Our Tuesday featured patient is Jeff! Jeff has been training with VIP for over 5 years after suffering from multiple strokes. He works hard at VIP every week and is known for his belief that being a stroke survivor is his superpower! He has made incredible gains with respect to his balance, functional strength, gait pattern and range of motion. Jeff leads by example and inspires all of us to train hard and never give up! Jeff is as tough as they come and inspires us all to find our own superpower to fight through life's challenges. We also featured Jeff's story, in his own words, back in 2016 and it is definitely worth a read: On December 15th 2013, life as I knew it, changed forever. It started as a normal enough day, once I got to work, I started to feel tired and sick. I thought I was coming down with the flu, right before the holidays no less. I grabbed my things, told my boss I was going home sick, and I'd be back in a few days. I then proceeded to drive 20 miles home on the freeway. To this day, I don't remember much of the drive. Once I arrived home, a quick thinking family member realized the truth --- I was having a stroke. 911 was called, EMS arrived & I was taken to Grossmont Hospital. After running a series of tests, I was admitted to the ICU. My prognosis was not good. I had lost everything, toes to nose, on my right side. I couldn't even swallow. After 7 days, I'd improved enough to be transferred to the neuro unit. After 5 days, on Christmas Day, I was sent to inpatient rehab. That started 6 weeks of intense therapy, speech, PT, OT, etc. Finally, on February 7th, I was discharged home. In a wheel chair. Months later, I would learn that I actually had 4 bilateral strokes. The cause has never been determined, despite extensive testing and numerous doctor visits. I started outpatient therapy a few days later. Three days a week, 3 hours a day. I continued to improve. I was able to trade the wheelchair for a cane and leg brace. On November 11th, 2014, I returned to work part time. I'm very lucky to have such a great employer. Fast forward, to today, I'm working about 20 hours a week and still in therapy. I'm blessed to be able to go to VIP Neuro rehab. It would have been easy to give up and focus on what I'd lost. Instead, I used what I did have left to improve. Remarkably, my cognitive skills weren't damaged -- I couldn't speak, but I was texting away in the neuro unit. It's been a battle and the improvements have at time been slow in coming. Luckily, I'm rather stubborn. A cousin told me that you don't really miss things until they're gone. How true! Learning to function as a one handed lefty has been a real challenge. So has the near constant fatigue. My outlook on life has changed dramatically. I'm more grateful than ever now. One day at a time, one step at a time.
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Our first "tough as they come" patient is Jeffrey! He truly exemplifies our toughness series this week. Jeffrey was born with CP and joined our VIP family several years ago. He is a driven patient who truly cares about VIP and the members of the VIP team. He is always enthusiastic and utilizes goal setting to keep himself motivated. Jeffrey has a desire to not only achieve his own goals but to inspire others to reach their goals as well. The VIP team is proud to feature Jeffrey for his determination and positive attitude! Way to go! Check out Jeffrey's video as he shares his experience with VIP! VIP's New Lokomat Nanos has arrived! We are truly grateful for the huge fundraising push in 2019 that made this possible! Our main supporters were the Cushman Foundation: Making a Difference Grant 2019 and Beyond the Teams. Schedule a tour today! Big Things are coming in 2020 at VIP! Due to many generous donations, the Cushman Foundation and the Beyond the Teams Ride, VIP has achieved our largest goal to date – purchasing a 2nd Lokomat for VIP! The Lokomat Nanos, by Hocoma, is an assisted treadmill which allows patients to walk upright, with the support of a harness and robotic leg controls. Our technician is able to adjust the system to each patient’s specific needs, such as, walking speed, weight bearing, and gait pattern. Almost all our patients can benefit from this technology and it is one of the most advanced therapies available for gait training and neurological re-training today. VIP is currently the only public facility in Southern California to offer this technology and thus has seen a high volume of patients desiring to utilize this machine. The ability to have multiple Lokomats at our facility will ensure that all patients are able to access the Lokomat without delay! The Lokomat Nanos, by Hocoma, is over $200,000 and due to all the generous support in 2019, VIP will be able to purchase this machine outright. We are amazed at this support and look forward to early 2020 when this machine will be delivered to our facility! We wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! We are honored to have Beyond the Teams supporting VIP this year with their inaugural 1,000 mile bike ride! This video shares the heart of Beyond the Teams and their goal with the organization. Worth the watch! Also, join us Saturday, October 5th for our Send Off Party for the Beyond the Teams Riders! Beyond the Teams is getting recognition as they prepare for their 2019 Bike Ride Fundraiser and they are sharing VIP as well! Check out this article just published by WND about Beyond the Teams and their upcoming mission for VIP! WND EXCLUSIVE by Art Moore RETIRED NAVY SEALS DEPLOY FOR ANOTHER MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 'Brotherhood' plans 1,000-mile journey to help wounded, marginalized Published: 2 days ago https://www.wnd.com/2019/03/retired-navy-seals-deploy-for-another-mission-impossible/ VIP's patient, Elliot, was featured in the Cincinnati Enquirer this week! Our patients have the most inspiring stories and we are so proud of the hard work put in to recovery. Check out the article here! A quick shout out to a few community members that generously supported VIP NeuroRehabilitation Center over the weekend! A BIG THANK YOU to Dawn at Mega Western for donating new faucets for the restrooms at VIP and Curtis at Stars and Pipes Plumbing for donating your services to VIP to install the new faucets in the restrooms! We are so thankful and love seeing the community come together to support for VIP! Also, this would not have been possible without the time and effort of our patient, Jeff, who coordinated these donations. Awesome! Tomorrow (Sept. 5th) is a BIG day at VIP!!! Mike Charbonnet will be finishing his fundraising ride, 650+ miles from San Francisco to San Diego, over 9 days, at VIP's facility (7340 Trade Street, Suite F San Diego 92121)!!! If you are in the area come and cheer him to the finish line!
**We expect him in the afternoon but will update this post with exact times shortly** Check out his fundraising page at https://www.facebook.com/charboscharge to see his journey! Today is the day! Mike Charbonnet drove up to San Fransisco yesterday and is beginning his 650+ mile bike ride down the coast to raise support for VIP NeuroRehab! Please follow Charbo's Charge page for daily updates! Donations to VIP can be made online or if you would like to pledge per mile, please email Janet at office@vipneurorehab.org! |
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