Shannon Gordon, C. Ped Tech (C), C. Ped (C)
Shannon Gordon never thought she would become a Pedorthist. In fact, she insists that she did not find the profession; rather the profession found her.
While working as a kinesiologist in a physio clinic in Calgary, she had a chance encounter with Sandy Connery, who was doing assessments for orthotics.
When Shannon asked Sandy how she could look at feet all day, Sandy replied, “I don’t look at them as feet, I look at them as three-dimensional objects—something is wrong, and I have to fix it!”
“That was it, I was sold,” says Shannon. After meeting Sandy, she decided to pursue her pedorthic certification.
Now, even after an 18-year career, Shannon still loves her job. The most rewarding part of her job is the people she gets to help.
She explains, “People tell me, ‘No one ever spent that much time with me, listening to me!’ or ‘No one noticed that before, you have changed my life.’ That’s why I love my job.”
Shannon especially loves helping young kids stay active and mobile. This is evident when she shares stories about young patients who come to see her. She tells of a 10 year old boy whose foot pain was causing him to struggle during phys ed class at school. After Shannon fit him with orthotics, his family was overjoyed at the changes they saw in him. His whole outlook changed and he was even able to join the volleyball and football teams.
Success stories like this one motivate Shannon to continue working in pedorthics.
Outside the clinic, Shannon enjoys an active life with her husband and their two children. Together they race road bikes and cyclocross bikes and go for walks by the river.
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