Ben Weigel
Ben Weigel had just been diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome two months prior to being admitted to On With Life’s inpatient program and when he arrived, he couldn’t move his hands or feet without being in pain. Simply standing was a challenge for Ben due to his new diagnosis but through time in several of On With Life’s programs, he was able to regain use of his hands and feet and work his way back to independent living.
“Therapy has been crucial to getting my life back,” said Ben. “From standing to cooking, On With Life has helped me in every aspect.”
Included in Ben’s several goals was returning to work; however, rather than returning to his previous role working in compliance, he worked with his outpatient therapy team to explore other career paths. Ben had received his degree in marketing from Iowa State University but had never held a marketing position. He thought if he could relearn to walk, why couldn’t he learn a new career as well?
“I really love the idea of working in marketing because I love finding creative and innovative ways to reach out to others,” said Ben.
Ben was able to connect with On With Life’s marketing team and take on a few projects that would help him develop a marketing portfolio. During his time as a resident in On With Life’s Residential Neuro program, Ben helped collect photo and video content to be used on social media, and helped organize and promote a “can-struction” drive for On With Life staff as a way to celebrate the halfway point of the new outpatient center build. With Ben’s help On With Life was able to collect over 100 cans for a local food bank.