“One day I will find the right words, and they will be simple.” – Jack Kerouac
I firmly believe that I have chosen the best career. Okay, that is super subjective. Here’s an addendum: I firmly believe that I have chosen the best career for me. I am finishing up my third semester in graduate school now to become a Speech-Language Pathologist, and this semester, more than others, has reaffirmed that I have chosen the right career path. This semester I had the pleasure of doing my internship at the new Brooks Rehabilitation Aphasia Center. Most of you are probably wondering what in the world aphasia is. I am going to explain it some in this post, but I challenge you to read about it more yourself, because we need to increase awareness. Aphasia is a communication disorder that affects an individual’s language, not their intellect, usually caused by a stroke or traumatic brain injury. Their language can be affected in areas of expression, comprehension, reading, and writing; however, they are still as intelligent as they were before they had aphasia. That is extremely important to remember. These individuals know what they are trying to say, but sometimes the words just don’t come out right. Sometimes the words might not go in right, and they have a hard time understanding. One more time, just to make sure it’s clear, this is a problem with language, not intellect. Aphasia is hard to understand because it cannot be seen. Everyone understands a broken bone because there is physical evidence of the break. We can see it. With limited use in a cast, it will most likely heal. That is not the way it is for aphasia. Instead, the brain’s healing is a response to its use. This is based on the idea of experience-based plasticity. The more experiences you have (in this case talking), the more your brain will wire and rewire for that exact function. So, everyday at the Aphasia Center when we talked, we were rewiring neural connections. How cool is that? When I sat down to write about what my time at the Aphasia Center with all the wonderful people I got to be with meant to me, I found that I was at a loss for words. Imagine that. Sometimes when I want to write about something that is near and dear to my heart, I get nervous that I will not do it justice, and I lose my words. But, it’s better to try and fail rather than not try at all, I suppose. So, here I go... In the past three months that I have been here, while fully functioning as a human sponge, I learned so incredibly much from each member, and the SLPs that I had the pleasure of working with. I am so appreciative to them all for their help in my pursuit to become the best Speech-Language Pathologist I can be. Through the human-sponge absorption process, I learned more in my time at the center than textbooks and classes could ever teach me. I also learned a lot more about life than I expected. Here are just a few examples of some things I have learned from the members: People with aphasia have taught me more about…
Selfishly, I wish my time at the Aphasia Center was not over. Goodbyes are never easy for me. While I am sad that my time somehow passed me in the blink of an eye, I am also so appreciative for the time I got to spend with all of the amazing people I met. Every member has helped me get closer to my goal in life: to have an ugly heart. I know, I know, wanting an ugly heart sounds pretty bad. However, if you have not read my past blog that explains it, I will explain. You want an ugly heart because it means that you have lived. Truly lived. You’ve loved and lost, you’ve given part of your heart to people and places, you have had your heart broken to be put back together, sometimes not fully, with the help of God, family, friends, and yourself. An ugly heart is mismatched with pieces of other people’s hearts that they have given you as well. An ugly heart symbolizes a life lived. Everyone I met at the Aphasia Center definitely made my heart uglier, and I cannot thank them enough for it. A piece of my heart will always be attached to that place. Words can only do so much when trying to express my passion for this community, and my desire to learn more and do more. I am so excited for what my future holds in this career. I have just learned that my next internship will be at the Mayo Clinic, and am excited for the new adventure that awaits! Stay tuned… Always, Molly If you would like to learn more about aphasia, or want to help spread awareness, check out these links!
8 Comments
Jeff "Bubba" Wallace
8/3/2016 05:28:34 pm
The "humor"!
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Flo Singletary
8/4/2016 03:41:38 pm
So beautiful Molly. You are a special person who will go far in your career! It has been a genuine pleasure to have you with us, Flo
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Molly McCune
8/4/2016 06:48:50 pm
Thank you, Flo! As you can tell I obviously enjoyed spending time and learning from you as well!
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8/7/2016 09:25:52 am
Molly
Molly McCune
8/7/2016 10:21:52 am
Thank you, Flo! Absolutely, it will help spread awareness and let other persons with aphasia know that they are not alone.
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Peggy Wallace
8/4/2016 06:04:47 pm
Absolutely beautiful and written from the heart! It made me cry, and that is good. Thank you for what you have done and are doing to make a difference in the lives of people with aphasia. You rock!!!
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Jodi Morgan
8/10/2016 02:07:39 pm
Molly,
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Molly McCune
9/7/2016 05:07:56 pm
Thank you for everything, Jodi! I enjoyed and learned so much during my time at the BRAC and will carry it with me into my career.
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AuthorJust a twenty-something attempting to create the illusion that I have a clue what's going on... Archives
May 2017
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