Robyn Tacon Physiotherapists Inc

The beginning

For as long as I can remember I have always wanted to be a physiotherapist. Since I was about ten I wanted to be a ‘massager’ like my dad’s cousin Jill. Fascinated by science and biology at school, and visiting a physio a few times myself confirmed this interest and drive in me. My mum is a nurse and from her I learnt and now share a passion and need to help others to manage their pain and assist their healing. After aptitude tests and hours of advice from different knowing ‘aunties’ I definitely knew I wanted to be in the medical field but somewhat uncertain of which profession, I spent many hours during school holidays shadowing different professions and practices in the Johannesburg area, from sports physio, chest treatment, babies and geriatrics to complete rehab centres; and on being accepted to study at UCT I already knew and had decided that I wanted to work with children in the physiotherapy field. During four years in Cape Town I managed to arrange my clinical rotations to maximise my exposure and experience in Paediatrics. I was lucky enough to spend a few months at Red Cross Children’s Hospital in my fourth year and so my future plan was set in my heart. In 2008 I moved to Manguzi in Northern KwaZulu Natal on the border of Mozambique to complete my community service year. The chance to work in a rural and under-resourced area was an opportunity I could not pass up and to this day am so blessed by the experiences had there, both personally and professionally. I stayed on after the compulsory period for another eight months, bitter-sweetly resigning to complete my Paediatric Bobath NDT course and following this returned to Johannesburg. I simultaneously started working in neurological rehab at Flora Clinic and joined my partner and Occupational Therapist Nadia Cusack at Hope Studio, opening my practice alongside hers. The contrast and sometimes direct relationship between working with children in one practice and mostly adults at the other made me acutely aware that the complications seen in adulthood could often have been lessened or prevented in childhood, given the appropriate intervention and care, and this continues to drive my practice and treatment approaches, striving to assist the children in my practice that they may live the best adult life possible.