Success Stories

She was sent home and shortly afterward family members came over and noticed that things with Michelle weren’t right. She was rushed to an acute care facility and was found to be suffering from a stroke caused by a blood clot. Within two days Michelle would have a total of three strokes and also needed dialysis as her kidneys began to fail. She remained at the facility until she was medically stabilized and then transferred to Kindred Hospital Indianapolis for ongoing care and rehabilitation. At the beginning Michelle had no control over her arms or legs and required maximum assistance from her caregivers for all her needs. As her rehab team worked with her, she began to recover her fine motor skills and independence and steadily improved until she was able to manage the tasks of daily life and begin to walk with a rolling walker.

“I am truly thankful for the journey I had to take and the meaning behind it,” Michelle reflected. “I am especially thankful to still be here considering I was not diagnosed properly the first time and grateful to my family and friends who have all been great and very supportive. This ordeal has brought my family even closer and now I’m going to slow down, think about the choices I am about to make before committing myself, and get ready to start a new journey into my second life.”

Donald’s condition worsened overnight and he had to be admitted to an acute care facility where he was diagnosed with critically low levels of iron and blood sugar. He was given two emergency blood transfusions and started on additional treatments, remaining at the facility for a few weeks before he could be transferred to Kindred Hospital Indianapolis North. Donald was placed under the care of an interdisciplinary team and started on respiratory therapy and rehabilitation to help him regain his strength and mobility. He was monitored closely for oxygen saturation levels and instructed on energy conservation strategies to assist his ongoing recovery. By the time Donald was ready to be discharged he was back up on his feet, walking with minimal assistance and independent with all the tasks of daily life.

“Some days are a lot harder than others and you’ve got to keep your head up because you have to be able to see what you have to do next. Don’t stop and keep moving – even when depression sets in,” Donald shared before he left Kindred to return home. “I’m very thankful for the respiratory team for helping me and encouraging along the way. Kindred Indianapolis North is the best!”

He was dependent on high-flow oxygen and very weak from the virus, but he was eager to recover and he put all of his efforts into every therapy session. At the beginning of his stay, Jerry would get winded quickly and needed frequent breaks, but as his respiratory team helped him recover his lung strength he was able to do more in the rehab gym and progressed quickly. By the time Jerry was ready to be discharged he only needed supplemental oxygen, he was independent in all the activities of daily life and had regained his mobility and fine motor skills.

“I’m thankful for air!” Jerry shared before he left Kindred to return home. “You never know how much you need it until you don’t have it anymore. God and my team of caregivers really made it happen and it feels really good to be able to pull on a pair of pants!”

She was rushed to an acute care hospital and was found to have dangerously low blood oxygen levels and started to receive supplementary oxygen. Her COVID-19 test was positive and Susan was admitted to the ICU. Although she would not need to be intubated and placed on a ventilator, she remained in the ICU for two weeks on high-flow oxygen and was finally able to be transferred to Kindred Hospital Indianapolis North to receive respiratory care and rehabilitation. With diligent care from her entire team of caregivers, Susan made steady progress in all areas of her recovery and was soon able to get back the ability to do the tasks of daily life, allowing her to return home with her husband of 47 years and continue her recovery.

“When I first became sick and just before I passed out I thought I was going to die,” Susan recalled. “Then when I came to Kindred I was scared and disoriented, but once I got here I felt like I was in a Snow White movie – everyone has been so good to me! I will never forget you and all you did for me. One of my passions in life is photography and during these times of COVID all you can see are a person’s eyes. When I looked in everyone’s eyes here I could always see their passion and that helped me feel like everything was going to be okay. I love you all!”

She was placed on a ventilator to support her lungs and started on antibiotics for pneumonia and additional infections. When Beverly was ready to be transferred to another facility to continue her journey to recovery, she was brought to Kindred Hospital Indianapolis North and began to receive respiratory therapy. As her lungs became stronger, she relied less and less on mechanical respiration and was soon able to be taken off the ventilator completely. Beverly also made great progress with her therapy team and started to regain the strength she had lost as she regained the ability to perform the tasks of daily life. With her sights set on getting back home, Beverly continued to apply herself to her rehab sessions and was optimistic and grateful to be on the road to recovery.

“What I’ve experienced here is amazing grace,” Beverly shared. “I am thankful for life and my daughter, she is my world and I cannot imagine living without her. I will continue to find comfort in my recovery and keep a positive attitude until my strength returns.”

Brad’s condition however was complicated by asthma and fungal spores that posed an additional challenge to his recovery, but he was fortunate that his physician was at the forefront of treatments with experimental drugs and steroids that helped Brad begin his journey to recovery sooner. By the time he came to Kindred Hospital Indianapolis North, Brad was starting to show significant improvement and he began to receive respiratory therapy and rehabilitation from a multidisciplinary team. He made steady progress and started to get back the strength he had lost, needing only supplemental oxygen to aid his recovery and ensure he maintained appropriate levels of blood oxygen. By the time Brad was ready to be discharged he was up on his feet, walking with a walker and getting back the ability to do the simple tasks of daily life before going home with his wife.

“Because both my wife and I were sick at the same time and due to visitor restrictions, it was hard on our family who couldn’t come to see us,” Brad shared. “That said, I am truly thankful to all the health care workers who risk their lives every day to save the lives of others – and Kindred has some very dedicated employees. My rehab team gave me a great deal of help getting me back in shape and working with me to regain my strength – thank you all for a job well done! I also would like to say that this was the best winter ever – and I say that because I never once had to shovel snow!”

In mid-December of last year Steve and his wife both became ill, and as his condition worsened he had to be taken to the ER and was found to be positive for COVID-19. When his lungs failed, Steve had to be placed on a ventilator and started on treatments to begin what would be a long journey to recovery. After a prolonged stay in the acute care facility, Steve was finally able to be transferred to Kindred Hospital Indianapolis North to begin respiratory therapy and rehabilitation. With dedicated care from his team of therapists, nurses, physicians and assistants, Steve began to show signs of progress and steadily improved in all areas of his recovery plan. He was weaned from the ventilator and needed only supplemental oxygen to support his ongoing recovery. Expert guidance from his physical and occupational and physical therapists helped Steve overcome the profound weakness he felt after such a long period of illness and bedrest, and he was able to start getting up on his feet, doing more and more of the activities of daily life, and getting back his independence.

“I’m truly thankful for my family, and especially my wife, who has been at my side these last few months,” Steve shared. “I’m also grateful for my kids and grandkids and friends who have been there for me too. For anyone else going through this my advice to you is don’t give up – even though some days may seem grim, trust your doctors and your team of caregivers. I beat COVID! I recommend Kindred Hospital Indianapolis North – the staff here is very caring and they all work very well together.”

Earlier this year while celebrating her birthday at her sister’s house, she suddenly collapsed and had to be rushed to a general hospital where she was diagnosed with pneumonia and began to receive treatment and had to be placed on a ventilator. After a short stay at the facility, Linda was able to be taken off the ventilator and transferred to Kindred Hospital Indianapolis North to receive ongoing care and rehabilitation.

At the beginning of her stay at Kindred, Linda was very weak and required assistance from her caregivers to sit up and take care of her daily needs. She was also still receiving nutrition from a feeding tube, but she was eager to recover and applied herself to all of her therapy sessions and quickly made progress. With support from her husband and family, Linda improved every day and she soon was able to begin with a modified diet and then transitioned to regular food. She also was able to start moving more independently and walk with the aid of a walker as she quickly regained her strength.

By the time Linda was discharged to continue her journey to recovery she was glad to have made a great deal of progress during her stay. “When I first was put on the ventilator I thought it was permanent because I was so confused,” Linda recalled. “Now that I’ve been healed I am grateful to have the opportunity to get back to my life. My husband has been great and travelled all the way from Lafayette to be here with me and has given me all the support I could ever need along with friends and family who also came from far away. The staff at Kindred has been very nurturing and caring – they are all a joy to talk to and I love the personal touch that they give to each patient.”

She underwent a series of procedures and started to receive antibiotic therapy. When she had been stabilized she then was transferred to Kindred Hospital Indianapolis North for ongoing care and rehabilitation.

With her husband at her side providing constant support, Margaret started to receive physical and occupational therapy to restore her strength, mobility and independence to allow her to return home and back to her life. She was always eager and enthusiastic about her therapy sessions and quickly made progress, going from being dependent on her caregivers for all her needs to getting up and walking with the aid of a rolling walker and regaining independence over the activities of daily life. By the time she was discharged from Kindred, Margaret was nearly ready to go home and she eagerly looked forward to that day. “I am really thankful for being alive!” Margaret affirmed. “I am also really thankful for my family who demanded that I go to the hospital – without their persistence I never would have made it.”

When Jo arrived at Kindred, she was under a great deal of stress and was unsure if this was the right choice for her. However, her wound care team and nursing staff made Jo feel at ease and her recovery began to move forward. “At first I wasn’t a big fan of Kindred,” Jo stated. “Since I came here however, I have a whole new appreciation, and it’s been a long time since I truly met other ‘kindred spirits.’”

In the time since her arrival, one of Jo’s major wounds has healed completely and the other three wounds are well on their way to closing up as well. “The whole staff – especially my wound care team of Melissa and Rachel – are the best!” Jo said. “Their care and the positive atmosphere here reduced my stress level so I could sleep better, which has helped my recovery. I am so happy that my wounds are finally healing!”

Jo, all of us at Kindred are behind you every step of the way and know that you will continue to get better! Your tenacity and positive attitude are an inspiration to all of us.