Beth Lees
After brain surgery to remove a tumor, it was hard for Beth Lees to imagine what life – upcoming graduation, an internship, vacations and her own wedding – would look like. But as she worked through almost a year of outpatient therapy at On With Life’s Ankeny location, Beth found the confidence she needed with the help of her therapists.
“My therapies were centered on the different events going on in my life at the time, but the things I learned and progressed at also applied to my everyday life,” said Beth.
During Beth’s therapy sessions she worked on a little bit of everything. Cooking and laundry to get by day-to-day, walking on uneven surfaces for her upcoming travels, and even navigating rows of chairs for her college graduation ceremony. As her discharge date from On With Life got closer so did her wedding. After months of therapy, preparation, and even a wedding shower thrown by On With Life staff, Beth was ready for her big day.
On August 6, 2021, Beth walked down the aisle to her new husband. She was able to balance through the ceremony, say her vows clearly, sign her wedding license legibly, and place her husband’s wedding band on his finger without the worry of being uncoordinated. She was able to eat her wedding cake and dance at the reception, all thanks to the skills she worked on through therapy.
“My time at On With Life really helped give me the confidence to be a bride and enjoy my wedding,” said Beth. “Even though your life may look different than the future you’d envisioned, remember that all things are possible and to not let a brain injury hold you back from moving forward.”