By SANDRA THAMES / Community Columnist

Growing up in Indianola, Miss. (about an hour from Memphis) as an only child, Megan Majori Switzer earned her high school diploma at Indianola Academy. While there, she was an honor student, a babysitter and an employee at a pharmacy — all the usual teenage things.

She went to the University of Mississippi and completed requirements for her bachelor’s degree in liberal arts in May of 2005. During that time she did an observation study in occupational therapy and really liked it.

In August of 2006, she moved to Birmingham and began her work toward a master’s degree in occupational therapy.

After two-and-a-half years of hard work she had her degree and took a job at Englewood Nursing Home in Monroeville. She was a traveling occupational therapist.

Soon after, she heard about an opening at Comfort Home Health in Shelby County. She came to interview for the job and was hired.

In May 2008, she married Jeremy Switzer of Greenwood, Miss. They had been introduced by mutual friends and had dated for several years.

Switzer is one of only a few occupational therapists in the state who has a specialty LSVT certification for Parkinson’s disease.

Her laid-back, bouncy personality and big smile are a great asset in working with people.

She travels, evaluates and helps her patients reach the goal of regaining their former abilities before illness or surgery.

Switzer works with people who have had knee or hip replacements, been involved in wrecks, home or work accidents or have been in the hospital and suffer decline in functional tasks.

Exercise, adaptive devices and consistent practice is personally designed for their needs.

The best part of her job is seeing patients reach goals and regain their abilities, no matter how long that might take.

Each case is handled on an individual evaluation. Switzer also enjoys the flexibility of her schedule, her patients and their families throughout her territory of Shelby and Chilton counties. The worst part of her job is keeping up with constant insurance changes.

The Switzers would love to take an Alaskan cruise or trip to Europe, but on Dec. 1, 2010, the arrival of first baby boy Gunner delayed that dream a bit.

Juggling work-related travel, paperwork, housework and cooking keeps this young mother busy so she is happy with an occasional dinner at P.F. Changs or at one of her favorite Mexican restaurants.

Despite caring for a 2-month-old and holding a demanding job, Switzer seems to be pulling it all together.

Community columnist Sandra Thames can be reached by e–mail at bobthames1942@yahoo.com.