cars.” One thing that really amazed me was their endurance. They practiced non-stop for about 1 hour and 45 minutes with hardly any breaks. I can honestly say I was more involved and attentive to the practice than any other basketball game I have attended.

In class, we are learning about spinal cord injuries (SCI). We learned about the causes of injury, the level of injury, and whether or not they are complete or incomplete injuries. One particular individual we saw on the team was a basketball player in college, and the coach said he would have gone on to play for the NBA if he did not sustain an SCI.  Life is so short and so uncertain, but it was so cool how the person, environment, and task were adapted like we learn about in school. Also, we learned that with different levels of injury, there are different functions associated with each. It appeared that all of the individuals on the team had arm/hand function, and we learned that with a T1-T9 injury there was more trunk control. We also learned that people with this level of injury usually have wheelchair backs that are lower or below the shoulder for more thoracic movement. All of the wheelchairs used in the sport are lower backs in order for the players to have shoulder movement.

At the end of the practice, we had an opportunity to try out wheelchair basketball. Due to the fact that I am extremely uncoordinated, I decided to watch, but it put into perspective how difficult the sport actually is. I was impressed by some of my classmates, though, and think that some of them should even consider it as a hobby! 

To find out more about this amazing team, check out their website: http://www.rollingrizzlies.org/who-we-are

Memphis Rolling Grizzlies. (n.d). Who We Are. Retrieved from http://www.rollingrizzlies.org/news/

Take away from OT 537 Neuro Case Study: Chucky Mullins

My main takeaway from my group discussion about Chucky Mullins was how unpredictable life is. Chucky Mullins was a football player for Ole Miss, who experienced a spinal cord injury after a tackle. We always hear about how dangerous football is as a sport, and this brings that into perspective. Annesse discussed that it was a little difficult to come up with goals for him, since he was a tetraplegic and had a trach. We discussed that some of the interventions an OT could have for him would be adapting social environments and helping him with his social abilities to help him reach his ultimate goal of finishing college. Honestly, it is so hard to imagine what this would be like to experience. During the discussion, I was trying to think of things that I would work on as an OT if I was helping a client who experienced a similar injury.

Some cool pieces of information that we learned about the whole situation was that the Vanderbilt player that Chucky tackled during the game goals and visits Chucky's grave every year. This was really neat to hear about because it was such a tragic accident that occurred. In addition, the Ole Miss alumni collected funds and built him a special house that was modified and adapted for his use. This relates to how an OT would help in this case, and I was so glad to hear that the college he attended did this for him.

Neuro Note #2: Unstoppable

Yesterday in our Neurological Aspects of Occupation Centered Practice class, we discussed seizures and epilepsy. When I got home and was scrolling through social media, I came across an article titled “Chattanooga Runner Nathan Sexton Fights Through Five Seizures to Finish.”  I was extremely interested to read this article as I lived in Chattanooga for 6 years, love running and am amazed by anyone who completes the Boston Marathon, and had just learned about seizures in class.

Nathan Sexton is a 30 year old Chattanooga resident who has a stage 4 brain tumor. He raced in the Boston Marathon this past Monday, April 17. While running, Nathan had 5 seizures, but still finished the race. The article mentions that Nathan was allowed “special entry” into this year’s Boston marathon because he did not qualify for the 2018 Boston Marathon due to a seizure during the qualifying race. This is an amazing feat for anyone, and it just shows you that anything is possible.

With the specific type of brain tumor Nathan had, the article states that Nathan was given approximately 15-24 months to live. After being told this information, Nathan became a super fast runner in his area of residence. I became interested to hear more about Nathan’s story, as it seems like his occupations may have changed since receiving his diagnosis, similar to the story we watched when we were learning about the Theory of Occupational Adaptation. I was interested to learn more about Nathan’s story, and I found another article titled “Chattanooga Man Fighting Brain Cancer Returns to Race where his Running Career Began” along with a video about Nathan. It detailed his journey and discussed how his priorities and outlook on life have shifted since his diagnosis.  Even with the challenges and setbacks, he still perseveres and maintains a positive outlook on life. He mentioned in the video that before being diagnosed with a brain tumor, he was more focused on work. Now, his family and his relationships are his main priority.

Like we learned in class, seizures can be a symptom of brain tumors. Although the articles do not include anything about therapy, as I was reading I was imagining what the role of an OT would be if Nathan were receiving intervention for his diagnosis/symptoms. We learned that an OT would assess the client’s environment/routine, provide support/adjustments to a routine to reduce risks, and could recommend safety equipment.  An OT would focus on his priorities, which are running and his family/ relationships with people. With running such a huge race, it was important to have a medical team on site. It is inspirational to see how events people experience in their life do not define them or have to limit them. Occupations may shift or change, but your ability to live life to the fullest does not have to.

Cobb, D. (2017, March 3).  Chattanooga man fighting brain cancer returns to race where running career began.  Times Free Press. Retrieved from http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/local/story/2017/mar/03/back-more-local-mfighting-bracancer-returns-r/415703/

Cobb, D. (2017, April 17).  Chattanooga runner Nathan Sexton fights through five seizures to finish Boston Marathon. Times Free Press. Retrieved from http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/local/story/2017/apr/17/kenyans-kirui-kiplagat-win-121st-boston-marathon/423254/?utm_content=buffer92a9e&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer