Ron went through a 13 hour surgery at Geisinger CMC to reattach his leg. After discharge, he was an inpatient at Allied, where he learned how to transfer himself. Unfortunately, the reattachment ultimately was not successful. Ron had more surgery, this time to amputate his left leg above the knee.

Now Ron needed a prosthetic. His wife learned all she could about them, and they decided that he should get one with a microprocessor. Most higher functioning patients are fitted with a mechanical prosthetic first and once they are successful with that they get a prosthetic with a microprocessor, which reduces the likelihood of falls.

Ron and his wife insisted that Ron should relearn to walk using a prosthetic with a microprocessor. They were able to get his insurance company to cover it, but there were related expenses that were not covered. Allied’s Dr. Wolk and Dr. Bednarz helped him get assistance from the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, who covered the extra expenses.

Ron needed to be admitted to Allied Rehab Hospital for 10 days of intensive physical and occupational therapy, to learn to use the prosthetic. “It was like a spa,” laughs Ron. “Mark Myers was excellent. I had a lot of great therapists but Mark was my main man. He taught me so much. He had me climbing ladders so I’d be able to get right back to work.”

Ron has now been back to work for over a year, and says he has no problems. He said it’s been great getting his life back together and not having to use a wheelchair. When asked if there is anything he hoped to do but can’t, he laughs again, “I’m not jogging yet. But my wife and I faithfully go to the gym at the Aronica Wellness Center to stay in great shape.”

Joey waited helplessly for a half hour until his wife came home. She recognized the symptoms as a stroke and called an ambulance. Doctors determined that a blood vessel had leaked. Joey was in intensive care for seven days, during which time he mostly slept.

When he was released, Joey went to Heinz Rehab Hospital in Wilkes-Barre for 21 days. His physical therapist, Neil Hunsinger, got him right on track. He also had occupational and speech therapy at Heinz. Joey was tired but pushed himself to do twice as much as he thought he could.

When Joey was discharged, Allied Home Health therapists continued his treatment. Although it was tiring, Joey kept pushing himself. Then Joey had eight weeks of outpatient therapy at Heinz Rehab Dallas. His speech got very good. One of his friends was also a speech therapist and helped him with drills.

Getting his speech back was critical to Joey, as he works in the broadcast industry. As the marketing director for Susquehanna Broadcasting, he works in commercials and shows, both in television and radio.

Joey finds it a challenge to do the exercises he needs to so he can maintain his strength and regain more function. He’s busy with his own work, as well as helping his wife with her business. But he is confident he will be able to achieve his goal. As a ballroom dance instructor at Irem Temple Country Club, Joey thought of a way to make therapy fun. He taught his therapist some ballroom dance steps so they could practice as part of his therapy. He laughs that while he threw her for a loop, she did a great job.

Joey credits the therapists at Allied for his recovery. The time they took with him and their willingness to participate made all the difference. He said at each session they started fresh and were determined to help him regain more function.

When asked what his dreams are for the future, Joey says, “I would like to fly upside down again! It’s so much fun!” A commercial pilot, Joey has to reestablish his license to get back to his favorite hobby. He still has problems with his memory so it will be another challenge, but this seventy year old is more than ready to take it on.

Natalie spent a month as an inpatient at Allied Rehab Hospital in Scranton, where she worked with physical therapist Gina Tomassoni, who specializes in working with patients with Spinal Cord Injuries. Natalie had also broken her wrist in the accident, making therapy even more challenging. Still, she says Gina was able to help her gain strength and learn to transfer herself in and out of her wheelchair. “Gina was great,” says Natalie. “She made me feel so much more independent.”

By the time Natalie “graduated” from the inpatient Spinal Cord Injury program and became an outpatient, her wrist was out of its cast. This allowed her physical therapist, Stacey Cox, to help her get much stronger, and learn new ways to move. Stacey She also worked with occupational therapist Stephanie Maciolek, on hand therapy to get back strength and full function in her wrist.

“Stacey was amazing, and so was everyone I worked with at Allied,” says Natalie. “Stacey is dedicated to making sure I get the most of each time I go to therapy, which is now three times a week. My spinal cord was not severed, so there is a good possibility I can regain more function.”

Natalie, now 21, lives with her aunt in Throop, and with her three cats. She’s “negotiating” with her aunt to get a dog too. Originally from Avoca, Natalie would like to return there someday. But first she would like to return somewhere much more important to her. She wants to get back to Wilkes University and pick up where she left off before her accident.

Natalie has learned to drive through the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, and she is not sure whether to commute to school, or to live on campus. Either way, she is happy to move ahead in her studies and with her life.

A very good student, Natalie is majoring in biology. She hopes to get into dental school someday. If she is as persistent in school as she has been with her therapy at Allied, she will be very successful, as a dentist or whatever path she chooses to take.

Natalie’s positive attitude shines through whenever she talks. Asked what kind of music she likes, she said, “I like all music, but I love country.” Asked about schook, she says, “I can’t wait to get back. I just feel smarter when I’m studying and learning.” Asked which therapist at Allied she was closest to, she just couldn’t choose a favorite, “All of the therapists I worked with at Allied were amazing!”

Esther took part in physical therapy with Mark Rowan in Heinz’s Sports and Spine Center and Kelly Martin-Johnson for the arthritis program. “I experienced an excellent recovery,” says Esther. “I had no limp at all. Mark and Kelly were amazing, as was Diane, the physical therapist in the pool.” The pool was very helpful to Esther. It gave her more range of motion. She’s been swimming at Heinz Rehab for the eight years she’s been a patient.

During the eight years she was in therapy, Esther suffered more broken bones. Then she developed Parkinson’s Disease, which complicated everything. Now Esther’s therapy included LSVT Big and Loud, as part of Allied’s Parkinson’s program.

“Roz Rowan is a very excellent therapist,” says Esther. “She had me doing things I never thought I could do. I no longer need my cane at my house or at a meeting. When I go out I take it for balance, but that is it.”

Esther states firmly, “I am absolutely more independent than I would have been without therapy. Even major cities don’t’ have programs like Heinz has. I was able to take advantage of ongoing programs, new outpatient programs. I hope to continue to participate even when I’m no longer a patient.”

Esther’s future plans include more swimming, more physical therapy and exercise for Parkinson’s and arthritis. When in California, Esther took Tai Chi and really loved it. She plans on taking another class through Heinz. Twice a week Esther takes ballroom dance classes with two instructors. The female instructor demonstrates with the male, then Esther dances the same steps with him.

“The most important thing is for people in Northeastern Pennsylvania to know Allied and Heinz exist. Even people in big cities don’t have resources like them,” says Esther. “Anything you are challenged by you can learn to cope with through therapy. The most important gift you can give anyone is hope. And Heinz gives that to people. They gave it to me.”

“They didn’t know what it was at first,” she said about the stroke. “I was paralyzed. I could only move my eyes.”

After a month in an acute care hospital, Ellen worked very hard with therapists for three months in an inpatient setting to regain her ability to swallow, talk, dress herself and walk. She continued working on her recovery during a year as an outpatient at Heinz Rehab.

“I was really confused at first. In my mind, I knew I could do these things,” she said about relearning to dress herself and walk. “Looking back, it was kind of amazing I recovered so fast.”

Ellen sets goals for herself and keeps achieving one after the other. She was a bridesmaid in her sister’s wedding, proudly walking down the aisle in a pair of heels with the assistance of a cane. She also was able to finish her degree at Shippensburg and is now earning a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling at the University of Scranton. She wants a career helping others get through challenges similar to those she faced.

Now a very confident and independent young woman, Ellen speaks clearly and needs only a brace on her right leg to walk. She is able to drive with an assistive device for her car. Because she is so positive and so determined to make the most out of her experiences, last year Ellen was awarded the Patsy Foy Memorial Award for Courage at a That All May Worship Conference on Disability. The conference is held each year at Heinz Rehab Hospital, the very place where Ellen spent so much time displaying that courage and determination to recover.

Ellen is hoping her success will inspire others, not only through her career, but also through a support group she cofounded with another young stroke survivor, Lou Marino of Plains. The support group is called SAY, an acronym for Stroke Affects the Young. Both Ellen and Lou had tried other support groups for stroke survivors but said many of the topics discussed there had little relevance to their own ongoing struggles. At SAY, the focus is on things like returning to school or work, caring for children, social activities, etc., unlike many support groups where most survivors are older and retired.

Ellen has a bright future ahead and will surely remain an inspiration to fellow students, colleagues, support group members, and those she will counsel in the years to come.

Lou was divorced and home with his six year old and two year old when he ran upstairs to put on his pajamas. His ears started buzzing and he got dizzy. He ran down the stairs and tossed his cellphone to his daughter and told her to call 911. Then he ran outside and started screaming to his neighbors for help. All he could think about was what would happen to his kids. Luckily a neighbor came to his rescue, took care of the children while the ambulance arrived for Lou.

At first, the doctors suspected a seizure and gave him medication for it, which only made him sicker. His sister had contacted his girlfriend, who rushed to the hospital. She noticed Lou’s speech was getting worse and his movements were off on one side, so asked about stroke. Once neurologists examined him, they agreed and rushed him to Danville for surgery, which was successful in clearing the blockage.

Lou spent the next few days in ICU in an acute care hospital. When he was moved out of ICU, he immediately began physical therapy. They worked on some core strength and balance exercises. After a week in the hospital, Lou was transferred to Heinz Rehab Hospital???

Initially, Lou had no idea how hard therapy would be. He now understands that therapists were trying to get as much functional gain from him in as short a time as possible. “This rehab was extra tough on me because I asked for it,” says Lou. “I respect each and every therapist for dishing it out.”

Lou’s stroke caused significant muscular damage, but he is so grateful his intellect remained intact. “I’ve had to learn to swallow and walk again,” Lou says. “But I returned to work, and my family and I are together again.”

Back when Lou was in inpatient rehab, he realized the one thing he didn’t have in common with the other stroke survivors was age. He realized stroke does not discriminate by age, and in fact, some strokes happen before the patient is even born.

When Lou began attending a support group for stroke survivors, he couldn’t relate as well to the older members, who had different issues than he did. Most were retired with grown children. But he met Ellen Rome, a college student whose stroke occurred when she was only 22. Together, they founded SAY or Strokes Affect the Young, a support group for younger survivors where they can discuss things like school, returning to work, childcare issues, and more.

Lou continues to practice guitar, which helps with his fine motor skills. He was always inspiring as a performing artist, and a father. Now he also inspires other young people who suffer a stroke, by sharing his struggles and his triumphs.

Beth told the other teachers, and they called the nurse’s office. Once the nurse saw her, the school administration called 911 and her husband.

Then there was an ambulance ride, the dispatcher telling the hospital at Anne Arundel Medical Center to assemble the team of doctors, the rush of doctors at the hospital, and Beth telling the doctors they needed to save the baby. Never does she remember hearing the word “stroke.” She remembers seeing her husband come into the hospital and then she started going unconscious.

During that time, she felt like she was dying, as her body went limp. Then, in a vision, she saw her friend Erin Hammond, who died earlier that year. Erin told Beth she couldn’t die, and then everything went black.

Beth woke four days later, unable to speak or walk, her parents and husband at the bedside and her baby born, staying in the neo-natal intensive care unit.

From there, she and her son’s life became a series of hospital and rehabilitation appointments. Young Michael’s lungs weren’t fully formed, and his early days in the NICU were difficult for the family.

Because Beth had recovering of her own to do, she and her child could only see each other during special visits. Using video cameras and cell phones, Beth could see and hear her child. They both were released from the hospital in March 2007.

Beth tried rehab at a hospital in Maryland, but was unsatisfied with her progress. Luckily there was a renowned rehabilitation center close to her parents’ home in Dallas, that offered her technology she didn’t have in Maryland… Heinz Rehab Hospital.

The stroke drastically affected Beth and her family, as she needed to re-learn how to use the left side of her body. “My baby and I learned to walk together,” Beth says. While she was taking her first steps in rehabilitation, her son was taking his first steps, too.

“There have been a lot of days I’ve cried, but a lot of days I smile, because I have my son and I have my husband,” said Beth, now 29.

Because Beth lost the use of her left side, she continues to work on developing the nerves and muscles in her body and re-train her brain to use her left hand and leg. Her support system includes her parents, her brother James and sister Sarah, and her husband – who has been a pillar of strength for the whole family, she said.

Throughout the five years since her stroke, Beth has remained upbeat, and encourages people to be aware that strokes can happen to people at a young age. She and her husband are thinking of writing a book to tell their story.

As she says, she and her husband were married, had a child, and she almost died all in the matter of seven months. “There is a silver lining here,” Beth said. “It was a tragedy, but my son is normal and healthy.”

After about two months as an inpatient at Allied Rehab Hospital, where he received four hours of intense physical and occupational therapy per day, he began treatment as an outpatient.

Kiel said even when he couldn’t pick up his arms or his head, his therapists knew just how far to push him and when to hold back. He couldn’t sit up straight in a chair. His therapists patiently guided him through repetitive exercises designed to build his strength and endurance.

“I went from relying on so many people, my family, my doctors and therapists. Now I am living alone, and am fully independent,” says Kiel. “When my accident happened, I was so young I didn’t realize what I’d have to do. But now I’m totally fine all by myself.”

Kiel had a goal to walk by the time he graduated high school. He did it even before then, with braces, at Senior Night for Basketball. The second time was when he walked across the stage to receive his diploma, a moment that thrilled his family, his therapists, his teachers, his fellow students, and all the people who watched it on TV.

When asked what he learned through all his experiences, Kiel says, “I learned not to take anything for granted, because it can be gone in the blink of an eye. I realized how much I had to be grateful for. Everyone in Old Forge, my friends, and kids in other schools who supported me. It made me feel so good to think people I barely knew were helping me get better.

“Most of all I realized what my parents mean to me. They were by my side constantly from day one, through thick and thin. Without them I would not have come anywhere near as far as I have.”

“Also, Gina Tomassoni, my inpatient physical therapist was there in the beginning, the hardest part. Then Stacey Cox picked right up where Gina left off. Stephanie Maciolek helped me learn to button and zipper my clothes, and use utensils. I learned how to put my contact lenses in and take them out. Stephanie could always find a way for me to adapt. My therapists were the keys to my independence.”

Kyle, now 19, is studying criminal justice and political science at Kings College in Wilkes-Barre. After earning his bachelors degree, he hopes to go on to law school. When he’s not busy studying, he enjoys weight lifting at the gym, listening to hip hop, and just hanging out with his friends.

Becoming an attorney takes determination. If there is one thing Kiel Eigen has proven to everyone at Allied, it’s that he has what it takes to reach and to go beyond his goals.

Allied Services Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center recently held a luncheon for the Occupational Therapy staff to celebrate Occupational Therapy month. The luncheon was held in the new Occupational Therapy gym, which has a fully equipped kitchen for patients and residents who need to learn activities of daily living skills.

Pictured, from left, front row: Kelly Alt, Tara Mullen, Richelle Steele, Kay Garbett, Larua Swinick, and Katie Slivinski. Back row, from left: Chris Minich, AVP/Assistant Administrator; Yvette Jones; Lise Rice; Tina Scotti; Mark Purcell; Lisa Prizzi; and Laura Sabol.

To schedule an appointment, call: 1.888.REHAB.PA. Please note that you must schedule a screening. Spots are limited, and walk-ins are not permitted.