In 2019 Dustin Dougan was diagnosed with cancer and began his fight against the disease. With his wife Shelley and his family by his side, he endured multiple surgeries and treatments including years of therapy, where his brave and courageous spirit was seen best. Dustin was the ideal therapy patient - he always had a positive attitude and a work ethic that could not be matched. His fun personality and smile could not be masked by the physical impairments brought on by his fight against cancer. Dustin loved when he had the chance to work with physical therapy students during his treatment sessions. He wanted to help these students fulfill their dream of being a physical therapist and was always willing to work with the PT students so they could learn from his case. Likewise, the PT students loved to work with Dustin! They spent countless hours researching and planning treatment sessions with physical therapy faculty to give Dustin the best care possible. He taught them more in the therapy gym than they could ever learn in a classroom. Ultimately, Dustin lost his battle with cancer on July 5, 2024, but his life and courageous fight will not be forgotten. Dustin worked with numerous therapists and students over the course of his rehabilitation time and all will say they learned more from Dustin than he ever learned from them. Dustin's faith in the Lord never waivered and he shared that faith and positive outlook with everyone he knew. The Dustin Dougan Memorial Physical Therapy Scholarship is being created to honor a truly remarkable patient who touched the lives of many therapists and students in the field. This scholarship will help graduate students in the UAMS Doctor of Physical Therapy program reach their goal of becoming a physical therapist. These students will be able to help patients like Dustin in the future, just as he helped all of those who had the honor and priviledge to work with him in the therapy gym.
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