Compassion and servitude have guided Robin Milroy throughout her life. As a child, she most admired two individuals — her grandfather, once a social worker in New York, and her mother, who cared for both her parents after they survived strokes years ago. Because of them, Milroy knew she’d find fulfilment with a career in healthcare.
As an occupational therapist at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth for the past 25 years, Milroy has a knack for empowering individuals during traumatic and challenging times.
Cathy Hall, OTR, Texas Health Fort Worth’s Occupational and Speech Therapy manager, said she appreciates Milroy’s natural ability to shine light and humor onto complex situations.
“Laughing and finding joy, even in a difficult moment, helps our entire team to reset the stage and come together to focus on a common goal.”
Outside of work, Milroy puts family first. She’s the caregiver to her mother, who is an amputee, and for her teenage daughter who survived a stroke before birth. Milroy accompanies both women to appointments with 15 physicians across North Texas.
Having turned her own trials into triumphs, Milroy shares what motivates her to help others focus on improving their quality of life.
What did you want to be as a child, and how did you ultimately choose your career?
I always knew I wanted a job that helped people in some way. After a friend of mine recovered from a severe brain injury, I realized that occupational therapy was my calling. I witnessed how his therapy sessions positively impacted his ability to heal and improve his well-being.
After earning a master’s in occupational therapy, I joined Texas Health Fort Worth. When I was pregnant with twin daughters 19 years ago, one baby had a stroke in utero. Since birth, she’s dealt with paralysis and vision issues.
She completed vision therapy at Texas Health Fort Worth. Witnessing the positive impact this specialized therapy had on her life ultimately led me to transition into vision occupational therapy. It has been extremely rewarding.
What is your workday like?
I help individuals address vision challenges, either from neurological conditions or traumatic brain injuries.
Some sessions include a driving simulator and a light-board activity, which is a combination of the old-school Lite-Brite and Whac-a-Mole games. We enjoy making therapy fun, and hopefully by creatively focusing on hand-to-eye coordination, we produce successful results for our patients.
What is your favorite part of your job, and the biggest challenge?
I love seeing the positive impact that this type of therapy has on enhancing patients’ lives and how quickly things change for the better.
Adjusting to vision loss after a stroke or head injury is difficult, and it feels good to help patients with extremely severe cases. I love the challenge.
What’s something people would be surprised to know about you?
Traveling to different countries is exciting, and I’m a hopeless romantic, so it made sense to visit Paris recently with my family.
When I have a spare moment at home, I help my husband with our nuts and snacks business. If I’m feeling creative, you’ll find me hanging out with my teenage daughters. I like to dabble with makeup artistry, and they’re my willing models.
But during hockey season, you’ll find me cheering my team to victory. Go, Dallas Stars!
How do you do your life’s best work at Texas Health?
I put in the hard work and celebrate victories with patients. Hearing parents rave about their child’s academic achievements or learning that a patient is back at work or driving after a stroke or concussion is beyond rewarding.
