Skip to main content

Fletcher Cleaves

The other day in class we had a guest speaker, Fletcher Cleaves, come and share his testimony about his life after a serious car wreck.  Due to the distraction of another driver, Cleaves swerved to avoid the oncoming car and wound up crashing into a ravine.  After emergency transportation to a nearby hospital, medical personnel informed Cleaves he suffered a spinal cord injury and would never be able to walk again.  Let me interject here and say Cleaves was a freshman college football starter and in the best shape of his life.  I don't know all the details about how he initially dealt with this realization, but I have witnessed his accomplishments just eight years later.  Not only has he regained functions doctors told him he would never be able to such as living independently, he also has turned this seemingly hopeless situation into bright opportunities for others.  I was astounded at his entire outlook on life.  Here was a guy who before was looking at a successful career involving his physical abilities when all of the sudden his one claim to fame was taken from him.  But that didn't stop him.  Cleaves has an incredible personality that connects with each individual.  One minute I was laughing at his jokes and the next crying at the unfairness of his situation, but the whole time he not once asked for pity nor wanted to give up.  Instead, he used his story as a motivation.  Here was a guy only four years older than me confined to a wheelchair, but the wheelchair didn't stop him!  I don't even know how many people he has touched with his story, but I do know that the same tenacity that made him fight through one more pushup will drive him to fight for one more life.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

OT 532 - Journal Article Review

This article explores the current literature related to the use of the Cognitive Orientation to daily Occupational Performance within a group setting involving children living with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD).  Children diagnosed with DCD struggle with tasks requiring muscle coordination which in turn leads to decreased occupational performance.  While believed to be a childhood condition, the secondary impairments associated with DCD often endure into adulthood.  Thought to be linked to low self-esteem and motor skill competency, obesity and feelings of isolations often are found in conjunction with DCD.  In order to enable occupational performance within this population, practitioners are now pursuing group intervention strategies as a way to empower those with DCD.  After searching the literature, six articles were selected which met inclusion criteria.  Findings from this review showed the importance of group process for individuals diag...
Post a Comment
Read more

My Main Takeaway from OT 425

In a sense, I have always known that I had a knack for therapy, but it wasn't until I learned about the intricate details of OT that I realized I'm going to be a part of the perfect profession for myself!  Growing up, I have always been one of those people who has a higher standard for myself than for others (perfectionism runs deep), and something about OT that I respect is the fact that it requires its practitioners to continuously strive to better themselves through continuing eduction, evidence-based practice, and even learning from ethical dilemmas.  OT always strives to provide the best services possible, and I believe that is crucial in a field where health care personnel are called to serve others and enable them to live healthy lives.  While there are a lot of expectations placed on practitioners, I also feel there is an overwhelming amount of community and grace within the profession.  OT practice is a team focus with accountability and wisdom readily avail...
1 comment
Read more

Emerging Areas of Practice: Home Modification

Something I have learned about myself since starting OT school is how I tend to center my beliefs on what should be done for a client based on what I would prefer to be done for myself.  Therefore, the idea of integrating more technology into one's life does not seem appealing to me, so I won't do that to someone else.  But what if that technology could allow someone to access rooms that were once unreachable or even get to a place of living independently because of technological advances?  Who am I to say that people shouldn't have more technological assistance just because that does not sound appealing in my life?  Ironically enough, my husband is an electrical engineer who, of course, specializes in home automation.  Most of his customers are very wealthy people who want an Apple system installed in their homes, but recently I've begun thinking about how much he could help me promote participation in meaningful activities for my future clients.  That sou...
Post a Comment
Read more