“I Returned to Work Three Months Early!” A Patient Success Story

“My therapists were amazing! They came with positive energy and from the first 10 minutes I felt very comfortable with them. ” – Tara R.

“On July 14, I went into Maine Medical Center for a routine gall bladder removal surgery, a Cholecystectomy, and while in recovery I had a stroke.

I lost movement on my left side; my left leg and left arm were completely immovable. I was unable to walk and to use the bathroom independently. I spent some time in ICU and then was sent to rehab at Brighton Medical Center. I made some gains at Brighton and was able to navigate with a walker.

Getting good sleep and good food at a rehab center was a bit of a challenge and I was really missing my own bed and being at my home.

I was told about Rehab Without Walls and loved the idea of therapists coming to me and to be able to go out in my community. Since I was unable to drive, I was feeling trapped in my house as simple things like grocery shopping were a new challenge. However, my therapists brought me to the store and helped with the logistics and practicality of navigating the grocery store. There are so many things you don’t think about when you are able bodied, but with deficits, can become huge challenges.

My therapists were amazing! They came with positive energy and from the first 10 minutes I felt very comfortable with them. They listened to what my goals were, and we worked toward things that were relevant and important to me. They truly made therapy fun, and it was personalized to what motivated me.

I had a vacation planned for a honeymoon to Europe, scheduled for three months post-stroke. I was concerned I would have to cancel as there was no way I wanted to bring a clunky metal walker with me. We worked hard and my therapists came up with creative ways to help me reach my goals.

I looked forward to each and every session. We went swimming at the lake, went to the local library, on short hikes, and out to ice cream! Another aspect that was extremely helpful to me was a therapist bringing me to my doctor’s appointments and helping me process what the doctor was saying, very helpful post-stroke to have someone remember what was talked about!

I am forever grateful to Rehab Without Walls! In July, the doctor predicted I would need until January to be able to go back to work, however, we reached my goals in an accelerated manner, so much so that my return-to-work date was three months earlier than anticipated! Rehab Without Walls has my highest of
recommendations.” – Tara, RWW Patient

Tara’s therapy team consisted of:
• Kacey – Physical Therapy
• Jillian – Medical Social Worker
• Meredith – Speech Language Pathology
• Christine – Clinical Coordinator
• Marina – Occupational Therapy