It started out as a mission to help people: Morgan Simmons embarked on a journey to become a speech language pathologist through a program at Kansas State University. It quickly became her passion as she saw exactly how she could make a difference.
“One of my most memorable patients was a head and neck cancer patient who wanted to eat a hamburger (and drink a beer),” she said. “It was great to watch him succeed and meet that goal! It was so rewarding to see him implement the tools I had given him and work so hard to make that goal a reality for himself.”
Morgans says speech therapy is a special job because it allows you to build solid relationships and bonds with people who are learning how to do things that are important to their daily lives.
“I love being able to make what we do in the treatment room functional of them in their lives,” she said. “Helping patients maximize their greatness in their greatest time of need is one of the most rewarding things about being a therapist,” she said. “Nothing is better than having a patient say, ‘I love you,’ the first time after a stroke, or hearing a report from a mother that their child said something they had been waiting to hear for such a long time, such as ‘mom,’ or ‘dad.'”
Morgan is certified in VitalStim, neuromuscular electrical stimulation of head and neck used in swallowing treatment, LSVT LOUD, which is used to treat Parkinson’s Disease, and Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing (DTTC) to treat childhood apraxia of speech.
When she’s not working, Morgan can be found baking, cooking and cleaning at her home in Hesston. She is married with three boys.
Education
Kansas State University
