What draws someone back to the place where they experienced one of life's most challenging moments? For Becki Bushnell and Meredith Berkowitz, Craig Hospital represents not only where their journeys with spinal cord injuries began, but also where their professional lives found purpose.

Becki, approaching her 17th anniversary as a Clinical Care Manager, candidly shares how she "hated Craig" during her rehabilitation following an injury at age 15. She describes herself as "the most terrible patient ever," reluctant to participate in therapy and struggling with the adjustment. Yet a chance encounter in the waiting room years later led to a career opportunity that transformed her relationship with Craig entirely. Now, she uses her lived experience to help patients navigate the complex emotional and practical challenges of life after spinal cord injury.

Meredith brings a fresher perspective as the assistant DME coordinator who joined the staff in January after being a patient during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her journey highlights the stark realities of employment barriers for people with disabilities – from inaccessible workplaces to the revealing moment when she removed information about her paralysis from job applications and suddenly received more interview requests.

Both women offer powerful insights into what makes Craig Hospital unique: it's "a yes place" in what can often feel like "a world of no" for people with disabilities.

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Craig Hospital in Denver, Colorado, is a world-renowned rehabilitation hospital that specializes exclusively in the neurorehabilitation and research of patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) and brain injury (BI). Craig is a not-for-profit, free-standing, national center of excellence that has treated more than 34,500 patients with SCI and BI since 1956. https://craighospital.org

For more Information visit: https://craighospital.org/onlyatcraigpodcast

Disclaimer: The content in this podcast is intended for general informational purposes only. Craig Hospital is not affiliated with resources that may be referenced in this podcast. Craig Hospital assumes no liability for any third-party material or for any action or inaction taken as a result of any content or any suggestions made in this podcast and should not be relied upon without independent investigation. Any use of this content by a corporation or other revenue-seeking or -generating organization is prohibited unless first approved by Craig Hospital....