‘I have always been afraid of taking a leap into something that I don’t know. My wife taught me that without change and growth, you’ll spin your wheels in life.’

Ian MacManus, Huntington

“I remember the moment I first laid eyes on her. I was in my final clinical rotation for occupational therapy school at Cerebral Palsy of Nassau County. She was walking across the parking lot as I was pulling in, and I immediately thought she was stunningly beautiful. Her blonde hair and big smile caught my eye. To my luck, I went to pick up my first student of the day to treat, and she was in the classroom as an aide for the summer.

“I found out she was an OT student in Boston while I was finishing up at Stony Brook, and, on my last day of work there, I finally mustered up enough courage to ask her out. It has been a magical ride ever since.

“She was going back to Boston, so I only had a week to date her before she was three hours away. We talked on the phone for hours every night and found that we shared so many of the same ideals. This April, we will be married for 15 years.

“Three years ago, we started our own business, MacManus Occupational Therapy. Aside from our family, that was when we really had the pleasure of growing something together. I have always been afraid of taking a leap into something that I don’t know. The business side is new to me. My wife taught me that without change and growth, you’ll spin your wheels in life. Now, we’re providing occupational therapy for neurologically impaired patients, as well as people that have upper extremity injuries.

A lot of people ask, ‘How can you work with your wife?’ I had no idea how exciting growing a business and living out our dreams would be.

“When it comes to working with people who are neurologically impaired, it is so dynamic and diverse in its practice; you’re always learning, and there are opportunities for growth with patients. It’s helping recover life skills and building on lost opportunities. It hits home deeply.

“A lot of people ask, ‘How can you work with your wife?’ Doing it together has been more fun than anything else. I had no idea how exciting growing a business and living out our dreams would be. Working with her has been an adventure and an amazing feat. I look over and see my best friend treating a patient two tables down and I’m excited.

“We continue to grow as a couple, as a business, and as a family. We now have four little ones at home. I knew from the day I met her she was the girl I was going to marry.”