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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.

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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 Erica | A Spaulding Registered Nurse

    Erica Foley, RN, is combining two of her passions in her current role as Nurse Educator at Spaulding Hospital Cambridge (SHC). After graduating from Boston University, Erica began her career as a teacher in the Brighton school system and later worked as a nanny. She had always been interested in the medical profession and enrolled in Simmons College where she graduated with a BSN. She started working in the Admissions office at SHC, then moved to a nursing position on 4 South, then onto Charge Nurse. Her professional path continuing to rise on a leadership tract, Erica was focused on the needs of floor nurses. What do new nurses need to do their jobs well? What challenges do they face? What can leadership do to help nurses succeed? Motivated by questions like these, Erica was encouraged by her manager to pursue a Master's degree through the Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) on-line degree program. Having investigated other advanced degree programs, she found that the SNHU program had more content that could be customized to her specific interests. The classes were applicable and focused specifically on her professional development tract. It wasn't going to be easy- it will take Erica about 2

  • Patient Story

    Meet Sarah: Honoring Mom with a Marathon

    Spring 2022 Sarah Taft decided to run the 126th Boston Marathon on Spaulding’s Race for Rehab team for one main reason: to honor her mother, Terry. After contracting a viral brain infection in the fall of 2019, Terry spent six weeks inpatient at Spaulding Boston. The virus had significantly impaired her motor function, memory and comprehension; however, members of her Spaulding care team were determined to find ways to bring Terry back. While Sarah was never a runner before this year, her mother completed three Boston Marathons before having four kids. Early in Terry’s time at Spaulding, she was struggling to engage with her care team and become active again. Sarah remembers one day when Terry’s physical therapist, Gauge, persisted in chatting with an unresponsive Terry. Gauge commented on Terry’s sneakers, a blue pair of Brooks that she had been wearing for years, and how he heard they were a great brand to run in. All of a sudden, Terry perked up and said, “Well, I ran three marathons, did you know that?” Gauge was then able to use this interest to keep motivating Terry through her recovery. “My mom always told me that you have to stop focusing on the little stuff and

  • Patient Story

    Meet Tim: From Stroke Survivor to Marathon Runner

    Winter 2022 In October 2019, Tim Rafferty entered the gym, like he did most days. An active lifestyle was core to who he was — he loved running, snowboarding, bike riding and CrossFit. But that day at the gym, his life would change forever. Tim experienced a hemorrhagic stroke that resulted in paralysis of his left side. He was rushed to acute care, where the prognosis was grim. He was told it was unlikely he’d ever regain movement in his left side. It was a heartbreaking time for the 36-year-old and his family. But then Tim was admitted to Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, where he met Dan, Elise and Pauline – three people he would spend the next year of his life with. People who would restore Tim’s hope and help him achieve previously unimaginable goals. “They were with me every step of the way,” Tim says. “Seeing other patients working so hard to achieve their goals, and seeing the clinicians matching that effort, made me inspired and determined in my own recovery.” After his time as an inpatient at Spaulding, Tim was walking very cautiously and slowly, with a cane for support. He told Dan about his goal to return to his active lifestyle, listing his favorite

  • Patient Story

    Meet Tammy: Getting Mom Back After a Motorcycle Accident

    A compassionate, dedicated care team can change the path of your rehabilitation journey — and impact your entire life. In September 2023, Tammy was in a severe motorcycle accident near her home in New Hampshire. She sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and required an amputation of her left leg. The mother of three needed long term acute care and rehabilitation, so her adult daughters turned to Spaulding Hospital for Continuing Medical Care Cambridge for Tammy’s recovery. “We were nervous because she had never been away from us,” says Tammy’s daughter Gabby. “But the Spaulding staff was so communicative. They called us with updates when we couldn’t be there. They treated us like family.” Tammy’s recovery was complex. Her TBI affected her behavior, requiring intensive interventions with the nursing staff. Tammy connected with her nurse, Sam, who helped Tammy become more independent and eventually ready to discharge home. “Sam was my best friend. She kept me in line,” says Tammy with a laugh. “She made sure I did what I was supposed to do, got me to eat, helped my family learn how to care for me.” Donations help Spaulding invest in the incredible staff and clinicians, like Sam, who make our care so

  • Patient Story

    Meet Sierra: Helping Others After Traumatic Brain Injury

    On a summer day in 2020, Sierra Longmoore was in a life-altering car accident. The 17-year-old sustained a severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), skull fractures, collapsed lungs, and a stroke. She was air-lifted to the hospital, where she was not expected to survive the night. Sierra made it through, but she remained in a coma for five weeks. Sierra came to Spaulding Rehabilitation in Boston in a minimally conscious state and with no left side movement. After her TBI, she needed to relearn everyday abilities, like how to speak, eat, and walk again. Her determined, compassionate team at Spaulding was ready to help. While at Spaulding, Sierra had surgery scheduled to replace a portion of her skull — but it was postponed for medical reasons, a difficult moment for her entire family. The next day, Sierra’s undaunted physical therapist said, “Today is the day you’re going to walk.” Her mother, Amy, was unsure. But Sierra took six steps — and Amy thought, “She can do this.” Sierra made great strides in her recovery--and now helps others in their own journeys Sierra rehabilitated at Spaulding for two months. It was a three-hour drive from where her family — mom, dad, Sierra’s twin, and three other siblings —

  • Patient Story

    Meet the Scotts: Supporting Spaulding Through Their Family Company, RAWZ Pet Food

    Summer 2024 From the moment their son arrived at Spaulding Rehabilitation, Janet and Jim Scott knew they could rely on his care team to help their family — but they had yet to learn just how meaningful that connection would become. Janet and Jim’s longstanding relationship with Spaulding began in the spring of 2005, when their son Andrew sustained a spinal cord injury following a severe fall from a balcony in Mexico. He was immediately air-lifted to a hospital in Houston for acute care before being transferred to Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Boston, where he spent six weeks undergoing inpatient occupational and physical therapy. Throughout Andrew’s entire rehabilitation, from the day he arrived to the day he returned home, the whole Scott family found comfort in his Spaulding team, leaning on the commitment and experience of these skilled professionals to cope with a new life post-injury. “Before Andrew was discharged, one of the members of the clinical team came to our house to assess the adjustments we would need to make given his capabilities,” recalls Janet. “It was above and beyond what we expected.” Tragically, 14 months later, the Scotts’ older son Jimmy was in a serious car accident that resulted in a traumatic brain

  • 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

    Sandrick: Finding Hope at Spaulding

    Leer esta historia en español. Fall 2022 Sandrick (seated), surrounded by his family and care team. Sandrick’s Spaulding story began when a family celebration in Montreal turned into tragedy. While on their way home from a birthday party, 14-year-old Sandrick and his family were tragically involved in a senseless drive-by shooting. A bullet hit Sandrick’s abdomen and lodged in his back, paralyzing the teen and damaging his kidney, spleen, and lungs. He spent weeks in critical care in Canada and at Mass General for Children before coming to Spaulding for his rehabilitation. Sandrick dedicated himself to his rehab routine. With the help of specialized braces and leading-edge rehabilitation equipment, clinicians could place Sandrick in a standing position for part of his therapy sessions — enhancing his progress in relearning to walk. “The Spaulding staff was exceptional,” says his father, Ricardo. “Sandrick has made so much progress.” He now has mobility in his legs and dreams of playing basketball again. Like many of our patients, Sandrick and his family took comfort in the compassion and skill of the Spaulding care team — and in the resources available to him during his recovery. Donations help Spaulding make investments to better serve our patients — investments in the newest rehabilitation

  • 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

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