Jane Gerths 2014
On July 10, 2012, Jane arrived to work expecting it to be like any other day. Little did she know, her life was about to change. While she was at work, she noticed her right arm and leg becoming limp and feeling numb. After about three episodes of her upper and lower extremities feeling weak, she was taken to the hospital to find out she had endured a stroke. She couldn’t walk. She couldn’t dress herself and had to learn to use her left hand for writing and eating. “It took a lot of patience…which I don’t have.” Jane participated in Physical and Occupational Therapy for one month while being hospitalized. Jane’s positive attitude helped her persevere through the challenges of therapy. “I had to be positive right from the start because where does getting down in the dumps get me?” During her time in therapy, she began standing by utilizing stander as her “chariot” and then transitioned to walking, trialing multiple types of braces for her right leg. After being in the hospital for a month, she returned home with the help of her family. Jane came to the Wimmer Rehabilitation Department for approximately 6 months for outpatient therapy refining her skills and making her more independent. She recalls a challenging time in therapy, “The therapists made me get down from a bed to the floor and get back up and I asked the therapists, how I was going to do that. They told me I had to figure it out…and I did!" Jane uses a scooter to mobilize herself around town and completes all her self-cares independently. She now walks, shops, cooks and cleans with occasional help. “The best part of therapy was all the therapists, that’s why I enjoy it and got where I am.” Jane and her husband come to the Wellness Center three times a week and continue to encourage others through their journey in rehab.
