by K. Monroe Carter/Permission Granted by Katina Rankin
This New Year, I am thankful for something I once took for granted — movement.
Until my stroke, I never knew the true importance of physical, occupational, or speech therapy. I never knew what it felt like to depend on others for the most basic tasks — walking, writing, or even standing.
You see, I experienced paralysis on my right side for a while. I couldn’t move. Not walk. Not write. If you’ve read my earlier reflections, you’ll remember when I talked about dragging myself to the restroom. That wasn’t impatience or stubbornness — that was survival. I truly needed help. I was a severe fall risk.
Physical therapy taught me the value of perseverance. It pushed me to believe in the small victories — one more step, one more stretch, one more try. If I didn’t have the will, the intestinal fortitude, to get out of that wheelchair and try again, I would have never discovered the strength within me to walk on my own.
Occupational therapy has been just as vital. I’m relearning how to use paper and pen. What used to be second nature — jotting a note, signing my name — is now a daily exercise in patience and persistence. I’m not just pecking at my phone anymore; I’m truly trying to learn to write again, slowly.
Editor’s Note:
This piece is part of an ongoing first-person healthcare accountability series documenting the lived experience of a Mississippi patient and journalist. It reflects the author’s personal experience and is not intended to indict all healthcare workers or institutions.
Katina Rankin is a stroke survivor, journalist, author, and founder of Katina’s Klassroom, a nonprofit literacy initiative in Simpson County, Mississippi, dedicated to empowering children and families through reading, equity, food security, and community healing.
