How Would You Respond?

What do you do when a challenge is thrown at you, or when something doesn’t go the way you planned? Do you let it bring you down or do you turn it around and make the best out of the worst situation? We have recently learned about MS and how so many individuals have this diagnosis. I wanted to hear how it had affected a driven graduate student who was successful in her life. 

            In a recent Ted Talk, Thriving in the Face of Adversity, by Stephanie Buxhoevedem she talked about how she dealt with life when a challenge came her way. She was a graduate student who loved neurology and was pursuing a career as an anesthetist. She also loved to work out but one day while she was working out her leg had become numb. She didn’t think anything about it, maybe it was just a pinched nerve. She kept preserving and the day had finally come that she had been dreaming of, after all the hard work in the classroom it was finally time to be in the surgery room to give her first anesthesia. Before she knew it, her legs were completely numb, her arm was losing sensation and her vision became blurry. She knew something was wrong, it wasn’t just nerves. She then went to the hospital where she was admitted for numerous amounts of test. After days of being in the hospital she was given the news that no one wants to hear, she was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. 

            She had to make a decision to keep pursuing what she wanted or let her MS determine her life. She was reading through some of her paperwork from the hospital, when she read that the doctor said, “she had a poor prognosis”. This led her to the decision of pursuing something new in life. She decided to become a multiple sclerosis nurse to help others with her clinical and own personal advice. She was able to help others with their diagnosis. She also started a website to help those with unanswered questions be aware of the diagnosis. 

            This Ted Talk shows that we never know the future and especially what our unknown is. Stephanie was faced with the most difficult, devasting news, but she had the choice to either deny, cope or thrive. She chose to thrive, and she said that this diagnosis has pushed her and gave her a purpose in life. As future practitioners we can take our own knowledge and help others and who knows we may even be able to give advice of our own. This story is touching because most people will want to deny and cope with their diagnosis, but as practitioners we want individuals to push through their challenges and be able to get the most out of their lives. 

            No matter the situation life will throw a challenge at you and it is up to you how that challenge is handled. The determination and support of others will have a great impact on how individuals can overcome challenges. There is no specific answer to the future, so making the best of the outcome can have a larger impact on your life and on others’ lives more than you think. So as future therapist we need to be holistic in all approaches. We need to let our patients know that we will support them and help them when they need it most. 

 Reference:

Talks, T. (2015, April 03). Thriving in the Face of Adversity | Stephanie Buxhoeveden | TEDxHerndon. Retrieved July 30, 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuLOT6GsAxw