Brett Kolnick, MSPT, CSCS

The reason that I became a physical therapist is because of my brother Ryan. I was 7 years old when my brother was born. He was born perfectly healthy but after several months of being alive he started have terrible seizures due to spinal meningitis. The spinal meningitis caused decreased oxygen to the his brain which resulted in my brother having cerebral palsy. As a child and older brother, I would do so many activities with him involving walking, stretching, coordination and balancing activities while we where just simply playing and spending time together.

The entire time I was playing with and taking care of my brother, I had no idea that I was actually doing physical therapy with him. Not until Ryan got involved with the Special Olympics as a teenager, I was privileged to be around so many other amazing special children and adults. At this moment, I realized that I wanted to become a physical therapist. I learned the impact that I had on my brother and more importantly the impact that he had on me. Ryan has now passed away but through his spirit is the reason why I am a physical therapist and how I am blessed to have an opportunity to impact other peoples lives through my career as a physical therapist.