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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.
  • Randy, an older man in a wheelchair, and Catherine, an older woman, share a moment on their patio.
    When Randy was diagnosed with the most severe form of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), he came to Spaulding Hospital for Continuing Medical Care Cambridge for his intensive rehabilitation. Find out how the team at Spaulding helped him get back on his feet.
  • Addy, a small girl wearing rainbow wings, stands at a window overlooking Boston Harbor.
    When a severe Group A streptococcal infection left 7-year-old Addy unable to walk, Spaulding was there for her. Learn how she proudly walked into the school building on her first day back in the fall.
  • A 12-year-old girl in rainbow socks cycles an adaptive tricycle down a hospital hallway.
    When Paige arrived at Spaulding in November, paralyzed from the neck down, her goal was to be home for Christmas. Learn how Spaulding helped her achieve her goal.
  • A smiling man stretching while wearing two lower-leg prostheses with neon yellow sneakers.
    When Mo completed the Bionic5K running race this April, it was a meaningful accomplishment both physically and emotionally. Learn how Spaulding helped Mo accomplish his dream.
  • A grinning woman in a wheelchair, surrounded by smiling medical staff.
    Tammy was in a severe motorcycle accident, sustaining a traumatic brain injury and requiring an amputation of her left leg. Find out how Spaulding helped her return to her life.

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 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 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 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 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

    Meet Jake: Finding a New Purpose at Spaulding

    Fall 2023 | Oct 19, 2023 After a long battle with drugs and depression, Jake Haendel received a serious diagnosis: He had a terminal central nervous system disorder. His condition degenerated quickly, and he became “locked in” — aware of his surroundings, but unable to move or communicate. When Jake’s doctor at Massachusetts General Hospital noticed signs of awareness, he called in a Spaulding Rehabilitation speech-language pathologist to teach Jake nonverbal communication using blinking and a letterboard. So when his clinical team discussed Jake’s readiness for rehabilitation care at Spaulding, Jake was able to spell, “I can do it.” “When you lose your speech or language ability and then it comes back — even in a nonverbal form — it is very powerful,” says Jake, who is now able to speak with his voice. “It’s a special thing when you can communicate with someone, and it creates a deep bond.” He feels this bond with his Spaulding therapy team, who he credits with giving him the foundation for his recovery. When he progressed enough to work on walking, Jake received special donor-provided splints from Spaulding’s Brace Clinic. Jake paid it forward by donating them back to be refurbished and given to another patient in

  • 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

    Donnie's Leukemia Treatment Story - Spaulding Rehab

    The staff on 3 South at Spaulding Hospital Cambridge affectionately referred to Donnie Shea as the ‘President of Spaulding.’ Donnie would tell you he started out as the Mayor, then became Governor, and eventually President of Spaulding. He said he earned the honor having been a patient at Spaulding Cambridge for over a year. While most people wouldn’t consider that to be a good thing, Donnie was extremely grateful for the unique and specialized care he received, allowing him to live every day to the fullest. Donnie was diagnosed with leukemia in 1990 and was treated with aggressive chemotherapy and radiation. The treatment was grueling but effective, and Donnie was able to return to work for the airlines and raise his family of 3 children for many years. The treatments he received years ago eventually began to affect his health. “Sometimes the cure is worse than the disease,” Donnie stated. His kidneys began to fail as a result of the radiation treatments. He required two bone marrow transplants, which landed him back in the hospital for an extended period of time. His condition was very critical, requiring him to stay in the ICU at Mass General Hospital. When he started to

  • 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

    Amit: Vivir una vida activa de nuevo

    Read this story in English. Otoño 2022 Para Amit, su historia con Spaulding comenzó cuando el joven padre comenzó a experimentar un dolor crónico debilitante. Al crecer como un jugador de tenis competitivo en la India, Amit siempre fue muy activo. Pero a los 30 años, todo eso cambió. "Ponerse calcetines era una tarea", dijo. "Un viaje en automóvil de 30 minutos era insoportable". Exploró una variedad de opciones de tratamiento, ansioso por evitar la cirugía. Nada proporcionó un alivio duradero. Amit, de vuelta en la cancha de tenis. Entonces Amit conoció a la Dra. Joanne Borg Stein de Spaulding, y experimentó un tratamiento regenerativo especializado que ella y otros investigadores de Spaulding habían desarrollado. La terapia con plasma rico en plaquetas acelera la curación del tejido lesionado a través de inyecciones de plaquetas sanguíneas sanas de los pacientes. "En la primera semana de tratamiento, mi dolor mejoró significativamente", dijo Amit. "Muchas de las cosas que no lograba hacer, de repente se hicieron posibles". Como muchos pacientes, Amit recurrió a Spaulding para nuestras prácticas innovadoras y amplia gama de tratamientos, muchos de los cuales fueron posibles gracias a generosas donaciones. Las donaciones ayudan a Spaulding a realizar inversiones para servir mejor a nuestros pacientes: inversiones en el

  • Patient Story

    Together We Celebrate Spaulding Charlestown, 10 Years Later

    Spring 2023 From fragile first encounters to final goals achieved, rehabilitation is a team sport—and together we celebrate every milestone. This year our team marks a special milestone at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, which moved from our former neighborhood in Boston and opened at our new location in Charlestown 10 years ago in 2013. Since then, Spaulding has helped thousands of patients find their strength through their toughest moments. From recovering after the Boston Marathon bombings to a global pandemic that radically changed medicine as we know it, our commitment to our patients, their families, and the communities we serve has been unwavering. Together we celebrate: 10 years of compassionate clinical care and incredible recoveries 10 years of groundbreaking research and innovative treatments 10 years of disability rights advocacy through programs, partnerships, and universal design 10 years of training and educating future leaders in rehabilitation medicine Across Spaulding Rehabilitation, our goal is to help people get one day better, every day. And whatever triumphs and challenges await, our dedicated team will be there, with your support. Generous donors will help improve the quality of life for each person who comes through Spaulding’s doors in the decade ahead. Thank you for your

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