Charles Z.
From Abscesses on His Brain to Home Bound
Charles Zatopek was a patient admitted to Kindred Hospital Sugar Land with a medical diagnosis of sepsis and respiratory failure related to abscesses in the brain. He had significant functional impairments and required complete assistance with mobility and activities of daily living upon admission.
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Mr. Zatopek had a long hospital course, with ups and downs, but through out his stay the hospital team encouraged him to stay positive. He had high hopes that he could eventually make it home.
Michelle Jardinel, COTA assisted Mr. Zatopek with Occupational therapy, and progressed his rehab from bed level exercise to high level standing balance activities in the gym.
Donna Rizkallah, PTA worked in the gym to improve his scissoring walking pattern, very commonly seen in neurological patients. Working in the Rehab gym, Mr. Zatopek stated, "I don't even remember my first few days here, I was so out of it. But now I can walk and I sure hope I can go home!”
With perseverance, Mr. Zatopek will be able to finish his speech therapy at an outpatient clinic, and was successful in leaving Kindred for HOME!
Diana
Journey to Recovery
Diana was admitted to Kindred Hospital suffering from respiratory failure and sepsis due to multi-drug resistant pneumonia. When she came to the Kindred ICU, she had been on a ventilator for two months. She was extremely weak, unable to move, speak or eat, and relied on a feeding tube for all her nutrition.
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Early in her journey, her husband was told that she was not expected to make it through the weekend. "I knew I was very sick, but I'm glad no one told me I wasn't expected to make it! I think that it would've taken away all my hope" Diana said.
She also recalled the moment that marked a turning point for her. "I was lying in the ICU and focused on one thought; 'God, there's plenty more you have for me to do.' And that was what helped me - it gave me the determination to get well.”
Under the skillful treatment of her team of doctors, as well as the daily efforts of the respiratory and nursing teams, she slowly began to improve. Eventually, she was able to wean off the ventilator and have the tracheostomy tube removed when could breathe on her own. Diana remarked, "I had so many tubes coming out of me, to have the breathing tube removed really left me feeling free!”
Her next challenge was to focus more of her energy on regaining her strength with the help of the rehab team. "They kept telling me not to give up. At times I wanted to give up, but they would not give up on me." As she got stronger, her mobility improved and she worked with her speech therapists to re-learn how to swallow and speak again.
Diana continued to improve and was able to be discharged first to a rehab facility, and then to her home to continue on her journey to recovery. It's been several months since she was released and shared that she's overjoyed to be able to do the simple things again, care for her home and her husband. She is back to taking walks in her neighborhood and is able to drive again. "I feel like I'm back to my old self!" Diana said.
”For three months I couldn't move or eat - I couldn't even talk." Diana recalls. "I was lying in bed wondering if I would make it. But with my faith, and with the efforts of all the medical professionals working with me, I have been able to return to my life and to my home!"
All of us at Kindred are profoundly inspired by Diana's determination to regain her health and are proud to have been there to support her. We wish her and her husband a long and healthy lifetime together!