By Greg Bicknell | Smoke-N-Focus Media
Every once in a while, you meet someone whose dedication reminds you what real care looks like. For me, that person is Martia Reid, an Occupational Therapist at James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital in Tampa. This post is more than a story — it’s a thank-you note to someone who has helped me see progress when the road felt long and blurry.
Each trip to Haley is a commitment — a five-hour round-trip ride for a 50-minute session that challenges both my eyes and my endurance. Yet every mile is worth it, because waiting at the end is a professional who brings skill, patience, and heart to her craft.
Guidance Beyond the Therapy Room
Martia Reid specializes in treating convergence insufficiency and binocular vision deficiency — conditions that can make even simple tasks difficult after neurological injury. What makes her exceptional isn’t just her technical expertise, but the calm confidence she offers her patients. She takes complex concepts and translates them into hope.
“Every visit is progress,” Reid often says. “It may not look dramatic from the outside, but inside the patient’s brain, new connections are being formed. That’s the breakthrough.”
Those words have stuck with me. On the tough days, they remind me that healing doesn’t always announce itself — sometimes it’s quiet, hidden in the slow rewiring of the brain and the gentle encouragement of a therapist who believes in you.
The Journey and the Gratitude
The early-morning Uber rides, the long commutes, and the fatigue that follows are all part of this process. But knowing that someone like Martia Reid is invested in my progress turns exhaustion into gratitude. She treats veterans with compassion that goes far beyond duty. She listens, adjusts, and celebrates every small victory as if it were her own.
“I know it’s worth it,” I remind myself after each visit. “Because someone like Martia is there — helping me reconnect the pieces.”
Recognizing Excellence at James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital
The Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center at Haley is one of only a few in the nation equipped to treat complex neurological and visual conditions. Professionals like Martia Reid make that distinction matter. They turn advanced equipment and research into personalized care, helping veterans reclaim independence and confidence.
A Simple Thank-You
This piece is simply to say: thank you, Martia. Thank you for your patience when progress feels slow, for your encouragement when the road feels long, and for your belief that every step forward — no matter how small — counts. Your dedication restores more than vision; it restores faith in what healing can be.
Learn more: The American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS) provides an overview of convergence insufficiency and its treatment approaches for those interested in the science behind the therapy that helps so many of us.
