Dr. BJ Miller has practiced and taught in all major settings: home, hospital, clinic, and residential care facility – but his own firsthand experiences form the foundation of his hard-won empathy for patients.
An electrical accident during his college years resulted in the amputation of three limbs and nearly killed him. During his recovery, he credits himself with doing one thing right: He saw a good way to look at his situation and committed to faking that perspective, hoping that his genuine self might eventually catch up.
BJ refused, for example, to let himself believe that his life was extra difficult now, only uniquely difficult, as all lives are. As a new survivor and triple amputee, he was getting all kinds of signals that he was different and separated from everyone else, but over time he worked hard to let his accident heighten his connectedness to others instead of isolating him. Now, BJ uses his personal journey to help others own their limitations and find meaning in every day through creativity, a sense of belonging, and connection.
Join and hear Dr. Miller share his journey as a survivor and its impact on his outlook on life.
This is a partial recording from Phoenix World Burn Congress 2021.
