How Physical Therapy Gave Dani Her Life Back AFTER A LIFE-ALTERING INJURY
What do you do when life feels insurmountable? For Dani Burt, it wasn’t easy, but the answer was simple: Find a way to heal.
were ups and downs,” Dani says of the process. Still, she stuck with it, and she not only healed but also began to thrive. She turned to surfing, a completely new sport that allowed her to explore her new reality. “It drastically improved my strength, endurance, and balance,” Dani says. “It gave me a tremendous amount of confidence and trust in my prosthetic leg.” Inspired by her experiences, Dani became a physical therapist and now helps others find the healing that PT gave her. “The reality is, we’re all healthier and happier when we move,” she says. “If you want to do something, you need to figure out a way to do it,” she advises. Physical therapy is often a safer, more effective, and more affordable option than surgery or medication. Like Dani, those who go into the profession are caring, knowledgeable individuals who want to help their patients get back to living their best life. For anyone experiencing pain or going through the recovery process after an injury, physical therapy can help.
Dani Burt is a surfing champion. This isn’t exceptional until you know Dani was in a serious motorcycle accident 15 years ago that left her in a medically induced coma for 45 days. To save her life, doctors had to remove her right leg below the knee. As you can imagine, waking up to find out her leg was gone was devastating for Dani. The rest of her injuries were also extensive: She could barely move in bed and couldn’t go to the bathroom by herself. She struggled to deal with the pain without medication. Fortunately, she found physical therapy, and it gave her a new lease on life. “Before my accident, I had no idea what physical therapy was until I got a whole bunch of it,” Dani says. “What was really impressive was the fact that I was getting independent again, and I could see this progress.”
Through an opportunity to heal at Sharp Memorial Rehab and a community reentry program, Dani began to reclaim her life. “There
Take a Break!
Easy Tomato Soup
INGREDIENTS •
2 tbsp coconut oil
• • • •
1 cup chicken broth 8.5 oz coconut milk
•
4 leeks, white parts only, thinly sliced 6 cloves garlic, minced 1 28-oz can roasted and diced tomatoes (Muir Glen Organic is a good brand)
Kosher salt
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Freshly ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS: 1. In a skillet over medium
4. Add sautéed leeks and garlic and purée again. 5. Transfer purée to a saucepan and add chicken broth and coconut milk. Bring to a boil, then drop to simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
heat, sauté leeks in coconut oil until softened and translucent, about 7–10 minutes.
2. Add garlic and sauté for
another 30 seconds. Remove from heat.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
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3. Meanwhile, in a blender,
purée entire can of tomatoes, including juice, until smooth.
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