Helping those Injured to Find Their Strength

It was a warm, early morning in June of 2015. David Fischer, 55, was out for one of his usual rides with two other cyclists not five miles from his Medfield home. The trio regularly biked together before work during the week as they trained for the Pan-Mass Challenge. It was to be David’s 30^th time participating in the annual charity bike-a-thon. 

“I was riding along and the last thing I remember was being thrown into the air off of my bike,” said David. 

David was hit by a passing car, sending him airborne and landing directly on his head. He spent the next two weeks in a coma, during which time his wife Carol and their three children learned that he had experienced a traumatic brain injury (TBI). When David awoke from the coma, he could no longer talk, walk or do anything on his own. He spent another two weeks at the acute care hospital before being transferred to Spaulding Hospital Cambridge for rehabilitation.   

“When David first arrived at Spaulding Cambridge, his eyes were still closed and he was on a ventilator,” recalls Carol. “I was amazed that they still started rehabilitation with him. It really speaks to the quality of people on his care team that he was not even awake, and they still had the patience and knowledge to know that the rehab could help him at this early stage.” 

David’s interdisciplinary care team worked closely with him to address the cognitive and physical challenges he was experiencing. His physical therapist worked with him to address the issues he had with weakness, motor skills and impaired balance. He worked with an occupational therapist to address his short term memory loss and inability to name or use functional objects. Through his speech-language therapy, David worked on his ability to communicate and use language. 

David’s complex medical issues also required intensive collaboration with physicians, nursing and respiratory therapists to achieve a successful recovery. Spaulding Hospital Cambridge is unique in its ability to provide both complex medical management and interdisciplinary rehabilitation services.

Your support allows Spaulding Hospital Cambridge to train specialized therapists, nurses and medical professionals  who bring both the compassion and expertise necessary to help patients like David reach their goals on the path to recovery.

“I will never forget the first time David opened his eyes,” said Carol. “He opened them, looked at me and smiled. That was a big moment.” It would be the first of many milestones. Carol spent each day by David’s side and actively participated in his rehabilitation. And although slow, with each day, came progress.

“David came to us barely able to open his eyes, unable to speak or follow commands and dependent for self-care,” said Lauren Richler, Speech-Language Pathologist. “By the time he left, he was talking, walking with supervision, and able to assist with his own personal hygiene.”

Donors like you make recoveries like David’s possible.

“I was quite confused due to my injury during my initial time at Spaulding Cambridge, but looking back I am just so grateful for the patience and compassion of the people there, said David. “What Spaulding does for its patients is so critical to their well-being, it’s inspiring. Every small step I took in my rehabilitation journey was a huge step for me, and my care team celebrated each one.”

David would spend nearly a month at Spaulding Cambridge restoring his strength. Now, just a year and a half following the accident, David is doing exceptionally well and continues to make strides in his recovery. He is now able to drive independently and volunteering for two local nonprofit organizations for which he is extremely passionate about – Love Your Brain and Bikes Not Bombs. David is also currently training for the first-ever Spin Pan-Mass Challenge.