Nebraska Methodist College OT director featured in book on resilience

Omaha, Nebraska - Nebraska Methodist College (NMC) Occupational Therapy (OT) Director Melissa Kimmerling is sharing her story of resilience in a recently published book.

The book, “Never Give Up: Stories of Perseverance” by Lynda Sunshine West and Sally Green, shares stories from 23 people who faced adversity and turned their setbacks into triumphs.

Kimmerling’s story is featured in chapter 16 titled, “Finding Your Purpose By Accident.”

“It is just one small story in a book of many who have overcome much more than I, however it is my honest story written from the heart in one fell swoop. I didn’t over-edit it, I just let it come out,” Kimmerling said.

When she was 16 years old, Kimmerling was in a car accident and broke 18 bones, five in her spine, nine ribs, and her right hip, radius, ulna and clavicle. She underwent two surgeries and was hospitalized for two weeks. She has a full spinal fusion that runs the entirety of her thoracic spine.

“My experience was not easy. I dealt with pain, grief and even stopped eating for a bit. The turning point in my recovery is when I began working with therapy services. I continued to work with outpatient occupational therapy after my hospital discharge,” Kimmerling said. “This entire experience occurred at the exact point in my life that I was considering opportunities for college.”

Kimmerling earned a Doctor of Education with an emphasis in health professions, a Master of Occupational Therapy and a Bachelor of Science in General Studies from the College of Saint Mary.

She is a board certified occupational therapist, and is certified in physical agent modalities, kinesiotaping, LSVT-BIG Parkinson’s protocol and home modifications. She has clinical experience in acute care, rehabilitation, skilled nursing, outpatient and home health. 

Kimmerling helped launch the Master of Occupational Therapy program at NMC. 

She is also the Nebraska state representative for the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT).

Kimmerling learned about the opportunity to be featured in the book in an online coaching group where she was working on improving her non-scholarly writing skills.

When she heard the publisher’s description of “Never Give Up,” which was published in August 2023, Kimmerling knew she wanted to be a part of the book. 

“I know that I had all of the cards stacked against me at one point in my life, and am so grateful to those who encouraged me to keep going. I want to share that commitment can help you change the course of your life,” Kimmerling said.

Kimmerling’s experience shaped the course of her career, and now helps her guide potential students toward occupational therapy.

“It seems that every prospective student asks during interviews why we decided to become occupational therapists. I am always happy to share my personal story, as I believe it conveys the power and responsibility of our profession,” Kimmerling said. 

She hopes her story of resilience helps people realize that with the right support, anything is possible.

“To me, resilience means overcoming obstacles that are in your path in order to achieve your goals. It may mean climbing up, over, around and through the same obstacle over and over, yet continuing to push forward,” Kimmerling said. “It also means being flexible and adaptable, open to changing course if needed. I never envisioned myself in academia. I was just trying to make it, and I did. Then, I kept going, and kept going, and kept going.”