the end of an era
As I pass one week of moving from Seattle, my home of the past 13 years, to Boise, ID, my birthplace, the emotions are wild.
As you can imagine, I am sad to leave this amazing city and the incredible community I’ve built here over the past decade. I can’t imagine not having our family and friends here just a short drive away, and being able to pop over to a Mariners game last minute on a random Monday night.
(My last Mariner’s baseball game with Cole, my co-chair of the Disability Inclusion Network at Seattle Children’s)
But, I’m also excited.
I’m looking forward to a slower, easier, hopefully cheaper way of life in Boise. I can’t wait to have my parents just a short drive away, and be surrounded by extended family and childhood friends I’ve been apart from for too long. The wildlife and camping scene is calling to me, and I hope to spend more time outdoors for my mental and physical health.
(Camping in my favorite spot in the world, Redfish Lake, ID with my family dog, Otis, who crossed the rainbow bridge this February)
What about my job? Woo, strap in for this one.
My career was built in Seattle, from the ground up. As a DPT student who didn’t have a clue, getting lost in the wandering halls of Seattle Children’s Hospital that I can now navigate with my eyes closed and backwards, I never could have dreamed where I’d be now.
I think of Michelle, one of my first patients as a new grad, who I got to celebrate at her high school graduation last year. Baby Gwen became my best friend from the first time she grabbed my hand. I was lucky enough to be both PT and friend to Zoey and Quinn, siblings 4 years apart. I think of Ollie and Bridget, who I met in the NICU and got to follow as they now thrive in toddlerhood. Jacob who started as one of my first patients in the NICU is now my favorite gregarious 5 year old. I will miss seeing Greyson on clinic days long after he graduated from my care. Madison, whose family stole my heart from day 1 will always be with me, and I will advocate and support my little friend Luca no matter how far away we are. I got to FaceTime with baby Zyair and his mom last night who I miss dearly but will always love from afar. I will never forget Annelie, Elsa, Bronson, PJ, Addyson, Peppa, Sudais and Sharaim, Violet, Aspen, Rory, Nico, Arlo and Harrison, Kayla, Alice, Frankie, Jackson, Basil, Nellie, Ellis, Rocco, Frdous, and so many others.
I’m not crying, you’re crying
There are countless others who have shaped not just my career, but who I am. These kids and their families have made me into the person I am today. They have sparked a fire in me to fight for change so that their lives are better. They helped me accept and embrace my own disability in a way I never could have before.
The bebes taught me what it means to be brave
I’m leaving them, and while I do carry a sense of guilt for this, I also recognize the progress I have made in therapy! I tend to carry the weight of the world on my shoulder (“Maybe she’s born with it, maybe it’s first child syndrome and anxiety”), and have worked hard to realize that I can plant the seeds, without always needing to be the full time gardener.
I trust in the families who raise these kids with patience (usually) and love (always). I trust the providers who remain in my absence, and the new therapist who will pick up where I left off (*sobs uncontrollably*).
Because, you see, my job isn’t just a job.
It is ME. It’s my passion, my purpose. And I know there will be new babies who need my help in Boise, and I can’t wait to help them. St Luke’s Children’s has been amazing already, and I can’t wait to join their team. I also know there will be LOTS of advocacy work to do in politically-backwards Idaho, and I’m ready for the fight.
But for now, I’m grieving the end of this era that has been so monumental in my life and my formation as a pediatric physical therapist.
Goodbye Seattle Children’s and Odessa Brown—Hello St Luke’s Children’s!
So I cry, and I laugh, and I smile, and I give hugs
I have reminisced hard and looked at photos and truly treasured every “last” over the past few weeks. And I reveled in gratitude for this city and this community that took me in, as a scared, lonely small town girl, and turned me into a brave, spitfire city-lover, shaping me into the person and the therapist I want to be for this adventure and the next.
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Thank you Seattle, I love you!
〰️ Thank you Seattle, I love you!
I’m excited for my next role serving Idaho’s tiniest humans!
tl;dr
I am moving from Seattle, where I’ve lived for 13 years and created a career in pediatric PT, to Boise, ID, where I was born.
I will miss the bebes and families in Seattle that made me into the person and therapist that I am. Lots of tears lately
I’m looking forward to a slower, easier pace of life and a new job opportunity at St Luke’s Children’s!