“Working with Cindy - Dr. Elissa Derbak”
Who was Cindy to Dr. Derbak?
One joy of being a Physical Therapist is the people who work beside you. Dr. Elissa Derbak is a Ped’s Physical Therapist who was a friend and colleague of Cindy. Cindy was Dr. Derbak’s boss, teacher, and mentor. When Elissa came out of school, Cindy hired her. This was seen as “unusual” as most of Cindy’s trainees were her own students. Elissa heard so many great things about Cindy and wanted to be a part of and learn from someone who was passionate about their work.
What Motivated Cindy?
According to Dr. Derbak, Cindy was a person who would never give up on anything even through tough circumstances. For a child, they have their own pace of how they want to be motivated. It is up to the Physical Therapist, to choose a path that is correct for them based on the patient's motivational level and the primary goals of the family. Cindy will consider all their considerations and complete their goals. Cindy shows this passionate energy and passes it along to her students and colleagues. Dr. Derbak explained to us how a common issue with working in Physical Therapy is the number of appointments the patients and families have to schedule for getting braces on the client’s foot. Cindy went out, took classes on these braces, and learned how to apply them to her patients. She would then encourage her team to learn new things to benefit the patients. Now it is up to her team to do the same.
Dr. Derbak’s Contribution to CMAF
Elissa adored Cindy and everything she did for her own family and her physical therapy family. Since Cindy’s passing, Cindy's family started CMAF and Elissa wanted to help out. She was placed in charge of choosing the equipment for CMAF from the company Playworld. She would visit other inclusive playgrounds nearby and in other states to see what is the best fit for the needs of the children. CMAF passes on Cindy's legacy, the inclusion of everyone.
If you would like to donate to the Cindy Miles Adaptive Fund, head to our donate page.
Resources
https://www.cindymilesfund.org/
https://www.kit.org/inclusion-in-playgrounds/
