Occupational Therapists Touching Lives
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| Anne Kelly |
| 4/6/2009 |
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| We`ve all know when life gives you lemons you should make lemonade, but one man has done far more than that. Taking what many would consider a disability and using it to his advantage. Art Heinze, 70, doesn`t have any hands, but he`s found through years of experience he`s still able to lend one through being an occupational therapist.. Art Heinze was 19-years-old when a powersaw accident claimed both his hands. Fitted with prosthetics, he spent countless hours in occupational therapy, learning how to eat, to drink, even to dance with his new limbs. It was in therapy he says that he gained his life back.. "I was so impressed by what occupational therapy did for me as a patient, was so motivated by them trying to teach me to become independent that I thought I could help do that to other people," says Heinze. So he became an occupational therapist himself and was one for more than 40 years. He says 99-percent of the time having no hands was an advantage in his career rather than a disadvantage as he understood what patients were going through. Retired for several years, the northern Minnesota man tours the region, telling others his story, and using humor to remind OT students what their primary job will one day be when they begin their careers: To make a patient as independent as possible within their physical limitations. "I want them to know they can have an as OT, they can have a great effect on a person`s life," he says. And that`s the message second year University of Mary student Lindsay Bauer is walking away with. "He`s made me more passionate about helping others and that`s something that`s always been important to me but to be able to see how much it has helped him makes me realize that OTS really do make a difference in a person`s life," Bauer says. And so years after mastering how to work his prosthetics, Heinze can also say he`s mastered how to inspire others. He also spoke to the public today to teach people about how prosthetics work. He says he wants people to hear his story so they understand they too can overcome challenges. |
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