Rehab Success Story – Fred Kuta
In spite of the loss of all of his toes due to complications from diabetes, Fred Kuta remains positive and motivated. He arrived at Gainesville Health and Rehabilitation in early September for intensive therapy to regain his upper body strength and to heal the wounds from his amputation. He feels that he has made great progress and looks forward to the day when he can go home.
Physical therapy assistant, Kevin Metzger, commented, “Mr. Kuta could easily be the star of an instructional video on the use of a sliding board for transfers, both in and out of bed and to and from the wheelchair. He has become very independent with his sliding board proficiency. He has come a long way since he first got here.“
Kevin added, “He is always very pleasant, respectful, and delightful to work with. He is up early in the morning and willing to do some work. He has been very motivated to work hard. This is not new to him – he has had some life challenges and has learned to overcome adversities.”
As a former drill Sergeant, Fred is familiar with all the tricks to get people to work harder. When they say, “Let’s just try it and see how you do…” he knows what they are up to.
Fred’s wife of 68 years, Jean, said, “This has been so hard for someone as active as Fred has always been. He played football and golf, and was into gardening, square dancing, and round dancing. Even when he could no longer play golf, he had the grandchildren out at the driving ranges, helping to pass on the love of golf to the younger generation.”
Fred shared, “I learned to love gardening at the early age of five or six when my mother taught me how to propagate roses.”
Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Fred graduated from Glenville High School. While a student there, he was a Golden Gloves participant, taught boxing as a student instructor, and was a Student Teacher for preparing students for military service.
Fred entered the U.S. Army on March 20, 1943 and fought in the European Theatre during WWII. He was gravely wounded as a Sherman Tank Commander during a ferocious battle – the Battle of Rheinburg, known in the annals of military history as “Bloody Rheinburg.” The American tank assault on Rheinburg was fatally flawed because of a lack of accurate intelligence analysis and information regarding the superior strength of the German forces located there. Numerous Sherman Tanks of Fred’s Company B were destroyed with heavy losses of life during the horrendous battle. Fred, subsequent to the shelling of his tank, was carried to the Nazi Stalag until the Allies liberated the prisoners.
Friends since around age 10, Jean, who was dating someone else at the time, began writing to Fred while he was in the Army. After he was flown to Crile Army Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio for rehabilitation, Jean rode a series of buses into the city to visit him and the romance bloomed. They were engaged in June 1945 and married a year later.
After his rehabilitation, Fred completed college and began a career with the Veteran’s Administration. He became the Director of Field Operations for Claims Services, overseeing 56 Regional offices. The couple moved to the suburbs and had two daughters, Paula and Connie. Their daughters gave them eight grandchildren and 23 great grandchildren, making their lives complete.
Jean said, “Fred has had the best care here! All the staff are just great people, many of them going out of their way to make you comfortable.” We know that with Jean’s constant attention and support as Fred’s advocate while he is here at Gainesville, that Fred will rapidly gain his strength back and rejoin his family at home.
By: John Paganoni and Lynnette Esse, AD
