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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 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 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 Nick

    Spring 2023 Nick’s Boston Marathon journey began 10 years ago when he was a freshman at Boston College. The day before the race, he was inspired to be on the start line and managed to secure a bib through a club on campus. The next day, he found himself on a school bus en route to the start line of the 2013 Boston Marathon, having never completed a run longer than six miles. Despite his lack of preparation, adrenaline carried Nick through the first 13 miles past the Wellesley Scream Tunnel. His run slowed to a power-walk on his way up Heartbreak Hill, but he was determined to reach his classmates on BC’s campus at Mile 21. The euphoric stretch of high-fives and cheers from fellow BC Eagles carried Nick through miles 20 and 22, and before he knew it, he was approaching the final mile into Copley Square. As he approached the final stretch on Boylston St., excitement quickly turned to confusion when he saw a cloud of smoke and heard what sounded like fireworks behind the finish line. Nick was only a few hundred feet from the second explosion before he was stopped in his tracks and curled up on

  • Patient Story

    Conozca a Matt: Un viaje de sanación y esperanza para el futuro

    Read this story in English. Primavera 2022 Gracias a Spaulding, pacientes como Matt Fitzgerald tienen una segunda oportunidad en la vida. En el Día de los Padres de 2019, Matt conducía para visitar a su familia en Rhode Island y experimentó un terrible accidente automovilístico. Lanzado fuera de su vehículo, Matt sufrió lesiones graves, incluyendo ruptura en la columna. Estaba paralizado de la cintura para abajo y le dijeron que podía morir por complicaciones significativas de una herida quirúrgica masiva. Matt estaba decidido a vivir. Se transfirió al Hospital General de Massachusetts (Massachusetts General Hospital) para recibir atención aguda continua, luego vino al Hospital Spaulding de Cambridge para comenzar su largo viaje de recuperación. Matt pasó más de dos años sanándose en Spaulding Cambridge y Spaulding Brighton. “Hice amigos y familia para toda la vida en Spaulding”, dijo Matt. Las conexiones ayudaron en su proceso de curación, que fue extenso. Las cirugías que extrajeron el tejido necrosado de su cuerpo lo dejaron con una herida que necesitó atención continua hospitalizado para sanar. Al mismo tiempo, Matt necesitaba terapia física y ocupacional para tratar su lesión en la médula espinal. Fue un proceso equilibrado lento y delicado, complicado aún más por la pandemia de COVID-19. Con el tiempo, la

  • Patient Story

    Meet Matt: A Journey of Healing, and Hope for the Future

    Leer esta historia en español. Spring 2022 Because of Spaulding, patients like Matt Fitzgerald have a second chance at life. On Father’s Day 2019, Matt was driving to visit family in Rhode Island and experienced a terrible car accident. Thrown from his vehicle, Matt sustained extensive injuries—including severing his spine. He was paralyzed from the waist down and was told he could die from significant complications from a massive surgical wound. Matt was determined to live. He was transferred to Massachusetts General Hospital for continued acute care, then came to Spaulding Hospital Cambridge to begin his long journey of recovery. Matt spent more than two years healing at Spaulding Cambridge and Spaulding Brighton. “I made friends and family for life at Spaulding,” says Matt, which aided his extensive healing. Surgeries to remove necrotic tissue from his body left him with a wound that needed continuous inpatient care to heal. At the same time, Matt needed physical and occupational therapy to address his spinal cord injury. It was a slow, delicate balance, made more complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic. In time, Matt’s wound healed and he was able to head home. He is now focused on returning to his everyday life and activities with support from Spaulding

  • 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 Lola

    Leer esta historia en español. Fall 2021 It was the first snowfall of the season, and Lola Remy was cozy at home with a homemade Haitian hot cocoa and a list of online shopping to do. By the end of the day, the 40-year-old lawyer and fitness instructor would be in the hospital experiencing seizures from a stroke. Lola using a Lokomat machine. After six seizures, Lola woke up with a feeding tube and helmet, a piece of her skull removed during emergency brain surgery. She would need to relearn how to swallow, talk, and walk. Her first test came when she moved from acute care to Spaulding Cambridge and was asked to sit up for 20 minutes, which the fitness fanatic called “the hardest thing ever.” Lola made excellent progress in Cambridge and continued to improve upon transfer to Spaulding Boston. When her discharge date finally arrived, she was excited but apprehensive. Staff facilitated virtual sessions with her family to help everyone prepare for Lola to return home. “The Spaulding staff is so amazing,” says Lola. “They start out as strangers, but offer such incredible care, compassion, and kindness. I hope every day that I’m contributing to the world in the way that they are.” With ongoing

  • Patient Story

    Conoce a Lili

    Quién te da la fuerza para lograr sus metas? Lili Davis, enfermera gerente de la unidad del primer piso del Spaulding Nursing and Therapy Center Brighton, tiene mucha satisfacción de ayudar a su equipo y a sus pacientes a lograr sus objetivos. “Ver la transformación que pasan nuestros pacientes aquí, verlos volver a caminar o incluso volver a sonreír, eso me da fuerzas”, dijo Lili. Todos hemos necesitado hacer uso de la fuerza en el año pasado, incluso Lili. Ella ayudó a establecer el área dedicada a COVID de Spaulding Brighton en su unidad, lo que inspiró a su personal de enfermería a ofrecerse como voluntarios para los turnos en el área, incluso cuando las incógnitas sobre el virus causaban miedo e incertidumbre. Lili estaba orgullosa de los esfuerzos de su equipo y de cómo se unieron para realizar este importante trabajo, todo con un compromiso con la seguridad, la dignidad y una innovadora prestación de cuidados médicos. Y luego la diagnosticaron con cáncer de mama. De repente, Lili se enfrentó a un nuevo desafío: cómo inspirar y liderar al personal de enfermería que trata a la población más vulnerable durante una pandemia, mientras se somete ella misma al tratamiento del cáncer. Con fuerza

  • 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

    Johnny: Perseverancia e inspiración

    Read this story in English. Otoño 2022 Para Johnny, su historia con Spaulding comenzó cuando entró en insuficiencia respiratoria durante un procedimiento de rutina antes de una cirugía planeada. Las complicaciones fueron graves. Johnny pasó semanas en cuidados intensivos en el Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), intubado y tratando con múltiples antibióticos. Con una incapacidad del desarrollo y antecedentes de por vida con problemas de desarrollo musculoesquelético que lo hicieron médicamente frágil, Johnny necesitó atención especializada y amparo durante su rehabilitación. El Hospital Spaulding de Cambridge estaba allí para él. Los enfoques terapéuticos creativos y divertidos motivaron a Johnny en su recuperación. Johnny estaba en un estado frágil, pero construyó su fuerza diariamente en Spaulding. Cuando se hizo evidente que Johnny necesitaría una máscara de ventilador especializada para soportar sus niveles de oxígeno durante la noche, sus neumólogos y terapeutas respiratorios de Spaulding dedicaron su tiempo y recursos a encontrarle una perfecta para su anatomía y necesidades únicas. Fue un proceso largo; pero mientras tanto, Johnny pudo someterse a la operación de reparación de la válvula cardíaca que él desesperadamente necesitaba. "La perseverancia del equipo de Spaulding para trabajar con Johnny y sus médicos de MGH, encontrar soluciones y llevarlo a un lugar mucho mejor, esa es

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