Roger Pavon has been part of the California Southland family for over 20 years and was one of our original pioneers who traveled via the “Southland bus” and “Southland jet” to help our affiliate operations in San Diego and Northern California. Roger was instrumental in helping implement in-house therapy with the then-named Northern Pioneers operations.
“Roger and his wife, Grace, have three beautiful kids who grew up with us at Southland. He is a humble, loving, passionate therapist who knows how to bring out the best in every patient. My mom could not smile anymore by the time her Parkinson’s had advanced, but the moment we brought her in for outpatient services at Southland in 2017 and she saw Roger, she smiled for the first time in months with tears of joy in her eyes,” said Mary Spaeder of her appreciation of Roger.
Roger became interested in physical therapy after his grandmother had a stroke. He witnessed and took part in her rehabilitation and was inspired to help other people make positive changes in their lives. His favorite part of being a therapist today is helping people regain their mobility and improve the quality of their lives physically, mentally and emotionally. Even after over 20 years of being a therapist, Roger finds his work extremely rewarding.
When asked who on his team he admires the most, Roger said, “I admire each and every team member I work with because each person contributes something special that makes our team what it is.” Roger doesn’t have a specific professional mentor at this stage in his therapy career, but he is a life-long learner and likes to listen to podcasts and read books by motivational leaders like Louise Hay, Dandapani and Wayne Dyer.
Roger’s favorite Disney character is Peter Pan, “because he is carefree and adventurous, and doesn’t grow up. We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing,” Roger says. Roger does plenty of playing himself — his favorite outdoor activities are snowboarding, stand-up paddle-board, and spending time at the beach and in nature. His favorite core value is Love One Another. As he explains, “Love is God and God is love!”
Roger believes that the biggest thing that leaders and resources in our organization can do to support our therapists is to appreciate them. “It is said that a person who feels appreciated will always do more than expected,” he explains. Roger Pavon, you are appreciated!