Sometimes having fun can be the most healing thing in the world for a teen.
It can be healing all by itself, and it can also open up connections to other people that are there to help them.
Robel, or “Robi” as he likes to go by, always has a smile on his face and a friendly attitude with everyone he meets. He first came to Shriners Children’s Philadelphia from Ethiopia after he sustained a T9 spinal cord injury from a fall that left him paralyzed below the waist. He needed long-term rehabilitation, and was connected to the hospital as part of the international patient program.
“After my accident, I was not able to sit on my own, take a shower, dress myself, transfer myself in and out of my wheelchair, and even feed myself,” Robi, who is 17 years old, explained. “I was completely dependent on others for pretty much everything.”
Being an older patient, he was given a full physical and occupational therapy schedule to increase his independence as much as possible. To accomplish this, his therapies mainly focused on building upper body strength using weight lifting, seated aerobics, balance exercises, walking with leg braces, wheelchair basketball and table tennis.
The severity and circumstances of his injury caused his stay at the hospital to be longer than most other patients. Because of this, he made friends with almost every employee, from every area of care in the hospital. One of his lasting legacies at the hospital was how much he connected with the staff and other patients, and how he always managed to brighten everyone’s day.
Finding Purpose Through Music Therapy
According to Robi, such a traumatic accident like he experienced causes someone to think about life. Specifically to think about his purpose and how to stay positive about life when everything seems to be going wrong. With the help of Becky Dadi, the music therapist that runs the music therapy program at the hospital, Robi was able to channel his emotions into a wonderful song. “Writing this song helped me remember that I believe God is in control,” he said. “It’s good to remember that he’s always there.”
“Getting to work with Robi was a true highlight in my career as a music therapist,” Becky said. “He was open, honest and creative when working with me to write his original song.” She noted that it was easier for him to express thoughts and feelings about a difficult subject when the goal was to create his very own song, filled with his story, struggles and triumphs.
