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• Appreciating what you have
• Connecting with children
• A rewarding experience
• Improving confidence
• Seeing a child smile and overcome challenges
• The hardest workers you will ever see

Appreciating what you have

I love working with families who are so invested in their children. I love the perspective that families get when they’re dealing with having a significant health and/or developmental issue. I think a lot of times people don’t appreciate what they have, but families who aren’t necessarily sure that their child is going to meet certain milestones learn to appreciate things that other people take completely for granted, like being able to walk or to smile. It is rewarding to share their joy in these accomplishments and it makes me able to appreciate different things in my life as well.  I find that very motivating.

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Connecting with children

I love when I learn how to communicate with a child who doesn’t communicate verbally, and when I can find a way to help them feel more comfortable around a doctor. With any kids I work with, I hope to make them feel like it’s fun and not scary to be around a doctor.

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A rewarding experience

One day a few months ago, I happened to be doing rounds at a time when the moms of two patients were not at the bedside.  When I got to each of their beds, the children wanted me to pick them up and didn’t want to go back to bed once I was holding them. It just made me feel really good. One of them I’ve known for a very long time, and he had never asked me to pick him up before. The other one had been very scared of all doctors, and the first time I tried to examine her she cried, so for her to actually ask to be picked up was really nice.

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Improving confidence

Anytime you help the children improve their confidence and they’re able to live in society and function at a high level or at least the highest level that they’re capable of, I think that’s very rewarding.

-Gregory Melkonian, DVM, MD, Orthopedic Surgeon, Cerebral Palsy Program

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Seeing a child smile and overcome challenges

I think for me the most rewarding piece is helping to improve the quality of lives for children and their families. Sometimes, you could also see that as the most challenging piece.  The problems associated with CP are often times very difficult to change on a fundamental medical basis, although we have a lot of medical interventions to help with those problems and to slow them down and to improve them. But for me, just seeing a kid smile, seeing a family that used to really struggle around a certain issue overcome that issue is very rewarding.  The things that affect a child’s quality of life, changes and improvements in those areas are really striking to me. That just makes this work all worthwhile.

-Laurie Glader, MD, Pediatrician, Cerebral Palsy Program

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The hardest workers you will ever see

The truth is that these kids are often some of the hardest workers you will ever see.  I think the reason why a lot of us go into this field is because we like the attitude and the verve that the kids have.  This particular population has to work harder everyday at whatever they do, so I admire them. I think it’s fantastic that I can be involved in that aspect of their life, and be in some way a facilitator for them by making their lives easier.  On the family side, the families are often times made of some of the greatest people you ever want to meet.  They are true, caring people.  They look after things that you and I would curl up in a ball and cry ourselves to sleep at night about every night, and they deal with it on a daily basis and somehow find a way to make it a reasonable and doable part of their lives.  From my perspective, the real cool part is really getting to be some part of that whole schema and seeing how parents interact and care for their kids and also being and making friends with them.

-Travis Matheney, MD, MLA, Orthopedic Surgeon, Cerebral Palsy Program

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