Disclaimer: If there are references to products or services, I certify that I either personally use them or stand by them. If you’re interested in using one, click the link so I’ll make a little money and you can tell your friends you helped keep the lights on over here.

November 11, 2019

Living Life One Day at a Time with TaeJun Lee

Listen here or click your favorite player:

Episode Summary

A car crash left TaeJun (TJ) with an incomplete C4-C5 spinal cord injury and less than a 5% chance of ever walking again. But with support from his family and friends and his willingness to put in the work, TJ was determined to not let his injury hold him back.

In the show today, TJ Lee, COTA/L shares his journey from accident to recovery and how that led him to the field of occupational therapy. He reflects on how his experience has impacted him as a practitioner and has influenced him towards various interests within the field including working with fall prevention, pain and movement, assistive technology, ergonomics with video gamers, and working with a team of specialists in a healthcare collective to work with dancers.

Through his work as a certified occupational therapy assistant, advocating for disability awareness through his blog, and being an adaptive athlete who competes in obstacle course races throughout the country, TJ truly lives his life to the fullest, one day at a time and works to instill the same mindset for his clients.

Show Notes

Sarah and TJ discuss:

His interest in obstacle course racing
9/13/2003- The day of his accident
What his life looked like before
The extend of his injuries from the accident and then once in the hospital
The perspective of going through inpatient care
Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center: http://dhs.lacounty.gov/wps/portal/dhs/rancho
Coping with medical professionals, his family, and friends thinking that he might also have a brain injury
Getting better one day at a time
Why he preferred to go to physical therapy over occupational therapy
Progression of his recovery, sensation, and movement
His willingness to work and fail in order to make progress in therapy
Spent about 5 months with little to no movement
Overcoming the trauma and the injury
Transitioning to going home
Continuing his therapy and rehabilitation on his own
His path into becoming a COTA/L
How his accident and personal experience with therapy has influenced him as a therapist
Finding a job with a disability
Recognizing his physical limitations and using other ways to manage his treatment sessions
His progression of interests in fall prevention, pain, kinesiotaping, movement, soft tissue, technology and apps, assistive technology, ergonomics of video gamers
Importance of collaboration
His healthcare collective
- @offset.med: https://www.instagram.com/offset.med/
- The Offset Podcast:
  - Google Podcasts
  - iTunes Podcasts
His blog- One Day at a Time 365: http://www.onedayatatime365.org/