We boast an incredible occupational therapy (OT) team at Ranken Jordan, and I want to shine a light on one of our newest OTs, Madelyn Hubbs. Madelyn is inspiring our patients and staff as she demonstrates how she turned her disability into a powerful asset.
Born with only one arm, Madelyn learned early how to adapt and advocate for herself. Now at 25 years old, she’s a passionate advocate for disability positivity and an inspiration to our patients and their families. People like Madelyn and their impact on our patients and their families are part of what makes Ranken Jordan unique, so I wanted to share her story.
Madelyn’s story
Having only one arm since birth, Madelyn received a lot of OT as a child and participated in programs and camps for children with disabilities.
It was those experiences that inspired Madelyn to become an Occupational Therapist herself.
“I remember when I went to camp, a counselor taught me how to paint my nails with one arm,” Madelyn said. “I later got the opportunity to go back as a counselor and I taught another girl who was missing an arm how to paint her nails. Her eyes just lit up and it was such a positive experience. I knew that if I could have one little moment like that in my career, my life would be fulfilled.”
Occupational therapy at Ranken Jordan
Beginning her career in occupational therapy, Madelyn said she was drawn to Ranken Jordan because of the unique patient and parent connection we offer.
At Ranken Jordan, we are passionate about caring for not just our patients, but their families, too. It’s a key part of our unique care model, Care Beyond the Bedside, which focuses on caring for the whole child, not just their diagnosis or disability.
Madelyn said her parents were powerful advocates for her as a kid, so she wanted a place where she could share that knowledge.
In Madelyn’s words, “Ranken Jordan is a very special place that provides a space for therapists to be really compassionate and provide a lot of education to patients and families.”
How Madelyn is inspiring our patients
Madelyn loves working at Ranken Jordan because of the collaborative environment. Because we are a non-profit hospital and not part of a larger hospital system, we are able to be nimble and adapt to each patient’s needs. This adaptability allows us to create co-therapy sessions that bring OT together with physical therapy, giving patients the opportunity to practice skills they need in the real world.
Madelyn likes that Ranken Jordan is collaborative and team-oriented and it’s easy to ask for help, something that’s important for patients and their families to see.
“One area of OT that people don’t often know about is the importance of learning to be an advocate for yourself,” Madelyn said, “so I love that my position at Ranken Jordan gives me the opportunity to teach patients and their families how to advocate for themselves, especially in the education setting, just like my parents did for me.”
In addition to inspiring our patients as part of her job, Madelyn has also been a Patient Ambassador for Shriners Children’s and. She still visits schools to talk about the importance of disability positivity and anti-bullying programs.
“If we don’t talk about disabilities, they’re going to be invisible,” Madelyn added. “I like to spread the message that we all come from different walks of life. Just because I’m missing an arm doesn’t make me any more unique than the person sitting next to me.”
How to help
If you would like to support the work we do in occupational therapy and all other specialties, please consider giving to the Ranken Jordan Pediatric Hospital Foundation at rankenjordanfoundation.org/donate.
