On February 12,2019 I got injured while snow blowing our driveway. I slipped on a patch of ice twisting my knee and falling. During that fall I received a tibia plateau fracture, this is the top of the shin bone where it forms the knee joint. I am very stubborn and did not go to the emergency room until the next day, when I couldn’t walk.
On February 14, my 31 year anniversary, my knee was operated on. Bone grafts, plates and ten screws later I awoke to find myself in a cast that went from my hip to ankle and in serious pain. I knew that to go home was not an option at that time as I couldn’t hop up the steps to get into my house or the ones inside of my house. So rehab was the only option I could see. I had been in rehab almost 7 years ago following a brain aneurism, so I knew what to expect as far as intense therapy. I ended up at The Warren Center on February 20, just 6 days after surgery. My team of therapist consisted of pt, ot and speech.
Jeff was the first therapist I met. He is very young, 2 years out of college, tall and thin physical therapist. He has the most caring and compassionate eyes I think I have ever seen. Jeff was tough on me but just what I needed he did not let me slack off, I told him he should have been born in medieval times cause he likes to torture people. I don’t think he thought I was funny. I liked Jeff he pushed me to get stronger.
Little Debbie, occupational therapist (ot) is a quirky, crazy nut, who is always singing and happy. She makes a lasting first impression, or was that she ran me into the wall not once but twice that first day? Anyway she’s a great person with a phenomenal personality. She made therapy fun. I don’t know how many times Debbie made me laugh while I was in rehab, but it was a lot!
Steven another ot is a tall guy who is built like a football player. He is very kind and funny. He loves to get the clients and coworkers going. He offered to share his pizza with me one morning when I was in the therapy room before breakfast, I like to get it done and out of the way so I can relax the rest of the day.
Heather is a spitfire kinda girl. She really cares about people. I witnessed this on multiple occasions. The first was the first or second day I was here. An older gentleman was waiting in the dining room for his dinner and he wasn’t getting it so he got upset and left after asking multiple times for his food. Heather pushed him back into the dining room and personally got him his food and delivered it to him. I admired and respected her from that moment on.
My final therapist I will FOREVER be greatful to. Suzanne is a speech therapist who saw something, I don’t know what, in me from the first time we met. Prior to the aneurysm I wrote poetry and short stories, since the aneurysm I have been unable to find the words to write. I struggled with this because I felt that I would never write again. I have wrote a piece here and there but with extreme difficulty. I expressed this to Suzanne. She said we could fix it. After 7 years I thought it was a lost cause but she was positive she could help me. We worked together 5 days a week and my writing slowly started to emerge, I don’t know if any of it is any good or not since I’m my own worst critic, but I am writing again.
I learned a lot about myself the last few weeks. I came into rehab depressed, feeling sorry for myself and feeling like I was letting people down. I was worried about who was going to take care of the people I love while I’m out of commission. My therapists showed me that I can do more than I think. I am a stronger person than I think. They all had faith in me when I had none in myself. They all were encouraging and helpful and even a little funny. I will forever remember my time here. I owe my therapists a lot of thanks for:
- 1. Believing in me when I couldn’t believe in myself.
- 2. Having faith in me that I could accomplish my goals that they had set for me.
- 3. Encouraging me to overcome any obstacle I came upon.
- 4. Caring about me, and sending me to the ER when they thought something was wrong. (Thank God there wasn’t anything wrong)
- 5. For helping me see that the only person I could let down would be me!
Overall my stay here has been a pleasant one. Most of the nursing staff and aides care,there were very few that I found I clashed with. Overall I had a great and productive stay at The Warren Center.
On Tuesday I will be discharged and return to my life outside of here with a new outlook on life, a renewed love of writing and still a broken leg.
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Life 