Lindener’s passion for helping others leads to a blossoming career in physiotherapy
By Utamu Belle
There’s a school of thought which says, “Do what you love and you’ll never work another day in your life”. Just ask 32-year-old Lindener Quacy Paddy, whose natural passion for helping people has led him down the successful path of a blossoming career in physiotherapy.
Paddy has been working as a Rehabilitation Assistant/ Physiotherapist in the Rehabilitation Department of the Linden Hospital Complex (LHC) for over 10 years. Physiotherapy involves working to restore the movement and function of parts of the body in persons affected by a disability, illness, or injury. <<< Sunday Times Magazine>>> recently sat down with the inspirational father of two, who revealed how this passion has also led him down the path of self-development and service to his community. He hopes that his story inspires other young people to work hard in pursuing their dreams and what they love to do.
“In 2014, I decided to attend the University of Guyana, specialising in physiotherapy. The programme I did was Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Rehabilitation, majoring in Physiotherapy. I graduated in 2018 and restarted working here. Since then, I’ve been putting the knowledge I gained at University to use. Actually, giving back more of myself in terms of not only looking at the surface level of a Rehab Assistant but more utilising the skills and looking at the patients more holistically rather than just looking at their condition,” Paddy noted.
Following his graduation from UG last year, Paddy, who is also a major football fan, pursued a number of upgrading courses, including an International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) training medicine course, which was done through the Upper Demerara Football Association (UDFA). This afforded him an opportunity recently to travel to neighbouring Suriname with the Guyana men’s senior team in preparation for the CONCACAF Gold Cup. This, he noted, has upgraded his knowledge about basic principles in the football arena. Following this, he was selected to travel to Mexico to work along with the Golden Jaguars Beach Football team which participated in the World Cup Qualifiers. He has also worked with the Lady Jaguars Under-17 team in preparation for a tournament next month. For him, having the opportunity to incorporate sports and physiotherapy is like a dream come true.
“When I was a Rehab Assistant, I worked a lot in football … I have a passion for sports as well. I’ve always been a sports person,” Paddy explained.
He has also worked with athletes on the Linden Mayor’s Cup football, which he noted set the stage for his skills to be recognised. Physiotherapy, he noted, has opened up new horizons for him.
“It’s kind of tedious, but it’s worth it, especially with the exposure it brings … It’s opened up a new world for me in that I never knew of ‘persons with disabilities’. (Before) I just saw people on the road looking different and people teasing them and I would join in, but I never knew the severity of it … but being in this profession … you get to appreciate persons in a better way,” he explained.
Paddy said working with patients with conditions such as cerebral palsy also gives an understanding of how parents have to cope with this type of disability.
“It’s disheartening sometimes to see a mother financially unable to come to therapy or a parent whose partner walked out on them because of a child with disability .. . but you have to try and not let that get into the way of your intervention. It’s a caring profession. We spend more one-on-one time with the patients than the doctor,” he said.
He added that the knowledge he has gained on looking at patients holistically has assisted him in learning more about them rather than just focusing on the issue that he was presented with. This, he noted, also leads to the discovery of contributing factors to the immediate issue they are being faced with.
“I have a natural passion for helping people … I always wanted to go into a profession whereby I can give back to the community of Linden, which bred me basically. I also wanted to do something in science because in school I was in Agri-Science (stream),” he said.
While he has always had a love for science, he joked, “I didn’t want to be a nurse, because I didn’t want anybody calling me ‘Nursey’”.
He said he has no regrets in choosing the field which fit perfectly with his character. And working along with patients and seeing their gratitude months or even years after is both satisfying and motivating. This, he explained, is also one of the reasons why he decided to specialise in physiotherapy which also includes speech and occupational therapy.
Being a father of two boys, Paddy related that his days are very busy. It starts off with preparing the kids for school, then taking them and his niece to school before commencing his eight-hour work-day at the hospital. He also sees private patients later on in the day, which is wrapped up by helping his children with homework. His busy schedule also entails working at local football tournaments.
He credits his personal developments with attending University, noting that it has opened up new horizons and assisted him with problem-solving skills.
“I don’t focus on problems now, I just focus on solutions. If I have a challenge, I try to find solutions,” he noted.
Nevertheless, Paddy highlighted a major challenge for his department in sensitising the public about rehabilitation services. He pointed out that sometimes patients are only referred to the Department when they are at advanced stages of their conditions. As such, he encouraged persons to visit the Department in the early stages of discomfort, noting that audiology services were also available.
While it has been challenging to balance attending University and his family life, Paddy said he was far from finished as it pertained to pursuing his dreams.
“I’ve accomplished so much, but I’m far from finished. I really hope to pursue my Master’s in Sport Medicine. I’m hoping that I can get a scholarship to study overseas for that. I really love sports and Sport Medicine would channel me to that direction. So, that is one of my future goals – to elevate to a Master’s level, even to go on to a doctorate level … I do believe in three things – prayers, perseverance and patience. I believe that if you practise those three things it will take you to places you’ve never been,” he advised.
Paddy said it has been a blessing to have come this far and being presented with the opportunities he’s had, more so as someone from the town of Linden. He encourages youths to always do their best and to be prayerful and patient in seeking out opportunities.
“When you’re given the opportunity, don’t squander it. Go hard for it … I have always believed in building bridges, not burning them,” he said.
