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Physiotherapy: Pushing the Limits – Helen Zipes
As the Clinical Director of The Ottawa Hospital Rehabilitation program, which includes the tertiary Rehabilitation Centre, I have the occasion to meet a lot of patients and their families. While all patients are special to us, there are a few that have really touched my heart and left an impression there. Master Corporal (MCpl) Mike Trauner is one of these individuals.
Mike stepped on an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) while on a mission in Afghanistan in 2008. He lost both legs and sustained  major injuries to one arm. From his first day here at the Centre, he has shown a determination and a resolve to get the most out of rehab and to get on with his life and to do the best he can. I remember distinctly the first time I saw Mike walking on his prostheses with 2 canes – I and others in the hall had tears in our eyes.
His wife, Leah, told me that the first words he said to her when she entered his hospital room in Landstuhl, Germany, to where he had been evacuated, were “Babe, I am so sorry…” Imagine, Mike’s first thoughts were of how is injuries were going to affect his wife’s life. When his mother was lamenting why this had happened to her son – Mike responded, “Mom, if it had not been me it would have been some other mother’s son.”
Mike pushes himself and the other patients to do their utmost in therapy. He is often the first to arrive and the last to leave the gym. One day, on his way out he saw an older man, also a patient with double leg amputations looking glum. Mike went over to him and asked him what was wrong? The elderly gentleman said he was disappointed with how slowly his rehab was coming and how poorly he was doing. Mike encouraged the man to get up and together they walked about 10 lengths of the gym, talking the whole time.
Similarly, Mike has been a very positive role model to many other patients and staff members at our Centre. His positive attitude  and “can-do” mentality are infectious. He and Leah have befriended another military patient, who is farther from home and has fewer visitors. They include him in their weekend and evening outings and Leah very generously gave up her opportunity to him, to drop the puck at centre ice with Mike at the opening home game of our beloved Senators Hockey team.
Certainly Mike’s life now is different from that which he imagined, but he has taught us all to embrace life and do the best with what we have. That is true strength of character and is one of the best lessons we can all take away from rehab.
Respectfully submitted,
Helen Zipes BSc (PT), MBA
Clinical Director, Rehabilitation and Family Health Teams
The Ottawa Hospital
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