When Gabrielle was discharged from NYU Medical Center last August following her hemispherectomy she was just beginning to take a few steps on her own again. She would require many more months of intensive rehab to regain function. When we walked into Raleigh Neurology and met Anna Romanosky, the physical therapist that would be working with Gabby, we were skeptical. How would she compare to the therapists at NYU? Would she have the skills necessary to work with our daughter?
It wasn’t long before our skepticism was replaced with trust. In a few short weeks I was raving about Anna. After 6 months of 3-4 weekly visits we wrote this letter to Ms. Anna:
Dear Anna,
Thank you for being an exceptional physical therapist. From the first time you worked with Gabrielle following her hemispherectomy we were impressed. You are incredibly dedicated to helping children reach their full potential.
Motivating a child to focus and work on the very part of their body they want to ignore is no small task. You however are obviously gifted in this area because you make it look surprisingly easy and fun. Your energy and creativity have captured our child and we’re quite certain that Gabrielle believes she is going to “play” with Ms. Anna when she attends therapy.
Anna, your commitment to Gabrielle’s rehabilitation is amazing. You are never satisfied with her current accomplishments but always striving for more. You have made calls to coordinate her care after hours, you have researched constraint therapy, electrical stimulation, and splints from home, and you have purchased toys on weekends with our daughter’s next therapy session in mind.
We want to thank you for caring so much. We want to thank you for always going the extra mile. We want to thank you for making an unforgettable difference in our daughter’s life.
May God richly bless you for the difference you make in the lives of so many children.
Love,
The O’Melia Family
Unfortunately for us, Ms. Anna moved to Washington, D.C. about a week ago. She will surely be missed but we wish her the very best!