Success Stories

After nearly two weeks in critical care without any signs of progress, James’ physicians spoke to his wife about his condition and counseled her that he might not survive. That night she went home and prayed and wrote him a letter that she read to him the next day, expressing her wish for him to get better and come home, but if it was his time she was willing to accept this and let him go. When she had finished, James squeezed her hand and this marked a turning point in what would be an amazing recovery.

James was able to be transferred to Kindred Hospital San Antonio Central where he would be able to receive advanced respiratory therapy and rehabilitation, as well as wound care and ongoing medical treatment. With dedicated work from his respiratory therapists, James was able to be weaned successfully from the ventilator in just under a month after arrival; he would then go on to have the breathing tube removed and make excellent progress with his physical and occupational therapists before finally being discharged to continue with aggressive rehabilitation before going home.

“There is very good teamwork here at Kindred, and you know that teamwork makes the dream work!” quipped James before leaving the facility. “All the staff are compassionate and excellent in their fields – Meg, my wound care nurse, played music and helped my wounds get better. Thanks to Ryan – my case manager -- for finding the right rehab place, and special thanks to all my nurses and CNAs. And also to Nelson who checked on me every night and everyone else who helped me recover.”

Once Ruben became stable, he was transferred to Kindred Hospital San Antonio Central to begin respiratory therapy and rehabilitation. At the beginning of his stay Ruben exhibited a great deal of confusion about his condition and even removed his breathing tube a couple of times. He was also clearly frustrated at not being able to communicate and the fact that he was still dependent on his caregivers for all his needs. With diligent care and support from his team and family, Ruben started to make progress and was able to be weaned from the ventilator not long after arriving. As he improved, his outlook and mood also got better and he then was helped by his speech pathologist to speak and swallow again, allowing him to begin drinking and eating a normal diet once again.

Ruben’s physical and occupational therapists helped him regain his strength and mobility as well as the ability to take care of his personal needs and, by the time he was discharged to return home, Ruben was up and walking with the aid of a walker and looking forward to a full recovery. “This has been the first year I didn’t put in a vegetable garden,” Ruben shared before he was discharged. “I want to thank all the staff at Kindred – you are very caring and compassionate and willing to help with my recovery. I would recommend Kindred to my family.”

At the hospital, Matthew remained in critical condition until he finally began to show signs of recovery. When he was stable, arrangements to transfer Matthew to Kindred Hospital San Antonio Central were made and he immediately began to receive respiratory therapy and rehabilitation as well as wound care and dialysis. His recovery at Kindred was challenging as Matthew still suffered from an altered mental status and due to COVID-19 visitation restrictions was unable to see any family members in person, although frequent contact through electronic media aided his recovery.

After over a month at Kindred, Matthew was finally able to be weaned off the ventilator and his mental faculties rapidly improved. Soon after this accomplishment he was able to have the breathing tube removed and his speech pathologist assisted Matthew to recover his voice and the ability to swallow, enabling him to start to eat and drink a regular diet. He also made significant progress prior to being discharged with his physical and occupational therapists who helped him get back up to his feet and walking with the aid of a walker as well as getting back the ability to take care of his daily needs.

“It was so nice to finally see Matthew up and awake,” members of his care team shared prior to his discharge. “As he is now able to talk and communicate we have come to discover he has a great sense of humor. It’s wonderful to be able to interact with him and we wish him all the best!”

He was rushed to the hospital where physicians had to place him on a ventilator to support his lungs and diagnosed him as suffering from acute pneumonia. At the hospital, Marcus remained in a coma and was in poor physical shape as he was also very overweight.

When his doctors managed to stabilize his condition, Marcus was transferred to Kindred Hospital San Antonio Central to receive advanced respiratory therapy and medical management, and begin rehabilitation and nutritional counseling. When he first arrived at Kindred, Marcus was still in a coma, and when he finally regained consciousness he was extremely confused and emotional about his situation.

The beginning of his recovery was difficult as he was unable to communicate verbally and relied on his team of caregivers for all his needs. His respiratory team applied aggressive respiratory therapy to strengthen his lungs and soon Marcus began to make progress. His dietitian managed his nutrition which he was receiving by means of a feeding tube and helped Marcus begin to lose weight, which also contributed to his recovery. His physical and occupational therapists worked diligently with Marcus to help him regain his mobility and independence and he was soon up on his feet and walking short distances with assistance.

As his lung function improved, Marcus was able to begin communicating with a speaking valve and not long afterward he was able to be successfully weaned from the ventilator. This milestone allowed Marcus to be discharged from Kindred to return home and continue his recovery with home health. He still had the breathing tube in place due to the fact that he needed supplemental breathing assistance, but once Marcus had lost forty pounds he was able to have the tube removed.

Just recently, Marcus visited the hospital to share some great news. “I just graduated from barber school!” Marcus said. “I wanted to come by and say thank you again to everyone who helped to save my life. I am especially grateful to Sherie, Heather and Chelby for doing an outstanding job with my physical therapy and rehab – they never gave up on me – and also to my speech therapist for helping me speak again. I’ve now lost a total of eighty pounds!”

Physicians diagnosed Michael to be suffering from pneumonia that was escalating rapidly. Unfortunately, his condition was very severe and it led to respiratory failure. He had to be given a breathing tube so a ventilator could support his lungs. Unable to eat or drink, he also was given a feeding tube to administer nutrition. Michael’s medical condition was further complicated as he developed kidney failure and became septic; his gallbladder also was affected. He suffered from numerous reactions to medications and was in a very critical state when he was transferred to Kindred Hospital San Antonio Central.

When Michael arrived at Kindred he began to receive advanced pulmonary therapy and his physical and occupational therapists started the process of rehabilitation to help restore his strength and mobility. Progress was very slow at first as he was severely weakened by his condition, but step by step, Michael and his family began to see glimmers of hope since he was first admitted to a general hospital over three months ago.

“I honestly felt I was going to die,” Michael shared. “It’s been very frustrating because of how long it has taken to get to this point, but since coming to Kindred I am much more encouraged. I’ve gotten a lot of positive reinforcement. Shawn, my therapist, works me hard and my respiratory therapist Celia is very helpful and kind.”

“My wife and daughter have been saying to me ‘come home!’ and it looks like I’m finally getting close to being able to do that,” Michael affirmed. “After three months of lying in a hospital bed I am finally able to stand and I’m getting stronger every day.”

At the hospital, physicians determined that Yolanda had suffered a heart attack -- she had to undergo surgery to place two stents in arteries that were blocked. Yolanda also developed additional complications, including a septic infection and a spasm in her trachea, requiring a breathing tube to be placed in order for the ventilator to be able to adequately support her lungs.

She remained at the general hospital for an extended period of time as Yolanda was not making much progress toward recovery – she was retaining a great amount of excess fluid and was not able to be taken off the ventilator. Only when she had become sufficiently stable was Yolanda cleared to be transferred to Kindred Hospital San Antonio Central to receive advanced respiratory therapy and rehabilitation.

When she first arrived, Yolanda was understandably nervous after a prolonged hospitalization. She needed support and encouragement from her team of caregivers to overcome her anxiety about the aggressive respiratory treatments her therapists started to strengthen her lungs. She experienced a few setbacks along the way, but day by day Yolanda made progress and was able to tolerate more and more time off the ventilator until she was able to be weaned successfully, requiring only supplemental oxygen at night. Shortly thereafter she made significant gains with her physical and occupational rehabilitation. as she had lost her mobility and also the ability to take care of her daily needs. She had to relearn how to do simple things like grooming herself and brushing her teeth, but she was motivated and encouraged by her team. Yolanda was able to regain virtually all of the abilities to take care of herself and delighted when she was cleared to be discharged from Kindred to return home.

“I can’t believe I’m going home,” Yolanda expressed. “I want to especially thank everyone on my respiratory team and Esmeralda in particular for getting me out of my room and keeping me motivated. To all my nurses – thank you for your wonderful care and attention and a special shout-out to Mark for getting me my popsicles and also to Mickey in medical records for bringing me diet root beers and cheering me up. I am determined to lose weight so I can get a kidney transplant and look forward to building up my confidence and endurance.”

Paramedics rushed her to the hospital and she had to be placed on a ventilator as she was unable to breathe on her own. Diagnosed with acute respiratory failure, Rachel remained unresponsive and in a semi-vegetative state; a feeding tube supplied her with nutrition while the ventilator supported her lungs.

After a long period of time without Rachel showing any signs of recovery, her physicians counseled her family that there was no more to be done and recommended taking her off life support. As her family faced having to make an unimaginable decision and just four days after physicians issued a dire verdict, Rachel finally regained consciousness. She was transferred to another hospital and then came to Kindred Hospital San Antonio to receive advanced respiratory therapy and rehabilitation.

Right from the start, even though she was weak from months of bed rest and inactivity, Rachel was motivated and maintained a positive attitude. She had been successfully weaned from the ventilator before she arrived, but was still dependent on supplemental oxygen and still had the breathing tube in place.

Rachel’s respiratory, physical and occupational therapists helped her stage an amazing recovery. Working together with her physicians and nurses, and in just a matter of days, Rachel was able to have the breathing tube removed and was no longer dependent on oxygen. She made incredible gains in the rehab gym as well, and went from being unable to get out of bed and stand on her own to walking with only the assistance of a walker and being able to do all the activities of daily life. Then, not even two weeks into her stay, Rachel was elated when she found out that she was going to be discharged from Kindred to return home.

“It is because of the help that I received here at Kindred that I got better and stronger,” Rachel shared just before she returned to her home. “Now I just want to continue improving so I can go back to playing pool and bingo with my six sisters.”