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Patient Stories

As a national leader in rehabilitative care, Spaulding Rehabilitation helps patients find their strength every day. But it's the words and experiences of our patients that best describe what our services can really do.

Our patient stories provide a look inside the outstanding rehabilitative services available through our network of world-class providers. We invite you to read these compelling and unforgettable stories — and learn how our rehabilitative care has changed people's lives.

Don't bet against our patients' will and determination.

Gifts to Spaulding support our patients and families as they build new futures. Throughout Spaulding’s history, we have improved the lives of thousands of people. Together, and with your generous donations, we will continue to discover and deliver the best care possible — today and tomorrow.

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  • Patient Story

    Meet Sandy: A Gift of Gratitude

    Spring 2024 When Sandy Maisel's legs went numb last summer, he feared he would never walk again; never play golf with his grandsons; never sit comfortably to cheer on his beloved Colby College Mules. But when he arrived at Spaulding Rehabilitation after successful spinal surgery at Mass General Hospital, Sandy says his Spaulding team "changed my attitude toward what was going on in my life." His therapy team challenged Sandy's expectations for himself, getting him out of bed on his first day, when he had struggled to stand for a required X-ray just hours before. "Their enthusiasm and encouragement makes you want to work hard — for them!" says Sandy. His clinicians also made his rehabilitation fun and functional. They made sessions walking with parallel bars into visualization exercises, played games to test his balance, and hosted occupational therapy in the gym's kitchen so Sandy could build his strength to stand and cook his famous egg breakfast. "They told me where I was going, every step of the way," says Sandy. "I felt incredibly cared for." With the foundation built at Spaulding and continued outpatient rehabilitation, Sandy is now using a single cane and getting back to the activities he loves. To express their gratitude, Sandy

  • Patient Story

    Sandrick: Encontrando esperanza en Spaulding

    Read this story in English. Otoño 2022 Sandrick (sentado), rodeado de su familia y equipo de atención médica. La historia de Sandrick con Spaulding comenzó cuando una celebración familiar en Montreal se convirtió en tragedia. Mientras se dirigían a casa después de una fiesta de cumpleaños, Sandrick, con sus 14 años, y su familia estuvieron trágicamente involucrados en un tiroteo sin sentido. Una bala atingió el abdomen de Sandrick y se alojó en su espalda, paralizando al adolescente y dañando su riñón, bazo y pulmones. El pasó semanas en cuidados intensivos en Canadá y en el Massachusetts General Hospital antes de venir a Spaulding para su rehabilitación. Sandrick se dedicó a su rutina de rehabilitación. Con la ayuda de aparatos ortopédicos especializados y equipos de rehabilitación de vanguardia como el sistema de soporte de peso corporal ZeroG, los proveedores podrían colocar a Sandrick en una posición de pie durante parte de sus sesiones de terapia, mejorando su progreso en volver a aprender a caminar. "El personal de Spaulding fue excepcional", dijo su padre, Ricardo. "Sandrick ha progresado mucho". Ahora tiene movilidad en sus piernas y sueña con volver a jugar al baloncesto. Como muchos de nuestros pacientes, Sandrick y su familia se consolaron con la compasión

  • Patient Story

    Meet Robert Lewis, Jr. | A Spaulding Story of Strength

    COVID-19 survivor and Spaulding patient Robert Lewis, Jr. shares his journey: from diagnosis with the novel coronavirus through his rehabilitation at Spaulding Hospital Cambridge—and what it means to him to be back at work at the community outreach organization he founded in Boston. My COVID-19 Recovery—As Told by Robert Lewis, Jr. I’m not sure how I expected to feel when I turned 60 years old last spring, but I didn’t anticipate a trip to the emergency department. I certainly didn’t expect to be sedated, intubated, and wake up 12 days later. But on March 22—my 60th birthday— that’s what happened. It was the beginning of my COVID-19 journey. It was an intense and frightening time. When I was moved to Spaulding Hospital Cambridge for rehabilitation after three weeks of acute care, I had to relearn…everything: how to breathe without an oxygen tank; how to walk; how to touch my nose and tie my sneakers. I had to get my strength back. What struck me about Spaulding was the incredible treatment that I—and my family—received from everyone there, from the moment I arrived until I walked out just one week later. There’s a culture of love and compassion and excellence that radiates from every person. Trust

  • Patient Story

    Meet Michele: Reclaiming Independence with the Travis Roy Center

    After a life-changing ski injury, Michele found hope, strength, and a path to independence at Spaulding, where dedicated therapists and innovative assistive technology from the Travis Roy Center helped her reclaim her life. With generosity of donors, life-changing stories like these become possible. Watch the video

  • Patient Story

    Meet Martha and the “Spaulding Sisters”

    The self-titled “Spaulding Sisters” made the most of 2020. The group of women met at Spaulding Boston over the past several years, bonding over their shared love of aquatic therapy. When the COVID-19 pandemic closed our community water fitness classes, the Sisters came together to support each other and their health in a whole new way. The ladies are avid participants in the Spaulding Adaptive Sports Program’s virtual classes (launched in response to the pandemic), “meeting” several times a week to exercise virtually together from the safety of their homes. They are among the more than 1,000 participants who have benefitted from virtual classes like yoga, boxing, exercise for stroke and TBI, dance with Parkinson’s, and more. In 2020, donations were used to pivot Spaulding adaptive sports programming to be entirely virtual—supporting the health and wellness of an even broader community, when so many were isolated and unable to participate in their regular fitness and community activities. Martha Starr, “Spaulding Sister,” patient, and volunteer, says the virtual programs have been a true lifesaver in 2020. And so have the Sisters’ weekly Friday Zoom calls to check in on one another. They share resources and coping strategies, discuss their conditions, and laugh together. Martha

  • Patient Story

    Meet Lauren and Tracey: From Rehab to the Finish Line

    Spring 2023 Watch this special story of a mother and daughter who both underwent outpatient rehabilitation therapy with Spaulding, and recently achieved an incredible feat — running the Boston Marathon on Spaulding's Race for Rehab Team. Their journey is a testament to the power of healing and perseverance. Join us in celebrating their

  • Patient Story

    Conozca a Gary

    Read this story in English. Otoño 2021 ¿Cómo empezarías a reconstruir décadas de su vida? Gary Brennan de Centerville conducía al trabajo un día cuando la última cosa que se acuerda fue que se estaba despertando en un centro de trauma. Él le pidió a su equipo clínico que alertara a la familia de su prometida: él y Lynne planeaban casarse en unos pocos meses. Gary pensó que era 1974. No sabía que ahora tenía 59 años y que llevaba casado con Lynne durante casi 40 años. Un conductor había chocado por detrás de la camioneta de Gary, lo que resultó en una Lesión Cerebral Traumática (LCT) que borró décadas de su memoria. “Mi vida se convirtió en queso suizo”, dijo Gary. "El galán estaba allí, pero lleno de agujeros". Lynne y él necesitaban reconstruir todos los aspectos de su vida. Ayudar a Gary a llenar esos agujeros era una de las metas de su equipo de rehabilitación en Spaulding Cape Cod.  Él recibió un tratamiento intensivo para abordar los déficits causados ​​por la LCT, fortaleciendo sus habilidades cognitivas, el equilibrio y sus cuidados-personales. Después de su rehabilitación hospitalaria y semanas de atención domiciliaria, él regresó a Spaulding para recibir terapia ambulatoria para trabajar hacia una

  • Patient Story

    Meet Ethan | A Spaulding Story of Strength

    Para leer esta historia en español, visite nuestra página en el Internet. Who was by your side when you achieved a major life goal? For Ethan Wang, it will be a community of family, friends, and caregivers cheering for him (virtually) as he walks at his Boston University graduation this year. It’s a significant milestone for Ethan, who sustained a spinal cord injury while studying abroad—paralyzing him from the neck down and derailing his junior year of college. In Bali in March 2019, Ethan was critically injured while swimming in the ocean. He needed immediate life-saving surgery, followed by a medical evacuation and more surgeries in Singapore, before he could return home to Massachusetts. Then came the long journey of rehabilitation. Our donor community has been with Ethan on this journey, too. Gifts to Spaulding provide resources and support to help patients like Ethan achieve their goals. “Our family’s main source of strength is the amazing support we have received,” says Ethan’s father, Willis. “There is so much strength in community, and that is what has helped us.” Paralysis caused by a spinal cord injury (SCI) is an intense, life-changing event. Ethan spent 148 days as an inpatient at Spaulding Boston, achieving a new physical milestone

  • Patient Story

    Meet Clifton: Surviving Stroke: There and Back Again

    Spring 2023 Life often comes full circle. Clifton Singletary’s Spaulding Rehabilitation story began while he was serving our patients. When he returned to Spaulding as a patient himself, his desire to give back grew stronger. Clifton’s first visit to Spaulding was in July 2013 to escort the Boston Pops as they performed for survivors of the Boston Marathon bombings. Clifton, a decorated Boston police officer, was invited to Spaulding in recognition of his service that day, when he helped load the wounded into ambulances. Clifton never imagined that he would return to Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston almost 10 years later, following a hemorrhagic stroke. Unable to walk on his own and struggling with post-stroke coordination, sensory, and cognitive symptoms, he found that his Spaulding team was determined to get him back on his feet. “This is beyond professionalism,” he says. “There’s a level of dedication the people have here that is beyond comprehension.” Spaulding’s personalized approach to care has Clifton not only walking again but inspired to return to the hospital to help others. Part of his efforts include participating in a research study testing a virtual reality–linked treadmill to improve gait performance for stroke survivors like himself. One in four people will have a

  • Patient Story

    Conoce a Bonnie

    Quién estuvo a su lado cuando celebraste un logro? Para Bonnie Sickorez de Mashpee, MA, fue su equipo de atención de Spaulding Cape Cod, rodeándola mientras miraba por la ventana a su esposo e hijos cuando cumplió 58 años. Su fisioterapeuta trajo un pastel, sus hijos tenían carteles caseros y fue un momento hermoso para Bonnie, que se estaba recuperando de una cirugía de corazón abierto planeada y una complicación inesperada. Bonnie, trabajadora social y una madre ocupada con siete hijos (cinco de los cuales ella los adoptó), caminaba cinco millas al día y llevaba una vida plena y activa a principios del año pasado. Luego, un examen físico de rutina llevó a una serie de evaluaciones de seguimiento y, finalmente, a una sala de operación. Se sometió a una agotadora operación de corazón abierto de siete horas, pero obtuvo éxito. Y luego después, ella tuvo dos derrames cerebrales. Con un dolor complejo y una debilidad severa en su lado derecho por causa de los derrames, Bonnie sabía que su recuperación sería más larga de lo que esperaba. Y sabía que necesitaba estar en Spaulding Cape Cod. La comunidad de donantes de Spaulding también estuvo allí con ella. Los donativos a Spaulding Cape Cod

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