Success Stories

Once Angel was able to be transferred, he was brought to Kindred Hospital Tarrant County - Arlington to receive respiratory therapy and rehabilitation so he could recover and return home. At the beginning of his stay Angel required assistance from his team of caregivers for all his needs and still depended on the ventilator to support his lungs, but with help from his respiratory therapy team he began to make progress right away and not long after being admitted he was able to be successfully weaned from the ventilator. His next milestone came when his breathing tube was removed and he was cleared to begin to eat and drink a normal diet once again. Angel also made excellent progress with his physical and occupational therapists and by the time he was ready to be discharged he had regained his independence over the activities of daily life.

Angel participated in the outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation program to continue to strengthen his lungs and learn new techniques to avoid further incidents of breathlessness and continue his journey to recovery. “When this all started I was near death,” Angel recalled. “When I came to Kindred I brought with me a positive attitude because I really wanted to get better – I had a really strong will to live! If I ever had to do this again I would come here. People here at Kindred are so nice it’s unreal. I have had no problems and I’m really happy to have been here.”

It was there he was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease that led to Luan needing a ventilator to support his breathing. As he was unable to eat or drink anything, he was given a feeding tube and remained at the hospital until he was stable enough to be transferred to Kindred Hospital Tarrant County - Arlington.

Luan was still dependent on the ventilator when he came to Kindred, but his respiratory therapists started him on a program to reduce his need on artificial respiration and he started to make progress right away. As his lungs became stronger, he also received bedside mobility and strength-building exercises from his physical and occupational therapists. Luan reached a significant milestone when he was able to be taken off the ventilator, and he continued to make excellent progress in other areas of his recovery as well. Aided by a positive and motivated attitude, Luan was able to meet his goals toward his recovery at Kindred. “The care here at Kindred has been great,” Luan affirmed just before he was discharged. “Very caring and friendly staff – I would recommend Kindred to my family and friends.”

When he first came to Kindred, Freddie reported that he was only able to walk about half a block before having to stop, and his goal was to breathe normally and walk without difficulty. He began a pulmonary rehabilitation program with his wife Lue Dean at his side every step of the way and immediately began to show improvements in all areas of his recovery.

On his ‘graduation day’ from the Kindred pulmonary rehabilitation program, Freddie shared that he was looking forward to dancing with Lue Dean again. “My outlook on life is good since coming to pulmonary rehab and I only wish I could have stayed longer,” Freddie said. “This program is awesome and Marty and Kim have done an amazing job of transforming the quality of my life. The genuine care and concern they display for each patient is a joy to behold.”

Freddie was discharged from Kindred and on the day he left, his team of caregivers gathered around Freddie and Lue Dean to wish both of them lifelong health and to thank Freddie for sharing his passion for fun and colorful socks!

He was immobilized with broken bones, fractured ribs and a punctured lung. “Somehow I was able to wiggle around and get the cell phone out of my pocket,” he said. He called his wife, and within an hour a medical helicopter was taking him to a short-term acute care hospital. He stayed there in the Intensive Care Unit for seven weeks and was then admitted to Kindred Hospital. “Really, by that point he was still in critical condition,” his wife said. “He was totally dependent on a ventilator to breathe. The people at the hospital had done everything they could – we just needed to go somewhere where they had expertise in caring for vent patients.” Almost immediately, the caregivers at Kindred Hospital began rehabilitation therapy and the process of weaning John from the ventilator. “He had been on his back for seven weeks, and gradually they kept having him do a little more at a time,” his wife said. “The walking helped him strengthen his lungs.” “I felt like I was making progress, absolutely,” John said. “I’d heard of Kindred before, but I didn’t really know what they did.” Six weeks later, John was released to home care to fully recover. “By the time we left, he was walking, breathing, swallowing and eating,” his wife said. “And it was the teamwork that was great.” “The care was excellent,” John said. “Everybody knew what they were doing and everybody worked together.” “Just excellent.”