ECU Graduate, Deallaney Hudson, Continues To Defeat More Odds Through ECU Health Internship
(WITN, Merit Morgan) — The inspiring story of East Carolina University graduate Deallaney Hudson is one WITN has been following for months.
Hudson has faced uncertainty since her birth and the diagnosis of Neonatal Progeroid Syndrome, a rare disorder characterized by accelerated aging.
Following her graduation from ECU on May 9th, she started an internship at ECU Health Medical Center in pediatric inpatient rehabilitation.
“I just love being able to provide fun activities while also helping them,” Hudson told WITN.
She says her love for the medical field stems from a long medical background. “I have a huge medical background, and things are going on with me. I’ve been in and out of the hospital my whole life, so basically, I received recreational therapy services when I was a patient, and that sparked my interest.”
The past few months of her life have been busy yet exciting.
“I graduated from ECU on May 9th, and I started here on May 12th, so I didn’t have a lot of turnaround time, but I will say, I was very exhausted the first few weeks, but it’s been really good. I’ve learned so much, and I’m so thankful that I was able to get this internship,” Hudson said.
Kristen Jones, an ECU Health Recreational Therapist, says Hudson’s story is inspiring to see.
“She’s been a wonderful student. We’ve been very surprised by the caliber of the student that she is, just coming in and starting, so we’ve been very happy to see that. Deallaney has a passion that other students don’t have, just coming from her background in being in rehab, and I think that helps her to connect with our patients a lot more,” Jones told WITN.
Though it hasn’t been easy along the way, Hudson says she’s encouraged by all she’s overcome. “A lot of kids go through the ‘I want to do this or that’ so for me, it was PT, OT, then I wanted to be a surgical tech but I quickly realized my physical strength limited me in doing those things so I looked into recreational therapy and that’s what I started. I was a patient here about 9 months ago, so it’s different being on the patient side vs. the therapist side. I think I’d much rather be on the therapist side of things.”
As she moves forward into her future, she encourages others to believe in themselves, too.
“Never let anything hold you back. Go after whatever you hope and dream for, and just do big things and set your mind to whatever you want to do,” Hudson said.
Jones says her hope for Hudson is to continue growing and learning different skills in the recreational therapy field.
Hudson’s internship ends August 15th.
She says her next steps include getting certified as an RT and then searching for a job.