From One Spark to a Lifetime of Meaningful Care
Sometimes, one conversation can change the direction of your life.
I'm Aya Porté, your occupational therapist (OT) here on the Koi Wellness blog, who is passionate about nurturing children's potential and supporting cross-cultural families. In this conversation, I reflected on a pivotal experience from my senior year of high school in Japan. What began as a casual suggestion from a classmate named Lindsay eventually became a lesson in leadership, advocacy, belonging, and the power of listening to what people actually need.
Years later, I can see how many of those same lessons continue to shape my work as an occupational therapist.
It Started With a Question
After watching the TED Talk The Power of One School Year, I began thinking about the people who had influenced my own path.
I realized that one of those people was Lindsay, a classmate who joined my school during our senior year. We weren’t especially close at the time, but one simple question from Lindsay helped spark an experience I would continue to carry with me.
When the school rejected the students’ proposal for a more engaging senior prom, Lindsay asked:
“What if we just had our own prom?”
That question set everything in motion.
My classmates and I began planning an alternative event at the Grand Hyatt in Tokyo. We spoke with vendors, sold tickets, managed a significant budget, and built support among students and families.
Although the process became complicated, our advocacy ultimately pushed the school to reconsider its original decision. More than 200 students attended the final event after several setbacks.
Looking back, I recognize that the success of the prom did not come from simply creating something bigger or more expensive. It came from my peers what they wanted, listening to their answers, and creating an experience that felt meaningful to us.
The Connection to Occupational Therapy
Meaning is also at the center of occupational therapy.
Whether I'm working with a child learning through play or an adult recovering from an injury, I begin by trying to understand what matters to that individual.
A treatment plan may look good on paper, but it is unlikely to work when it does not connect to the person’s actual goals, routines, needs, or motivation.
Meaningful care is not about giving every client the same set of exercises or following a copy-and-paste approach. It is about identifying the underlying barrier and finding the right solution for that particular person.
How My “Why” Has Evolved
I initially entered occupational therapy because of my own experiences as a student.
I understood what it felt like to struggle and to wonder whether there was someone who could offer the right kind of support. In many ways, I wanted to become the provider I may have needed when I was younger.
Over time, that purpose has evolved. Today, my “why” is being a solution for people who are having a difficult time.
That may mean helping a child participate more comfortably in mealtimes, supporting a parent who feels overwhelmed, or helping an adult return to meaningful activities after an accident, surgery, or injury.
The setting may change, but the pattern remains the same:
Listen carefully.
Identify what matters.
Understand the real barrier.
Find a solution that helps the person move forward.
Watch the Full Conversation
In the full interview, I share:
The story behind the student-led prom in Japan
What the experience taught me about advocacy and leadership
Why meaningful activities are central to occupational therapy
The transition from pediatric care to adult rehabilitation
How my purpose as an occupational therapist has changed over time
Two patient stories that reminded me how powerful the right intervention can be
Coming Next
During the conversation, I also shared how simple eye-movement exercises helped two adult patients experiencing long-term neck pain. We will be sharing those exercises in a separate resource, along with written guidance and visuals, in an upcoming post.
If you want to learn more about how I can support you and your child, you can schedule a call here and connect with me on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook.
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