Meet Elayna
"I thought I was never going to walk again or be able to use my hands,” says Elayna.
For Elayna O’Neil, a mother of two and a hair salon owner, her hands are central to her life. But after contracting COVID-19 and spending 21 days on a ventilator in acute care, Elayna was too weak to feed or dress herself—and she suffered crippling anxiety. She turned to Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Charlestown to recover physically and mentally.
“My Spaulding team addressed every single issue I had,” she says. “I’m thankful to Spaulding for giving me back my mobility—and my life.”
For the thousands of people like Elayna who have contracted COVID-19, survival is only half the battle. The journey of recovery—returning home and resuming life—may be arduous, and much harder than anticipated. That’s where Spaulding comes in.
Spaulding’s mission includes a commitment to improving quality of life. We do that through direct patient care, teaching and research, advocacy efforts, and innovative programming. At Spaulding Outpatient Centers, we help people get their lives back from a range of conditions—from everyday sports injuries to COVID-19. And we do it with support from donors, whose generous gifts help get our patients back to the activities and lives they love.
After 11 days in Spaulding Charlestown, Elayna was welcomed home with a parade in Revere, where she continues rehabilitation through our new specialized Post COVID-19 Outpatient Rehabilitation Program.
"We foresaw this need by COVID-19 survivors experiencing longer-term issues after they left the hospital," said Spaulding’s Dr. Jeff Schneider. “Normal resources and support systems aren’t as easily accessed right now, which makes recovery that much more difficult. That’s why it’s important to have a program like this that focuses specifically on their needs.”
At the Post COVID-19 Outpatient Rehabilitation Program, Spaulding physician-led teams provide virtual and in-person outpatient services based on each person’s rehabilitation needs as a COVID-19 survivor. It’s the first program of its kind in Massachusetts, and among the first in the country.
Each recovery and rehabilitation journey is unique, and it takes a unique treatment plan to help each person recover stronger and get back to doing the things they love. We are proud to play a role in helping patients like Elayna during this health crisis.