ESSAY 4B: Please describe a significant experience.The only signs of life came from faint movements their bodies made when
inhaling and exhaling the surrounding air. Most of the patients did not even blink as Bob Barker, host of "The Price is Right," somehow held his viewers in a hypnotic trance. Others maintained slouched postures as they
dozed off in their wheelchairs. Ben and Gene, however, danced spastically while quietly chanting unrecognizable hymns. Ninety-four year old Mary was discreetly wheeling herself out of the recreation room. A shaggy
looking maintenance man, with the name Ronnie embroidered on his stained uniform, was viciously tearing apart the room's air conditioning unit.
Despite this less than ideal environment, my summer
internship as a recreational therapist in this long-term health care facility remained unchanged. "Current Events at 11:00" was boldly displayed on the doors and cork-boards throughout the building, and it was my job to
facilitate a discussion with this diverse group of brain-injured people.
To more than a few jeers from the crowd, Bob Barker's entrancing powers suddenly evaporated as I turned off the television. I
convinced our two talented dancers to join the rest of the group, while steadily wheeling Mary back into the room. I sat down with my usual copy of the Boston Globe. A picture of families splashing and running
along the coast of a sandy beach immediately seized my attention. Some patients also caught a glimpse of the striking photograph and conversation erupted. The group ranged in age from twenty-one to one-hundred-one, but
it did not matter, everyone had a story to tell about their days of summer fun. I could not deny a sense of longing in their voices, as tales of sand and sun sounded like intangible dreams from a remote
past.
Our dialogue was cut short by the squealing sounds of the lunch cart, signaling the end of our current events session. I bolted down to the recreation office while visions of a
beach-related activity flooded my mind. I eventually acknowledged that for medical and safety reasons it would be impossible for patients to leave facility grounds. The focus of my thoughts shifted to images of an
artificial beach within the institution. I immediately remembered the second floor patio which was outdoors and easily accessible. When I threw my ideas at the office, everyone was skeptical because of a shortage of
staffing, but after two days I was able to enlist an enthusiastic group of volunteers, including kitchen workers, interns and even Ronnie our maintenance man.
With my list of volunteers complete I was
given permission to coordinate the event I coined "Water World." I was, however, cautioned by the department head to keep the number of drownings to a minimum. Days before the program, patients painted summertime
collages and decorated the patio with their artwork. The morning of the big event I mass produced water balloons, filled spray bottles and distributed sunglasses. Other staff members looked puzzled as they saw me
roaming the facility soaking wet even hours before "Water World" was set to begin. When all the patients were assembled we started with a water balloon toss competition. Patients that I had rarely seen move a finger
flung balloons like armed grenades. Lenny, a usually reserved and quite grumpy eighty-three year old man, hurled his balloon an estimated ten feet. It was rumored that staff members heard Lenny chuckling as over six
people became victims to his flawless throws.
Other games and competitions followed, but the outcome was the same. Patients were moving muscles, and not just in their arms and legs, but the rarely utilized
fibers required for smiling and laughing. Bob Barker's passive followers were briefly transformed into active human beings. Expanding rib cages were no longer the only signs that these people were alive. Animated
expressions, roaring laughter and spirited personalities were proof that life was more than just a series of breaths.
