NovaCare Rehabilitation Colleagues Congratulate Chicago-Area Employee Michael Lynch for Break-Out Appearance on NBC's The Voice

ELMHURST, Ill., Oct. 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Matthew Gorski knew there was something special about Michael Lynch back in high school. According to Matthew, a former classmate and current co-worker at NovaCare Rehabilitation, "Michael used to sing in front of the volleyball team on the bus, to and from our games. All of the kids loved it! And somehow we knew…Michael would go far someday."  

Eight years after graduating from St. Francis High School in Wheaton in 2005, Matthew and Michael would find themselves together again – this time as

WorkStrategies

Specialists at an Elmhurst, Illinois outpatient clinic owned and operated by NovaCare Rehabilitation. In Michael's spare time, and occasionally at work, he has kept right on singing, building a following in the local music scene and eventually on YouTube. And on the Monday, October 7 broadcast of NBC's The Voice, America finally saw what Matthew and his classmates first noticed back on the bus: Michael's gift for truly moving people. Singing Enrique Iglesias's "Bailamos," ("Let's Dance") in both English and Spanish, Michael won a coveted spot on recording star and voice coach Christina Aguilera's highly competitive team of singers. The contestants will next compete in a series of singing "battle rounds" before a national television audience.

Matthew's mother, Mickey Gorski, PTA, also works at the same clinic as Michael and Matthew. "Matthew helped convince Michael he should consider singing to others, beyond the bus. Michael did that, and we're happy to see that a good portion of the country now knows why." 

Michael Lynch has been on leave from the Elmhurst clinic since June 2013, when the show began taping in Los Angeles. His supervisor, Michael Inoshita, PT, says he was happy to give him leave as it was clear to anyone who has heard Michael sing that he has a rare gift. Michael Inoshita says the budding star is also admired for his command of Spanish.

"Our clients really like him, and I do too," says Michael Inoshita, a fellow Spanish speaker. "Getting people healthy again and trying to keep them that way is a serious business, but Michael's sense of humor and jokes in Spanish always lighten things up. We congratulate him for being selected for the show and wish him good luck. We're hoping to see him keep going past the battle rounds to make Chicago and all of us here at NovaCare proud."

Michael's co-workers say they expect support to only grow for Michael. Yesterday NovaCare's parent company, Select Medical, congratulated Michael in an email to its more than 30,000 employees in 44 states.

As a WorkStrategies Specialist, Michael is part of a national program to reduce workers compensation costs for Select Medical clients.

About NovaCare Rehabilitation

NovaCare Rehabilitation is an industry leader in physical therapy, hand therapy and sports medicine services. NovaCare Rehabilitation is part of Select Medical's outpatient division. The company's outpatient brands also include Select Physical Therapy, First Choice Rehabilitation Specialists, Kentucky Orthopedic Rehab Team (KORT), Kessler Rehabilitation Centers and Saco Bay Physical Therapy. Together, these brands comprise a national network of approximately 975 centers in 32 states and the District of Columbia. The centers offer a wide range of general physical therapy services such as hand/occupational therapy, sports rehabilitation, and work injury prevention and management. Select Medical empowers its therapists by providing an industry-leading library of clinical education opportunities. Select Medical's outpatient division provides physical therapy and/or athletic training services to approximately 300 high schools, colleges, and professional teams nationwide, and serves as the exclusive physical rehabilitation provider to several major U.S. corporations. For more information, visit www.novacare.com

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SOURCE NovaCare Rehabilitation