Run, Don't Walk: The Curious and Chaotic Life of a Physical Therapist Inside Walter Reed Army Medical Center

by Adele Levine

I’d put myself through physical therapy school after several depressing rounds of unemployment. My ambitions were fairly modest. I just wanted a straight job, a job with regular hours, and nights and weekends off.

But even in the amputee clinic, it has been helpful for me to realize that there are some people who will never get better. Not because of their injuries, and not because of their physical therapist, but because of themselves. They will always be a victim.

For me, it has been a comfort to drift back to that interview and try to accept that, no matter what the situation, there are people who will simply never take responsibility. It’s never their problem. But if I’m not careful, it becomes my problem. I blame myself.