Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dr. Crystal Champion. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Dr. Crystal, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?
I often get asked by people I meet and my patients, “How did you become interested in physical therapy?” I will share with you the same story I tell them. When I was a little girl, I always knew I wanted to be in the medical field. I used to tell my immediate family I wanted to be a dermatologist. I heard the fancy word somewhere, not truly knowing what a dermatologist was. But what I did know, was that it was a career in the medical field. My family would prompt me and say, “just be a doctor if you want to be in the medical field.”
When I was in seventh grade in 1995, my maternal grandmother, who was in her seventies at the time, had to undergo bilateral total knee replacement surgery. She worked hard as a housekeeper in the local county hospital. All those years of being on her feet, walking, standing, and cleaning on those hard floors had taken a toll on her knee joints. She developed terrible degenerative arthritis in both of her knees. I remember countless number of times watching her struggle to try to stand up from a chair or recliner and it would often take her at least a good ten minutes to be able to come to a full standing position. As she sought medical treatment for her arthritis, one of her favorite doctors told her, “ma’am, both of your tires are flat!” in reference to the fact that both of her knees were severely damaged. I would laugh whenever my grandmother told this story and so would she! Her primary care doctor referred her to an orthopedic surgeon, and subsequently my grandmother endured her bilateral total knee replacement surgery. My grandmother was an extremely strong woman. She told the surgeon, “If I am going to do this, you better do both knees at the same time because I am only going do this once!” That was her story and she stuck to it. After her surgery, I observed the physical therapists trying to get her out of bed to walk for the first time using a walker. I have treated patients who had knee replacement surgery for one knee and it was very painful and difficult. I often think, “how in the world did my grandmother endure all of that pain at her age?” She got her tires fixed and once she was discharged from the hospital, I would go to her house to watch the physical therapist work with her. My grandmother would say “baby you need to watch what this therapist is doing because this is what you want to be doing.”
As I went through high school, knowing I wanted to be in the medical field, I took a series of health occupation classes that focused on medical careers. My teacher for the class was a nurse by trade. In those classes, my peers and I would rotate through different departments in the hospital to gain more exposure to various medical careers, such as pharmacy, respiratory, radiology, nursing, and others. I was even trained on how to be a certified nursing assistant. One day, I finally got to rotate through the physical therapy department. On that day, I witnessed a male PT teaching an older male how to walk in parallel bars on his new prosthetic leg. I thought, “Wow, how amazing is it to be able to help someone walk and get their life back!” This was a defining moment for me that really helped me to focus on the path to be a physical therapist.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am Dr. Crystal A. Champion, PT, DPT, CLT-ALM, Cert. DN and I am a Physical Therapist and a Certified Lymphedema Therapist. I have over 15 years of experience in the healthcare industry. Upon graduating from Greene-Taliaferro Comprehensive High School in Greensboro, Georgia in 2000 as Valedictorian, I attended Georgia College & State University in Milledgeville, Georgia where I graduated Cum Laude and obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Health Education with a Concentration in Exercise Science in 2004. I was also initiated into Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc in which I remain an active member in the Upsilon Alpha Omega Chapter in Gwinnett County, Georgia. I attended the Medical College of Georgia where I obtained a Master of Physical Therapy degree in 2006 and a Doctor of Physical Therapy Degree in 2008.
I have served on various committees to include the Cancer Committee, Oncology Continuous Quality Improvement Team, Unit Practice Council, and the Palliative Care Team. In my
career, I have received various accolades to include the Innovators Award for Quality/Patient Safety, a Clinical Excellence Award, and was nominated for the American Health Council Best In Patient Care Award. In October 2019, I received the “40 Under 40” Achievement Award from both The Network Journal of New York City and Georgia Trend Magazine for my work with cancer and lymphedema patients though my practice and non-profit organization. I am also an
American Physical Therapy Association Credentialed Clinical Instructor in which I facilitate clinical experiences for students in Doctor of Physical Therapy programs. I currently serve as an Elevate Ambassador for the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS) and I have served on the GC3 Advocacy Council for the Georgia Center for Oncology Research and Education, Inc. (Georgia CORE). I am also a member of the College of Health Sciences Board at Georgia College & State University.
I have a special interest in oncology rehabilitation and was instrumental in
developing the oncology rehabilitation program as well as the outpatient lymphedema treatment program for a major hospital system in Atlanta, Georgia. I obtained my certification as a Lymphedema Therapist from the Academy of Lymphatic Studies in 2015 and later obtained an additional certificate in Advanced Lymphedema Management in 2018. I am also certified in Dry Needling through the Spinal Manipulation Institute. I have lectured to breast surgery
fellows at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory and I currently participate in various community events and support groups to spread awareness about cancer survivorship.
I have had family and friends that have been affected by cancer and have endured horrible side-effects, leading to decline in physical functioning and a poor quality of life. My passion for providing quality care for patients who require cancer rehabilitation and lymphedema therapy led me to start my own practice, Eminence Physical Therapy, LLC. Also, in my experience as a healthcare practitioner, I saw the need to serve cancer patients on a larger scale and encourage patients take a more holistic approach to restoring their psychological well-being, physical functioning, and quality of life as often the physical, psychological, spiritual, and emotional impairments and side-effects resulting from cancer treatment are often not addressed or are improperly addressed.This led me to establish Champions Can! Foundation for Cancer Wellness, Inc., a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization that promotes and advocates for cancer survivorship. I am also a published co-author of the book “The Elements of Cancer Survivorship: A Guide to Navigating the Journey” which aims to guide individuals and their families through their cancer journey. I have gained more awareness surrounding the gaps in education regarding lymphedema treatment, cancer rehabilitation, as well as the limited focus on cancer survivorship once cancer treatment has been completed. My company and nonprofit organization strives to be the leader in providing high quality care for lymphedema treatment and cancer rehabilitation as well as cancer support services in my community.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
During the course of my career, I served on the cancer committee for a hospital. I was presented with the opportunity to specialize in cancer rehabilitation and lymphedema treatment. I had no interest whatsoever in cancer rehab or lymphedema, however the facility I worked for at the time was expanding its cancer care services and there was a need for a lymphedema treatment program. These treatments are usually carried out by a physical therapist or an occupational therapist. I initially shunned the idea because I did not want to specialize and I preferred to be a general practitioner. About a year later, I was presented with the opportunity again to become certified in lymphedema treatment and start a lymphedema treatment program. My intuition was telling me that this was something I needed to do, so I obliged. I obtained the certification in 2016.
The majority of my patients were cancer patients. I had so many of them tell me during their treatment sessions that once their cancer treatments were done, they didn’t know what to do next to restore their quality of life. Some didn’t even know that physical therapy was such a vital part of their journey to cancer survivorship. Even though I was helping those patients in an enormous way by providing physical therapy services, I still felt like there was more I should have been doing to help them. It was laid upon my heart to start a nonprofit organization to take a holistic approach in their cancer recovery. Little did I know that three of my breast cancer patients I treated were just as passionate about my mission as I was and volunteered without hesitation to serve with me on my executive board. These women were strong and courageous. I was definitely inspired by them and they fueled me to want to make a bigger impact in the community. One of my board members was was actively fighting metastatic breast cancer the entire time and another one found out that she was diagnosed with breast cancer and revealed it to me at our nonprofit launch event in October 2018. In spite of it all, they still worked hard to serve the community.
On December 31, 2019, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Little did I know that my certification in lymphedema and cancer rehabilitation in 2016 in addition to serving the community through my cancer nonprofit was preparing me all along to enter a fight of my own. I had to follow my own advice that I so freely gave to others to help me through my personal journey.
I was fortunate enough to catch my breast cancer at a very early stage and only required surgery to remove the cancer in addition to hormone therapy as a part of my treatment plan. As simple as that sounds in comparison to others who required more extensive treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation, my journey did not come without physical, financial, spiritual, and emotional struggles. I had to put my private physical therapy practice and nonprofit on hold while medical bills were piling up. I also suffered from depression and physically could not lift or use my left arm to be able to work. Here I was, a physical therapist that needed physical therapy. I performed my own rehab and quickly regained use of my arm to return to work.
After my journey, I began to see more and more breast cancer patients in my office. It was no coincidence. It was all part of a Divine plan for my life. Now I could truly understand and relate to my cancer patients and their struggles. I quickly learned how it felt to be in physical pain and to have life come to a screeching halt in the blink of an eye. I knew how it felt to have mental exhaustion as well as to be self-conscious of the changes your body goes through when battling cancer. I now had the ammunition to be a better physical therapist for my patients not only from having to advocate for myself in my own cancer journey, but I also had the medical knowledge and expertise to provide further guidance to them. To this day, even with the ugly truth of cancer in my face with almost every patient I treat, I remain a cheerleader and advocate for those who are still in the fight for their lives. This is a part of my life purpose and there is nothing I would change about it.
I share more about my career path and personal battle with breast cancer in my memoir “My Life Is Not My Own” , which was released on November 22, 2022.
If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?
I would not have chosen a different profession. There is no better feeling in the world than to know that at the end of my work day, I have impacted so many people’s day-to-day well being and functioning. Physical therapists spend a lot of time with their patients and get to know them inside and out. We often catch symptoms and warning signs that their doctors don’t pick up on, things that are often life saving. Even though being a physical therapist can be both mentally and physically demanding, my career has been very rewarding and there is never a dull moment. Working in healthcare is not easy and is definitely not for the faint of heart. You have to have a passion and a drive to serve mankind. The sweet tokens of appreciation and gratitude shown to me by my patients to thank me for helping them to heal physically and emotionally is priceless!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://drcrystalchampion.wixsite.com/mylifeisnotmyown
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/drcrystalchampion
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-crystal-a-champion-pt-dpt-clt-alm-cert-dn-007b28107/
- Other: www.championscanfoundation.org
Image Credits
Theresa D. Photography, Ayesha Lakes Photography