Remarkable Account of Stroke Rehabilitation Gives Hope to all Stroke Victims and their Loved Ones

Moving Story for National Stroke Awareness Month

May is National Stroke Awareness Month and the American Heart Association has published a remarkable story that should give hope to all stroke victims and their loved ones. Basically, Dave Levy was only 30 years and a young doctor flying with his wife Allison from Chicago to a vacation in Hawaii where they were going to celebrate the pregnancy of their first daughter. When the plane was at an altitude of 35,000 feet Dave woke up his sleeping wife and asked her if there was something wrong with his eye. The pupil was dilated and being a doctor, Dave looked out the window at the light which normally should have caused his pupil to constrict. However, this did not help and Dave understood that this was a sign that usually preceded death. He soon lost consciousness and the plane made an emergency landing in Fargo, North Dakota, where he was diagnosed with a stroke that affected his entire body and not only one side. He was not able to breathe on his own or swallow anything and he also suffered from memory loss. These kind of stroke victims usually die.

Stroke Rehabilitation

After some time he was flown back to Chicago and underwent stroke rehabilitation in the same hospital where he had been a resident intern. His therapeutic regime included physical, occupational and speech therapy and he began to get better.

Loving Old Friends and Family Members Helped Dave Get his Memory Back

When old friends came to visit him and walked him around the hospital, his memory began to come back. Also, his wife, friends and family members brought him all kinds of old family photos, videos, letters and other mementoes that helped to restore his memory.

Ditmas Park Rehab/Care Center

This moving true story shows that the proper rehabilitation after a stroke can sometimes restore much of what was lost. It is crucial to start stroke rehabilitation therapy as soon as possible in an excellent residential stroke rehabilitation treatment center like the Ditmas Park Rehab/Care Center in Brooklyn NY. Besides physical, occupational and speech therapy, Ditmas Park also offers music and even pet therapy to help with stroke rehabilitation. For more about stroke rehabilitation please see our earlier blog post from February 22, 2018. For more about music therapy see our post from March 6, 2018. For more about pet therapy benefits please also see our blog from February 8, 2018.

Goal of Rehabilitation to Have Best Possible Quality of Life after a Stroke

Unlike other organs in the body, the brain is not able to repair areas damaged by strokes. Stroke rehabilitation seeks to try to get undamaged parts of the brain to take over the functions of the parts that were destroyed by the stroke. The main goal is to restore as much as possible in order for the patient to have the best quality of life possible after a stroke.

Conclusion

It is crucial to start stroke rehabilitation therapy as soon as possible after a stroke. The main thing is never to give up hope and to have patience. Dave had one of the worst kinds of strokes since it affected both sides of his body. He not only recovered with stroke rehabilitation therapy, but he and his wife are now expecting the birth of their second daughter.