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St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Home
I was born and raised in Antioch, California, about 40 miles east of San Francisco.
Growing up, I enjoyed playing baseball, golfing, fishing, water skiing, snow skiing, and going to Lake Tahoe and Yosemite National Park every summer. I moved away from Antioch to Oklahoma for college.
Being a physical therapist was my dream career when I was in high school, but I decided to go through the business school program in college and spent about a dozen years in sales and management until one day when my life changed.
I was living in St. Louis when I was involved in an automobile accident. I sustained moderate injuries, and I went through three months of physical therapy. Toward the end of my rehab, I thought, ‘I can do this.’
With the support of my wife and family, I went back to college in my mid-30s to become a physical therapist. In 1997, I received my Master of Physical Therapy degree from the University of Central Arkansas.
When I saw that St. Jude had an opening for a physical therapist in early 2006, I applied. One reason I decided to apply was in memory of my cousin Jennifer. She was diagnosed with leukemia at 4 years old. Doctors gave her six months to live.
She had dreams of going to school and fought hard every day. Jennifer fulfilled her dream, completing college and teaching kindergarten until she passed away in her late 40s. Watching my cousin struggle with weakness and pain inspired me.
When I meet people and they ask me what I do, I proudly say that I’m a physical therapist. When they ask me where I work, I tell them more proudly that I work at St. Jude. It’s rewarding because I have a front row seat to witness my patients chase their dreams.
When I meet people and they ask me what I do, I proudly say that I’m a physical therapist. When they ask me where I work, I tell them more proudly that I work at St. Jude.
Physical therapist
Rehabilitation Services
Jonesboro, Arkansas
I’ve been at St. Jude for almost 20 years, and my family first lived in the Memphis suburb of Germantown, where my youngest daughter attended high school. We lived there for three years and loved it, enjoying the outdoors at such places as the Agricenter and Shelby Farms. Today, we reside in northeast Arkansas in the city of Jonesboro. My commute to St. Jude each morning is one hour and 10 minutes.
For someone new to Memphis, there are a variety of things to enjoy—great parks, live music and something going on every weekend.
What are your favorite activities in Memphis? I’ve always enjoyed the barbecue and food at the Germantown Commissary. One of my other favorite places is Itta Bena on Beale Street.
Where are your favorite places to eat in Memphis? For several years, I volunteered to work at the PGA Tour’s FedEx St. Jude Classic golf tournament here in Memphis. I was a member of the ShotLink laser team where we took laser shots of the golf professionals’ golf shots, measuring the distance of their tee shots and the remaining distance to the hole.