Helping those Injured to Find Their Strength

OVERCOMING OBSTACLES AFTER STROKE: JIM AND NANCY CELEBRATE 50TH ANNIVERSARY IN HAWAII

Jim and Nancy had already planned and paid for a long-anticipated trip to Hawaii when Jim had a serious stroke.  He was just 61, and retirement was not on his radar. 

“I was fat, dumb, happy and indestructible,” he says of his life before the stroke. 

After was another story. Following treatment at Massachusetts General Hospital, Jim was admitted to Spaulding for rehabilitation. His left side was paralyzed.  He couldn’t walk and didn’t have use of his left arm or hand.  Going home was his first goal, but like many aspects of stroke recovery, that wasn’t a simple matter.

“Aside from the physical effects of the stroke, my biggest concern was would I be emotionally able to recover,” Jim says.  “Everything had changed.  In a couple of heartbeats on a Saturday morning, I was dependent on others for everything.  That put me in a dark place.”

Like others whose lives have been upended by stroke, Jim’s first days of confronting a new reality were filled with doubt.  Helping Jim make sense of it all was his team of rehabilitation specialists at Spaulding.  “My therapists worked on improving my physical condition, giving me confidence that I could make progress.”

Daina, one of Jim’s therapists, describes the day she felt Jim was ready to trial climbing stairs. “He was very unsure of himself and couldn’t imagine trying even one step. He said our practice steps looked like a mountain, it was insurmountable.  But Jim trusted me and trusted our process, and he went for it.  Before he knew it, he was on the top step.  He experienced an incredible sense of accomplishment and hope.” 

 “The therapists have the expertise.  They know what you can do,” Jim says.  “You may not know it, but they do, and they work you to that end.”

Including the family in the rehab process is an important part of Spaulding’s philosophy of care. Nancy attended family meetings.  “The biggest part for me was to understand what was going on.  There was no dumb question.”  They were always there for me.”

Communication between the team and family was critical as Jim and Nancy prepared for him to go home. “After the medical crisis is over and your loved one is coming home, you wonder, where do we go from here, how do I do this?  I really don’t know how I would have managed without Spaulding’s support,” Nancy says.

Though Jim was home, the couple had reconciled themselves to cancelling the Hawaii trip. During a follow-up visit, they asked Jim’s neurosurgeon to sign the paperwork.  He refused. “He told us, ‘the stroke is over.  You have to learn to live your life because you don’t know what tomorrow will bring,’” says Nancy.  “It opened a lot of doors for us.  We didn’t need to sit home.  We didn’t need to be afraid.”

Still, Jim was hesitant.  An adventure like that seemed more than he could handle. He told his outpatient therapists who incorporated preparing for the trip into Jim’s therapy plan.  “We worked on improving my mobility, on increasing the exercises, and gradually my stamina improved.”

Eleven months after the June morning of the stroke, Jim and Nancy embarked on their Hawaiian cruise.   “It was extremely important that we realized that dream,” Jim says. “I learned that I could do it and should do it.” 

They fell in love with the islands.   They returned for a month to celebrate their 50^th wedding anniversary with their daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter.   Among many other adventures, they’ve climbed trails at Volcano National Park, ventured through the steamy rain forest, and taken a helicopter ride over a volcano. 

Though Jim retired after the stroke, he found an outlet for his energy and what he learned about life and recovery. He proposed creating a Stroke Survivor’s Support Group at Spaulding, which he continues to lead, and he visits patients who’ve just had a stroke, sharing his story.

“What makes Jim’s involvement with our patients so special is that he remembers what it feels like to be in their shoes – the fear of the unknown, the fear of losing the life they’ve been living. He encourages them to trust in their bodies’ potential for healing and to trust in the skill we have to offer.  It’s pretty powerful for patients and families to hear that message.”  

Many moments from Jim’s and Nancy’s Hawaii trips stand out, but one is emblematic of Jim’s journey after stroke, his tenacity and belief that there will be a way to get to a goal. 

“There was a hill in the rainforest I wanted to climb. Man, that was hard!  But I climbed it myself, using a cane.  I used to not like the cane, but now it’s like a badge.  I wish I had a photo of myself at the top of that hill, because I did it.”

“Officer down!” That’s what 46-year old Jared called into his police radio at 3:00 am on a frosty February night. On route to rescue a murder victim on Cape Cod, Officer Jared was rushing past a car set on fire by the suspect when a bullet skimmed his spine. Toppled, he lay on the snow directing the other officers. Minutes later, the suspect was apprehended and Jared was air lifted to safety for emergency treatment.

Shuttled to Spaulding for his recovery, our police hero was determined to walk again. At first, Jared lay in his hospital bed at Spaulding, nerve pain flaring in his right foot and leg. The touch of a sheet was unbearable. Spaulding’s nursing staff provided constant care for his wounds and the shock of trauma. The next day, when Jared met Trina, his physical therapist, he told her he wanted to walk as soon as possible.

“Not until you can put a shoe on your foot,” Trina said. “That’s the first step.”

Two nights later, he lay awake in bed, easing the sheet over his foot, testing how much pain he could bear. Just three days after that, he put on his shoe. “From that day on,” Jared says, “Spaulding’s amazing team led me onto the path of recovery.”

“Spaulding’s doctors and nurses were phenomenal,” Jared says. “Every possible thing that could have been done to take care of me was in place before I even knew it.” Jared recalls how, during this frightening time, his confidence in Spaulding’s team made all the difference. “Their dedication, knowledge, and round-the-clock sense of responsibility freed me to focus all my energy on walking again.”

When Jared was told it could take 6-8 months to make significant strides, he knew he wanted to beat that timeline. “The slow route just wasn’t the one I was willing to choose,” he says. “Trina understood that,” he says. “Every day, she was by my side with a big smile, challenging me and pushing me forward.”

A month after his arrival at Spaulding, Jared was walking again and preparing for a very happy return home. “I’ll never forget the first steps I took. Trina was there, telling me I was ready.” He describes that moment as a triumph for his entire medical team. “Their fantastic support enabled me to prove I could do it.” After that miracle, Jared says everything seemed possible. He was ready to become an outpatient at Spaulding’s Cape Cod facility, and had no doubt that he would continue to take new strides forward there.

“Today, more than ever, there’s a growing need for Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital,” Jared says, and then he chuckles, “The truth is we could use a few more Spauldings!”  

Like many trauma survivors, Jared describes his experience as a ‘wake-up.’ He’s grateful to be working again, and no longer takes the simple pleasures for granted. “One of my favorite things to do each year, is go apple picking with my family. This year, I took it a little slower and enjoyed it even more.”

 When it comes to walking, working, and apple picking, Jared’s goals are Spaulding’s goals. That’s our commitment to each of our patients and to partners like you. By making your gift, you are helping heroes like Jared – and all the patients working so heroically for their recovery at Spaulding – to find their strength.