I have one older brother, Kyle Corbin. Sandwiched between my wife and his wife in the image above.
He doesn’t fish because he knows the hook inflicts pain. He won’t watch the Tiger King because he feels for the tigers. You get the idea. He’s a kind-hearted man.
Luckily for the rest of the world, he recognized his compassion for others as a strength and became a physical therapist. He’s won awards for excellence in care at nearly every stop he’s made. In the world of medicine, these honors frequently come with administrative promotions, more money, and bigger stacks of papers. He always refuses these job offers because he knows it will take him away from what he loves most: frontline care.
His most recent honor for “Outstanding Care” came with one caveat: a camera interview (not his style). He tried his best to bury the video of his interview, but my mom hunted it down and shared it with me. When I finished watching it, I felt great pride for my brother and thought the wisdom he shared applied to far more than health care.
Do what you love. The start of all success stories and the first words out of his mouth. Kyle found a love for caregiving and learned that his real gifts lie in ACUTE CARE – short-term treatment of a severe injury. Success followed with it.
Be a people person. As Kyle enters a hospital room, he strives to connect with the person, not the patient. He asks them where they’re from or what they do for fun in hopes of finding a common interest. He credits our mother’s gift of gab for this skill set, but he’s establishing the foundation of any relationship: likeability and trustworthiness. Furthermore, these small conversations will increase happiness for all parties.
Put yourself in their shoes. Kyle is healthy & athletic. But that’s not his mindset when providing care. Instead, he imagines how he’d feel with their pain. I’m guessing his shift in mindset elevates not only his compassion but also his gratitude for his own well being.
Treat everyone like you treat your grandma. When I heard my brother say this, I smiled deeply, so much so I’m not going to elaborate here. Let’s all try to treat others like we treat our grandmas.
Communicate Clearly. Near the end of his interview, Kyle expressed that issues in the hospital arise from poor communication. I believe the same could be said for all problems big & small.
As I write this, over 67,000 people have passed from Covid-19 in the United States. And Kyle Corbin suits up in the necessary safety layers to treat those infected with the disease. He was one of two therapists selected by his hospital to treat Covid-19 patients at their local hospital.
I timidly asked him how it was going.
“It’s pretty fun actually. These patients need our help, and it’s exciting to see our team come together.”
Yeah…. that’s my big brother!
———
Another piece of writing inspired by my friends Mario Dot To and Nurture Theory. We believe the thinking discovered through public writing improves our lives. We call ourselves the Western Writers League and we’ll get trinkets made eventually.