Patient Success Stories
Barbara
Getting Back to Better
Barbara was at home when her son, who was visiting, heard a noise upstairs and went to check on her. He found that Barbara had suffered a stroke. She was scared, confused, and worried about what her recovery might look like. Emergency services were called, and Barbara was taken to Mercy Health St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, where she received immediate stroke care. The stroke affected her left side and took away her ability to walk, but thankfully, her cognition and communication remained intact.
After being stabilized, Barbara was transferred to Mercy Health Rehabilitation Hospital to begin intensive rehabilitation. Upon admission, she was unable to walk and had concerns about how much function she would regain. Barbara quickly connected with her therapy team, including Robin, PT, Megan, OT, and Rachel, ST, who used specialized techniques and advanced equipment to help her make steady progress. She practiced walking using the LiteGait® system, which helped her feel safe as she relearned mobility, and completed hundreds of repetitions with the InMotion® robotic arm device to support neuroplasticity and strength.
Barbara also participated in family training sessions with her son, Bob, and daughter, Beth, to ensure she could continue recovering safely at home. By the time she graduated from her rehabilitation program, Barbara was able to walk with a walker and navigate curbs and uneven surfaces. She shared, “Everyone I came in contact with was outstanding, and everyone treated me so nicely.”
Today, Barbara is doing well at home with support from Home Instead several days a week. She continues working toward her personal goal of walking a two-mile loop around her neighborhood. Barbara says she would recommend anyone needing stroke rehabilitation choose Mercy Health Rehabilitation Hospital because of the excellent care, treatment, and results she received.
Mark
Finding Strength Again
Mark has always lived an active lifestyle, regularly working out alongside his wife, Lisa. When Mark experienced a serious fall that injured his neck, their daily routine changed overnight, and many tasks that once came easily became challenging. Despite the uncertainty ahead, Mark and Lisa remained hopeful, supported by family, friends, and a shared determination to keep moving forward.
Mark began his recovery journey at Mercy Health St. Elizabeth’s Hospital before transferring to Mercy Health Rehabilitation Hospital. In fact, Mark became the very first patient admitted when the rehabilitation hospital opened. On his first day, Mark noticed how the advanced therapy equipment helped him better understand his abilities and identify areas where he could continue to improve.
During his stay, Mark worked closely with his therapy team on balance, hand strength, walking, and coordination. Therapy also focused on teaching him new ways to safely reach his goals, even when tasks needed to be done differently than before. Mark appreciated the encouragement and guidance he received, which helped him stay motivated and confident throughout his rehabilitation.
After completing his rehabilitation program, Mark continued to build strength and endurance at home. With Lisa by his side, he stays active through regular exercise and ongoing practice. Mark has returned to driving, completing daily tasks independently, and working full-time in his longstanding career. He also enjoys spending time with his family, sharing meals with friends, and cheering on his favorite football team.
Mark says he would recommend Mercy Health Rehabilitation Hospital to anyone needing rehabilitation care because of the supportive team, advanced resources, and encouragement that helped him return to the life he enjoys.
Cam
Driven to Recover
Cam’s life changed in an instant while riding his motorcycle off a highway when a tractor-trailer unexpectedly turned in front of him. In a split-second effort to avoid the truck, Cam veered into oncoming traffic and collided with a stopped car. The impact caused severe injuries, including the loss of his right lower leg, and both Cam and his passenger were rushed to St. Elizabeth Hospital for emergency care.
Cam spent the next week in the ICU, where he received multiple surgeries and critical care. He has nothing but praise for the compassion and support shown by the hospital staff during that difficult time. After another week of care, Cam was stabilized and ready to begin the next phase of his recovery.
Cam and his passenger chose Mercy Health Rehabilitation Hospital so they could focus on regaining independence with daily physician oversight and intensive therapy. When he arrived, Cam needed help with many everyday tasks. His care team created a personalized therapy plan with the goal of getting him safely back home within two weeks. Cam was impressed not only by the expertise of his therapists but also by the genuine kindness and flexibility they showed throughout his stay.
Cam worked closely with his therapy team and quickly made progress, more than doubling his abilities in a short period of time. He appreciated the encouragement he received from staff, leadership, and visitors from his workplace, all of whom helped keep his spirits high. Cam shared that the way he was treated — with respect, compassion, and constant support — made the biggest difference in his recovery.
Today, Cam has exceeded his rehabilitation goals. He uses his prosthetic limb, his other injuries have healed, and he has returned to full-time work at the job he loves. Cam says he would recommend Mercy Health Rehabilitation Hospital to anyone who needs this level of care because of the outstanding treatment, support, and results he experienced.
Robbie
Worked Hard To Get Better
Robbie is a former college football player. He played inside linebacker years ago and has always had a love for sports and health. He took that passion and converted it into a career, becoming a Health and Phys Ed teacher in his hometown. Robbie loved teaching his students and working with them to help them grow. He had to have surgery on an old football injury and it became a problem. The surgery left Robbie with osteomyelitis and a foot ulceration. Robbie was diagnosed with Parkinsons shortly after that surgery. The diagnosis cut his teaching career shorter than he would have liked, but he kept his spirits up and kept moving forward. Recently, he required a repeat surgery on his foot and was found to be appropriate to come to Mercy Health Rehabilitation Hospital for intensive therapy and physician management throughout his rehab. Robbie was very thankful for his time at Mercy Health and said “he would recommend anyone needing this level of care to come here (to Mercy Health) first. The people are all so nice, and the therapists, especially Levi and Keith, helped him to stay motivated and on task”. Therapy worked on Robbie’s upper-body strength, walking and getting him ready to go home. Our physicians focused on his medical needs and keeping him stable to do therapy.
Robbie, being a teacher, knew every student’s name that he taught. He knows the name of each person who helped him at Mercy Health as well, but we don’t have enough space to put every one of the outstanding team members he mentioned in this success story.
The day Robbie was admitted to Mercy Health Rehab, it was unclear if he would be able to go directly home or need to stay with his sister, Tammy, before returning to his own home. Robbie worked hard and was diligent about getting better and was able to discharge directly home after graduating from his rehabilitation program.
Tammy, Robbie’s sister, advocated for Robbie to come to Mercy Health Rehab Hospital. She was a big part of his rehab and she visited him almost daily. Tammy and Robbie are openly thankful for the experience and results they received and would highly recommend Mercy Health Rehab Hospital as their top choice in our area.
Darrel
Beating the Odds!
It was a beautiful Florida day in February 2024 when Darrel began his daily 10-mile bicycle ride. The ride was normal and uneventful until the very last turn to get into his housing allotment. A young driver was texting and not paying attention and slammed into Darrell making his daily ride anything but uneventful while causing him severe spinal cord damage. This accident will stay with him for years and fill his recovery road with miraculously blessed interventions requiring his persistent determination and faith.
Darrel was taken to a level 1 trauma hospital in Orlando. After the surgical team stabilized him, he was told he had a 3% chance to ever walk again. That is not news anyone receives well, but Darrel kept his mind right and believed he would do everything he could to prove that statistic wrong. He had gone from being an independent person, golfing, bicycling, and boating to someone who needed help with literally every facet of his life.
After a short time in a rehab facility in Florida, he returned home. His wife Theresa was very involved in his care being there for him every step of the way. Darrel had his bedroom modified to accommodate a special shower, a Hoyer lift, and a sink. His insurance had just cut him, and he was going through the last week of his covered outpatient therapy when another opportunity appeared. Mercy Health Rehabilitation Hospital needed patients to work with in order to qualify for their Medicare certification. Dr. Puet had referred Darrel for the program, and Darrel and Theresa jumped at the chance to continue his therapy.
Darrel admitted to using a motorized wheelchair to get around and requiring Hoyer lifts to get in and out of bed. Our therapy team was able to professionally apply the therapy techniques along with the brand-new state-of-the-art equipment and help him realize immediate gains. No more Hoyer lifting, no more motorized wheelchairs. Along with that came more independence, which made Darrel more excited and gave him real hope. Dan Dray, our Director of Therapy, worked with Darrel quite often. Dan took the time to get to know Darrel, find out what his challenges were and develop a plan to help Darrel achieve real, lasting results from his time with the rehab. Darrel learned more than 10 things he uses every day to continue to make gains. He is back to bicycling, and he pedals it about 10 miles per day in his neighborhood.
Darrel is happy to get back to a higher quality of life with his wife and 3 sons. He looks forward to each day because it means he has a chance to make more progress than he did yesterday. Darrell did not use the Hoyer lift, the special shower, or the wheelchair when he went home from rehab. He confidently told me he never thinks he will have a need for them again.
I have no doubt that someday soon I will see Darrel at the golf course without his walker, or perhaps on the lake with his pontoon boat. I can say today you can see him cycling through his neighborhood with a smile from ear to ear.