Celebrating Our People – Meet Kathy

Serving patients, mentees, her country and God sums up Kathy Perkins.

Kathy, who has been a physical therapist at Saint Joseph Mount Sterling since 2008, said her calling to serve others has always been part of her life.

But her journey to become a physical therapist began in her undergraduate years as a chemistry major who had just signed up for the Navy.

“I took biochemistry and loved it; it was the first health science course I had taken and really enjoyed it,” Kathy says. “At that time, I was already committed to being part of the Navy in a year, so I couldn’t change my major. Then, when I was in the Navy, I saved money to go back to school. I learned about physical therapy, and once I went to observe what they did, I thought I could see myself doing that.”

Kathy and her family relocated to Kentucky after living in Florida while she was in the Navy on active duty and in the reserves for 22 years. She and her husband, a pastor, have spent their time working within the church and reaching out to others by mentoring adults and teenagers to let them know God loves them.

“I love working with teenage girls,” Kathy says. “I’ve always felt like I wanted them to have self-worth and value by knowing how much God loves them. That’s been on my heart for years. God is very important to me; sharing God’s love [is important]. I want [mentees] to know God desires to have a personal relationship with them, and God has a plan of hope for their life.”

Education and mentorship also played vital roles in Kathy’s work. She entered the Navy to teach in the Naval Nuclear Power School for five years while on active duty. Now she educates her patients as they heal.

“I like helping people get better, healthier and back to a better quality of life,” Kathy says. “There’s a lot of patient education involved [in being a physical therapist]. I really just enjoy teaching, helping the patients and sharing God’s love.”