Success Stories

She had to be placed on a ventilator when her lungs failed and she remained at the facility until she could be transferred to Kindred Hospital Las Vegas – Sahara to receive respiratory therapy and rehabilitation. When she first arrived, Liliana was unresponsive and still undergoing intensive IV antibiotic therapy to combat a severe lung infection. She slowly began to recover under the care of an interdisciplinary team, and with the support of her family who were always at her bedside. After a month of slow but steady progress Liliana regained consciousness and began to communicate with staff. She was then able to be weaned from the ventilator and began to participate with her rehab therapists, regaining her strength, mobility and independence. Liliana was able to meet or exceed all the goals set for her at the time of her admission and was able to be discharged home to return to her family.

“I’m a very lucky lady to have such a supportive husband and children,” Liliana shared before she was discharged. “I am grateful to be alive and can’t wait to be with my family and watch some scary movies with my grandchildren!”

Although his prognosis was uncertain, his family never gave up hope and James was eventually able to be transferred to Kindred Hospital Las Vegas - Sahara where he could receive respiratory therapy and rehabilitation. Although his journey to recovery would last several months, James always counted on unwavering support from his family and his team of caregivers, and he gradually began to make progress and was able to be taken off the ventilator. He was elated when he was cleared to be able to drink and eat a regular diet and with help from his rehab team James was able to start getting back his strength and mobility. James was finally cleared to be discharged to return home with his family when he was able to walk with assistance from a rolling walker and able to take care of the tasks of daily life.

“I am very excited about finally going home,” James shared before he left Kindred. “I am especially looking forward to meeting my new grandchild that was born while I was in the hospital.”

Once he was stabilized he was transferred to Kindred Hospital Las Vegas Sahara where he could receive respiratory therapy and rehabilitation. At the beginning of his stay, Ron struggled with the challenges he faced, but with strong family support and dedicated care from his team, he began to make steady progress. His respiratory therapists successfully helped Ron regain his lung strength and he was able to be weaned from the ventilator. He then began to see the results of his physical and occupational rehabilitation as he regained his fine motor skills and mobility and went from being bedbound and dependent on his caregivers, to walking and being able to get back his independence over the activities of daily life.

“There were days when I wanted to give up and I felt like I’d never get off life support, but my family wouldn’t let me,” Ron shared. “Then I’d remember what someone said when I first got here ‘welcome Ron, you’re going to be alright,’ and now I’m looking forward to going home to my wife and children. Stratt, Keith, Janet, Millie, and especially Josh in PT and OT were instrumental in getting me back on my feet. And all my nurses and assistants were also part of a great team effort.”

At the ER he tested positive for COVID-19 and had to be admitted to the hospital when he began to have trouble breathing. He was started on high-flow oxygen and then had to be placed on a ventilator and remained in the ICU until he was stabilized and could be transferred to the ICU at Kindred Hospital Las Vegas – Sahara for respiratory therapy and rehabilitation. Richard slowly began to become more alert and oriented and his respiratory therapists helped to strengthen his lungs and lessen his dependency on the ventilator until he was able to breathe normally. Due to the severity of his illness and long period of bedrest, Richard was very weak but he made steady progress with his rehab team and eventually was back up on his feet and starting to walk with assistance. Richard was discharged to continue his journey to recovery and recently came by Kindred to share how much better he is doing.

“I was so grateful and glad to be able to get home in time for the holidays and get back to doing the things I love to do,” Richard shared. “I know that I came very close to death, and now I plan to live my life in appreciation and hope to give back by helping the sick. To everyone at Kindred, thank you! Don’t ever change and keep doing what you’re doing.”

When she started treatment at Kindred she was extremely weak and could barely hold her phone, and although Beatrice experienced a few initial setbacks, with constant support from her team of caregivers she grew more determined to recover and was encouraged by the progress she began to make. To help her wound heal, Beatrice received hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO), during which she would be placed inside a sealed chamber that is then flooded with pure oxygen. She also began to regain her strength and mobility with help from her rehab therapists, and Beatrice began to look forward to her discharge from Kindred to return home and get back to a normal life.

“I knew this wouldn’t be easy, but I didn’t want to spend my life in a bed,” Beatrice shared before she was cleared to be discharged. “Thank you to everyone on staff who cared for me, your kindness and positivity helped my recovery and I will never forget you.”

When he first arrived at Kindred, Willie was still dependent on the ventilator and a feeding tube. He was also very weak and mostly unresponsive. His team of caregivers immediately began to apply proven therapy and respiratory treatments and Willie began to make progress. Within a week of arrival, Willie was improving noticeably and expressed a great interest in eating again, which his team assured him he would be able to do again soon. With encouragement from his team and family, Willie continued improving until the day he was finally able to be taken off the ventilator. This happy milestone marked a big moment in his journey to recovery as he was then able to start using his voice again and, as soon as the breathing tube was removed, his speech therapist helped Willie learn to swallow safely and begin drinking and eating a normal diet.

Willie also made great progress with his physical and occupational therapists and was able to stand and walk once again with minimal assistance and regain his independence over the activities of daily life. Just before he was discharged to return home with his family to Orlando, Florida, Willie enjoyed a celebratory pizza party in the lobby of the facility with his team and members of his family.

“The big smile you see on my face is because of the huge difference you made in my life,” Willie shared. “Thank you.”

Josh was also unable to follow simple commands, but his team of caregivers administered proven respiratory therapy and started him with basic mobility exercises and Josh began to make progress.

Within a week he was noticeably less lethargic and more responsive, and his lung function continued to improve as he regained his strength. Soon after this Josh was able to start sitting up in bed and participating actively with his occupational and physical therapists, and then reached a major milestone when he was able to be taken off the ventilator completely.

Josh continued to improve with his rehabilitation and progressed to being able to stand and walk with minimal assistance by the time he was discharged to continue on his journey to recovery.

At the beginning of his stay, Eric was still in a very delicate condition and remained in the ICU at Kindred under close supervision. His critical care team administered antibiotic treatments through his IV lines to treat his pneumonia and had to place tubes in his chest to drain excess fluid from his lungs. Not long after treatments were started and the medication started to have an effect, Eric’s condition began to improve rapidly. When Eric was able to be taken off the ventilator it was a major milestone and it enabled him to begin conversing with the help of a speaking valve. Shortly afterward he was able to have the breathing tube removed altogether and his speech pathologist helped Eric regain the ability to swallow safely and use his own voice once again. Now able to eat and drink a normal diet and no longer dependent on the feeding tube, Eric’s progress continued at a remarkable pace and he put all his effort into his physical and occupational therapy sessions, gaining more strength every day and getting back his independence over the activities of daily life. “Arlecia and I were delighted when I was discharged to return home and elated that we were going to be able to travel and be with our family over the thanksgiving holiday – thank you all for making this possible,” Eric shared when he and his wife dropped by the facility to say thank you one more time. When Eric’s team gathered together for a group photo there weren’t enough words to describe the amount of joy and pride everyone felt to have played a role in helping Eric’s recovery have such an amazing outcome.

Uncertain of what came next in Jessica’s recovery, or if her daughter would have to spend the rest of her life in an assisted living facility, Jessica’s mother chose Kindred Hospital Las Vegas - Sahara as the next level of care.

Jessica was no longer dependent on a ventilator when she first arrived at Kindred, but she still had a breathing tube in place. She also relied on a feeding tube and she was entirely unresponsive, requiring maximum care from her caregivers. With her mother and other family members at her side from the very beginning, Jessica slowly began to show signs of awareness. When she began to respond with more intention, her team of caregivers began to get Jessica up and out of bed daily and started a more aggressive program of physical and occupational therapy. Jessica was also aided by her speech pathologist to reconnect her speech and vocal pathways, allowing Jessica to begin using words to describe colors as well as to regain the ability to swallow and take food and drink by mouth again once the breathing tube was finally removed.

After spending nearly five months at Kindred, Jessica continued to amaze everyone at the facility with her progress. Her mother was overcome with gratitude when her daughter was able to be discharged to a facility that specializes in brain injury rehabilitation. Her entire team gathered to wish her well and celebrate this major milestone and wish her the best.

Just recently Jessica’s mother called to update the team at Kindred on her progress; “Jessica came back home in October, has continued to improve and now is back to living a normal life,” she said. “She loves doing her makeup and going out shopping with her friends. I can hardly find the words to describe my feelings and I’m very grateful for the care everyone at Kindred provided to help with Jessica’s recovery.”