Diagnosed with degenerative disc disease in high school, Madison M wants to encourage others to overcome their injuries or limitations by learning what their “one day” is.
“I had to have several back surgeries so I can understand and empathize with patients,” Madison said. “I can tell a future patient that I was there, I was in your position, I suffered as you suffered, and I'm here today, helping you so it can get better. It will get better, but you gotta put in the work. And one day, you got to find your ‘one day.’”
By the time she graduated high school, Madison had undergone one surgery to remove some of a lumbar disc that was pinching a nerve root and causing her a lot of pain. A few years later her lumbar herniated again and required a second surgery, which failed and brought even more pain. Her third back surgery involved a single-level spinal fusion and artificial disc replacement.
“Now I have all titanium mechanics in there, and I have no more pain,” she said. “It's a whole new life.”
Madison became interested in being a physical therapist assistant during her rehab process. She liked learning about physiology and the various therapies to both educate herself about her diagnosis and what she needed to do to make herself healthy, as well as being a way to share her story. While exploring PTA programs in the area, Madison visited the American Career College campus in Anaheim and came away with a good feeling.
“After taking a tour of the campus, I really enjoyed the amenities and the staff,” she said. “They were all very welcoming, and it was close by, so I decided to just go ahead and enroll, and I have enjoyed it ever since.”
Before entering the PTA program, Madison had earned an associate degree in sociology at Cypress College and worked as a chiropractic assistant or tutoring students. Her biggest challenge at ACC so far, Madison said, was adapting to the 20-month program’s fast pace and dealing with time management.
“It is an accelerated program, but I feel that the resources are available, and you can tell the professors have passion for their field and that they want you to succeed,” she said. “As long as you put in the effort, the time, and the dedication it requires, you're going to succeed no matter what.”
Recently named a program ambassador, Madison said she enjoyed how “encouraging and just overall fun to be around” her instructors and fellow students are. One of her goals as an ambassador, she said, is to do outreach with and learn from therapy groups in the community like the Therapeutic Riding Center of Huntington Beach or Back Bay Therapeutic Riding Club.
“I like water therapy, aquatic therapy, and I'd like to branch over into hippotherapy, which is working with disabled children and animals, especially horses,” she said. “It’s called therapeutic horseback riding, and it's a type of physical therapy where children and adults use horses as a form of exercise to stabilize core strength and just have that emotional bond and connection with the animal.”
After graduation, Madison would like to work at an outpatient clinic and, eventually, become an instructor after gaining more experience.
But in the meantime, while not defined by her medical history, Madison wants people to know it helped shape and define the goals she makes for herself and will help her patients achieve the ones they set for themselves each “day.”
“Just looking for your ‘one day’ — one day you're going to be able to walk a mile without pain; one day you'll be able to run with your kids. One day, as long as you just keep going, step-by-step, and doing what you need to do,” she said. “I just want to be able to share that with other patients and share it with future students and make life a little bit better.”
