It is early afternoon in the therapy gym, and the clinic is in full swing after lunch. As I assist Kate, the PT, with her patients, I notice from the corner of my eye that a patient is crying on the table. I felt concerned for the patient, keeping an eye out just in case Kate needed any help. I noticed he left shortly after and did not complete his therapy session. I asked Kate what happened, and she explained, it was too difficult for “Jim” to continue the therapy session since his wife recently passed away. It was heartbreaking to see a patient in that state. I asked Kate if I could work with Jim on his next visit, and she agreed. Jim was receiving therapy for lower back weakness and pain. During his warm up I set him on the stepper and started a conversation with him, in which he opened up to me about his wife's passing. Jim expressed to me that his wife used to motivate him to go to physical therapy, and now that she is gone, he is coming to physical therapy to honor her wishes. However, he feels overwhelmed by the thought of losing her and is unable to finish his therapy each time. His words deeply resonated with me, and I felt inclined to motivate him. I started making conversation with Jim throughout the sessions and noticed that when Jim was talking, he was able to stay and complete his therapy. We bonded over great discussions about our similarities and differences in faith since he was Catholic and I am Muslim. Kate informed me, the days I didn’t work with Jim, he was unmotivated by depression and wouldn't finish his therapy. Feeling encouraged that I was helping him to continue, I conversed over time during our session and helped Jim put his rollator in his car. He started to make progress, and his back pain had almost completely resolved. On his last day, I gifted Jim a scarf and wished him all the best. Jim began to cry and hugged me warmly. Regardless of our differences in race and religion, we felt like brothers. Despite the sadness to see him leave, I felt honored to have made a difference in his life. Experiences with patients like Jim taught me how to build upon my rapport skills, creating more meaningful connections. My passion for physical therapy is rooted in treating the tangible and intangible struggles each patient faces. My master's in Healthcare Leadership and Management taught me about the barriers to healthcare access. Working as a tech, I often saw patients with debilitating pain in need of physical therapy; however, they were unable to afford it because they did not have insurance coverage. Witnessing the barriers firsthand inspired me to make physical therapy more accessible for the underserved. I plan to open my own PT clinic and, with a portion of the profits, fund a nonprofit charity clinic. This nonprofit will focus on empowering patients through education and providing personalized at-home programs with regular checkups.