By: Dr. Jill Murphy, DPT, LAT, CSCS
Nearly twenty years ago I embarked on my career as a Doctor of Physical Therapy. As a brand new graduate, my head was swimming with knowledge of bones and joints, muscles and nerves, intricate joint structures, complex physiology, and how I would effectively treat each ailment that might present itself on my schedule. Fast forward to today, and the intricacies I once learned in PT school are now fused images connecting my brain to my fingers so easily, that the mental aspect of what I do each day, although still stimulating, plays a much smaller role. Instead, it is complete joy to focus on the patient, client, or individual I just happened to meet in front of me, their personality, their history, their habits, their hobbies, and the really neat stories they tell about what brings their life purpose.
Since opening MotionWorks Physical Therapy in 2011, I have had the great honor to meet some of the most interesting people I otherwise never would have met. Listening to their stories about the projects in life that have captured their imagination has been inspiring. Nearly every one of these projects would be considered insignificant if measured by a balance sheet, popularity, and social media presence, but that was not any of these people’s goals. Each of these people showed great selflessness and heart for their community. They saw a need, and they found a creative way to fill it. And by doing so, they became an unsung hometown hero.
This month is the first of many articles we are committed to publishing about these unsung hometown heroes. Why they do what they do. What makes them tick? What inspires them? How did they problem solve when things got tough or budgets were tight? How did they meet the challenges of not only starting something new, but keeping it going through the years? And why do they keep giving selflessly of their time, money, and energy without asking for anything in return?
We would like to thank our article series sponsor, Patooties Photography by Michelle Schneider, who so graciously provide fantastic photos of our Unsung Hometown Heroes to accompany our monthly articles. If you have a suggestion for our next Unsung Hometown Hero, please email your nomination to Jill@motionworkspt.com.
So, without further ado, meet our very first MotionWorks Unsung Hometown Hero, Ellen LaMarche.