By 20 years of age, Jessica Dobransky had endured a lifetime of pain and loneliness. Her life had no direction until the day she met Lillian. A slight eighty-year-old woman asked Jessica, “Have you seen my mother?” Jessica, stunned at the desperation she heard, replied, “I’m sorry, no.” Lillian started sobbing and Jessica reflexively moved to comfort her.
Jessica had thought her story was over before it began. However, after sharing that moment with Lillian, she realized the difficult path she had walked prepared her to help others. She wasn’t missing her purpose – she just hadn’t found it. Sometimes adversity has a silver lining. Jessica found hers the day she met Lillian.
Pain to epiphany
Jessica was born with a rare head trauma called an arteriovenous malformation, which is “a big blob of veins in my head constricting blood flow.” Throughout her childhood, all the doctors’ visits, testing, and pain made keeping friendships difficult. “I was living a very different life than my friends. They didn’t understand what I was going through. I remember sitting with my mom, crying, because I didn’t understand what my purpose was or why I was here.”
It was Lillian’s raw vulnerability that showed Jessica that connecting with those in need was her purpose. Jessica saw herself in Lillian… someone who was in pain and was alone. She identified with that. “Lillian was hurting about something she couldn’t control. I felt a spark inside me. She needed my help and I wanted to help her.”
Love of learning
“I didn’t realize this was a career. I thought it was volunteer work until I found Stenberg’s TRA program.” Without hesitation, Jessica enrolled. “I was nervous at first because I didn’t love high school. Studying at Stenberg was different. I loved what I was learning, I studied online, and my teachers were incredibly supportive.”
To Lillian
Today, Jessica is employed as a Therapeutic Recreation Assistant. “It’s rewarding to support dementia residents and join them in their reality. Sometimes it’s a simple game, or staging ‘a great escape’, or even an ice cream break. Bringing older adults joy gives me purpose, and that is a really good feeling.”
A moment of connection can be life changing. For Jessica, connecting with Lillian helped her find herself. Jessica smiles, “My greatest accomplishment is getting here in my life. This past year has been the best one yet.”
Inspired? Learn more about our Therapeutic Recreation Assistant Diploma program.