A week after his 21st birthday, Broad Reach’s Director of Outpatient Rehabilitation Mick Kennally’s life changed.

Serving in the Marines, he was shot in the left leg, resulting in an amputation above the knee.

Looking back after more than 25 years, he can say that an injury as severe as that didn’t stop his life, though by necessity it altered the course.

For one thing, Mick became the first person with an above-knee amputation ever to play NCAA sports. Talented at roaming the lacrosse field, he shifted to become a goalie, a remarkable achievement.

And he pursued a career in physical therapy, working up to an advanced masters degree at American University in Springfield, then a doctorate at Simmons University.

He worked as a traveling therapist, much like traveling nurses or doctors. Work took him as far as Seattle, back to his home state North Carolina, New York. Then both he and his wife, who hails from Massachusetts, found work closer to her family. “I got the message that we were going to live in this state,” he smiles. “I guess I didn’t read the fine print.”

“We looked all over the Cape for something permanent,” he remembers. “And when I came to Liberty Commons and interviewed, I felt it was by far the best.”

That was back in 2006! In the years since, Mick’s physical therapy focus continues to be helping patients achieve functional gains and return to normal life. Outpatient therapy can entail something as straightforward as treating sprains and strains, or more challenging orthopedic and neurologic conditions like amputations, Parkinson’s, and ALS. Mick’s work has specialized to include certifications in Lymphedema and oncology.

When COVID struck, the outpatient department had to move to a separate location to minimize contacts and stay open. Soon after, Kennally was named program director.

“I’m now responsible for evaluations and plans of care for all outpatient patients,” he says. “I want to be sure that everyone is being seen by the right people performing the right techniques.” After surgery, for example, Kennally and his team will following a surgeon’s protocol and the referring physician’s detailed approach to recovery. However, for most patients he and his team develop the specific plan of care to suit the patient’s needs.

Outpatient rehabilitation by definition embraces a mix of issues and situations. That variety and complexity appeals to Kennally, who well understands what it means to face a challenge and come through it.

“If you get bored doing this work,” he laughs, “you’re just not doing it right.”