Resilience as a Way of Life: Reji Mathew (PhD. ’05) 
The study of hope and resilience are the focus of Reji Mathew’s life, and her work reflects that aspiration for herself and others. An advocate for those with progressive muscular and neurological disabilities, Mathew explores issues intersecting the personal and the professional, having contracted polio as an infant, and now coping with post-polio syndrome.
Despite many childhood hospitalizations, as an adult Mathew managed to lead a largely independent life, working as a counselor at NYU’s Student Health Center. When, at the age of 38, unexpected medical changes of post-polio syndrome caused a setback in her mobility and daily functioning. It launched a renewed desire on her part to learn more, to advocate for her own health care, and to explore through writing both the details of coping, and how the modern-day medical community treats progressive diseases.
She launched a Web site, http://rejimathewwriter.com and became a columnist for Advance, a rehabilitation magazine for occupational therapy practitioners, Post-Polio Health and several other publications.
“All the narrative threads of my life have come together – mental health research, social work, and journalism,” Mathew told the Newsletter. “I seek out stories of people who are facing medical conditions that have no end point, and bring their coping stories to light, so that others can benefit from it.”
The convergence of research, writing, and advocacy began “when I realized I was contending with a lifelong dependency on the medical system,” she said. “I am seeking to open up more avenues for discussion through my writing. Much of health care debate is over the insured versus the uninsured; the central concern for persons with progressive medical conditions is what is ‘insured’. When I re-entered the medical rehabilitation system, I found the same problems were present as when I was a child.”
“My writing advocates for intermittent medical care for chronic conditions, which includes quality of life interventions. The current medical reimbursement system is structured for acute care, while ongoing care of chronic conditions is minimized.”
Mathew earned her MSW at NYU’s Rockland County campus and entered the doctoral program in the early 1990s. Her inclination towards entering a helping profession had its roots in her family background. “I come from a human services-oriented family. My family believed in social action,” she said. “The PhD program at NYU helped crystallize that for me. It taught me how to think in layers, to understand qualitative research, and how to ascertain the organic meaning of things.”
In addition to her counseling responsibilities for NYU, Mathew is an Adjunct Professor at the school’s Washington Square campus, where she teaches one-credit intensives in crisis intervention, interpersonal psychology, and dialectical behavioral theory.
Music, Color, and Hope
Mathew’s current writing will explore the role of the expressive arts in medical recovery, and in the coming year she plans to write a series on music therapy, the use of color therapy in relaxation, and mind/body movement techniques.
“I’ve learned that you need to adopt an attitude that this is going to be learning curve for the rest of your life. That includes dealing with ongoing grief and loss, while constantly seeking out safety and hope. I want to share what I am learning with people who are facing this type of diagnosis,” Mathew said.
Another article she is planning is an interview with Brooke Ellison, who was paralyzed from the neck down at the age of 11, yet overcame great obstacles and dedicated herself to education and advocacy. Ellison graduated Harvard with honors in 2000, and gave the commencement address for her graduating class.
“It’s an article about hope,” said Mathew, “and the importance of hope in the struggles of life.”