When an illness paralyzed Renee Tyree, PharmD, at 19 years old, she was told she wouldn't become a doctor after she became a wheelchair user.
By wielding her "yes" mindset, she became a health system pharmacy leader at Birmingham, Ala.-based Encompass Health and mentors other pharmacists with disabilities, according to a July 11 post from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.
Dr. Tyree is the pharmacy director at Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of East Valley in Mesa, Ariz., and regional director of pharmacy for the system's west region, which includes 18 hospitals across seven states.
At 7 years old, she contracted Guillain-Barré syndrome and became paralyzed from the neck down before fully recovering, according to the post. In college, a second illness paralyzed her again; she recovered and uses a wheelchair.
In her work, Dr. Tyree advocates for accommodations — such as lower shelves and power doors — and she recommends others speak up for themselves.
"If it's something you want to pursue, don't get stopped by the roadblocks or perceptions of that — advocate for yourself," Dr. Tyree said. "There's going to be barriers, there's going to be roadblocks. Be persistent if it's what you want to do. Anything is possible [within] the practice. There are a lot of practice studies and varieties so that you can find something that's a fit."