Priscilla Richardson

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You had an accident or an operation (or both) and now you're in pain. Or you had a stroke and have trouble walking. These and many other problems bring a person to a physical therapist for help. Because even after a hospital stay, you still may need more work to get back to your old self.

Several physical therapists in Botetourt are ready to help you. You can choose from the programs offered through two local nursing homes, Brian Center and the Carrington Place, or the Botetourt Athletic Club. You also can go to Diane Cook in Buchanan or Hal Ward in Daleville.

Cook and Ward are part of larger rehabilitation organizations with other offices. But their long-standing presence in Botetourt has made them seem as if they're solo practitioners. This summer, Cook's employer, Heartland Rehabilitation Services, tried to close its Buchanan office, perhaps because it may have seemed impractical to keep the part-time office open.

But Buchanan wouldn't stand for the closing. Buchanan Mayor Tom Middlecamp and the city council wrote letters of protest almost as soon as it was announced. Patients, past and current, also chimed in with their indignation. Patients didn't want a long drive; they wanted their therapy near home; and they wanted Cook to do it. So Heartland had to reconsider. In fact, Cook serves far more than Buchanan. Patients come from all over the county, as well as Rockbridge County and northern parts of Roanoke and Roanoke County.

Ward and his physical therapist wife, Audrey, work out of Professional Therapies of Roanoke Inc.'s new office at the corner of Catawba Road and U.S. 220 North, in Daleville.

Ward and Cook attended the Medical College of Virginia for their physical therapy degrees at the same time and were friends before becoming friendly competitors.

For Cook, not becoming a physical therapist never was an option.

"My father was a doctor. I was always around the medical field and always liked it. I would want to go to the emergency room with him as much as he'd let me," Cook said. "Then I had a friend in high school who was severely injured in an accident. I saw how the therapist worked with her and saw what they did and got real interested."

Cook started volunteering in the local physical therapy clinic in her hometown, Hot Springs. "I got to be in there when patients were there and helped with treatment setup. And I just loved it," she said. After receiving her degree in biology and then in physical therapy, she started her 20-year-to-date career.

Cook has talent beyond the professional. She used to act in college plays, but she is especially noted around Buchanan as a singer. Cook's the much-requested soloist for the Buchanan community Christmas Eve service, as well as for her church's services. Cook, her husband, Jim, and their children retreat to their cabin in Bath County when they can or go to the coast to fish.

Ward's interests also take him outdoors with his two children. His talent for coaching sports shows with his work with the U.S. Specialty Sports Association. Last year, his baseball team of 11-year-old boys won the state championship in its age category. "They play by major league baseball rules." Ward said. They "play in the spring, but there's also a fall season." Any parent interested in having a boy take part can call his office at 992-4801.

Ward also coaches basketball and soccer teams, so his spare time after work often is limited. However, he's using what spare time he has to build a barn. "It's now about three-quarters to seven-eighths complete," he said. "We'll be looking for a few horses in the spring." As a boy, Ward raised and showed horses with his father and grandfather, and he wants to get back into that.

You may be unlucky in needing physical therapy, but how lucky we all are to have such therapists close to home?