Ability, motivation, and attitude are all keys to success. You see, ability is what you are capable of doing. Motivation determines what you actually do, and attitude determines how well you do it. Candice Cooley is the epitome of that success. Working hard, mothering a newborn and finishing up graduate school, all while her husband served our country in Iraq are all things that Candi tackled without ever uttering a complaint. She has been an integral part of our Therapy Center family for almost a decade, and her drive and motivation are just as strong now as they were when she first began her career as an SLP.
Candi’s team will tell you she is an enthused patient advocate often giving of her own personal time to tend to patients
and to nursing home residents who are not on the therapy caseload. One inspiring example of her generosity took place just this past Christmas. She gathered her kids on Christmas morning and took them to one of our partner nursing homes, where she serves as a mentor. Not only did she want to teach her kids appreciation for the gifts they were going to open under the tree, she wanted to show them the significance of the gift they could extend to others that morning. While the rest of the kids in the town were in their pajamas opening toys and eating the leftover cookies from Santa, Candi and her family graced the halls of Basile Care Center with Christmas carols, gifts and quality time spent visiting with residents whose families weren’t present that day. Remembering what Candi taught her family that Christmas morning is humbling.
“Candi, who began as a student of mine in a SNF facility over 10 years ago, is now a great friend. Her most distinguishing quality is that she is always ready to lead by example, frequently covering holidays and areas outside of her facility. She is kind, compassionate, and generous. Candi is always willing to help her teammates, and she goes above and beyond as both a mentor and a treating therapist. We are so privileged to have her as part of the Therapy Center family.” – Rachel Manuel, SLP/Mentor/Director of Operations
It’s awe-inspiring to work with a therapist like Candi who is so incredibly dedicated to bettering the lives of others. What she and other therapists do on a daily basis is not anything to be taken for granted. The month of May, also known as Better Speech and Hearing Month, is a perfect time to shine a light on Candi Cooley and our other amazing speech language pathologists. It’s a great chance to educate ourselves on the profession of speech language pathology, and also to celebrate those individuals who answered the call to a career where work means changing lives every single day…sometimes that life is your own, or in Candi’s case, the lives of her kids AND her patients.
For more information on speech therapy and to view more articles for Better Speech and Hearing Month, click here.
