Feature Family Member

It was a miracle that convinced Juan Garcia of his true calling.

He currently works as the Administrative Office Specialist in the North Division of THERAPY 2000, having moved there from his job as a staffer in the Central office when the decentralization of the divisions took place.

He’s been with the agency for more than two years, and has spent some of that time attending school to become a physical therapist assistant. North Division Manager Lee Kellams calls Juan the office’s "knight in shining armor."

"He helps all the time. He’s always willing to pitch in," she said. "He takes things to people, helps out here in the office. He’s always the first one to offer to help. He’s excellent."

Kellams recalls the time that one of the division’s therapists ran out of gas on the tollway. She called for roadside assistance and was told it would take them an hour to get there, and that they would only bring a gallon of gas. She couldn’t wait, so she called the office.

"It was toward the end of the day, so most of us were going out to make visits, and none of us had a gas can to help her," she said. "Juan said ‘I’ll go do it, I have a gas can at home.’ He goes home, gets his gas can, fills it up, fills up her car, and make sure she’s on her way safely. He rode in on his white horse."

His interaction with therapists not only at THERAPY 2000, but also at another home health agency where he worked before, raised his interest in the profession, and is now well on his way of becoming a PTA himself by studying at Tarrant County Community College.

"I was going to Dallas County Community College before I started working for THERAPY 2000 to study business administration," Juan said. "I did a few classes, but then stopped. It wasn’t what I really wanted."

While assisting a therapist at his previous job to help her translate between her and a Hispanic mother of a patient, Juan was witness to the miracle that defined his path. The therapist had been working with a six-year-old patient for about a year or so to help her strengthen her lower extremities and working on trying to get her to stand up on her own.

"This was a patient that didn’t walk, or move around, and could barely crawl," Juan said. "She had a lot of things going on that prevented her from walking other than her diagnosis, which was cerebral palsy."

During the visit, Juan says, the therapist was helping the patient stand up by holding her. Before he knew it, the girl gave four steps by herself.

"Right there, in front of me, and that was like ‘WOW, a person can make somebody do this?" he said. "That’s amazing. This is something I got to do some day. You should have seen the smile on the mom’s face. Her daughter had taken four steps for the first time in her six years. That’s something I’ll remember for the rest of my life."

That experience, plus other experiences Juan’s had while helping therapists with translation, set in stone his decision to become a PTA himself. He said THERAPY 2000 has supported his efforts, assisting him with tuition and working with his schedule to allow him to study.

"For the past two years, THERAPY 2000 has given me a lot, and I want to give back to them," he said. "I appreciate everybody and I’m very thankful with everyone at the office."