Rehab Success Story: James West

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james-west

James West came to us for rehab in early December 2015 after suffering from a massive stroke and lengthy hospitalization. Upon arrival Mr. West was bed-bound, had a tracheotomy and a feeding tube, and was unable to speak.

His wife, Mira, and daughter, Sarah, say that his progress thus far has been nothing short of miraculous! He is now sitting up in a wheelchair, with no trach and no feeding tube, eating regular food and drinks, his memory has improved, and he is walking 150 feet with a walker.

Mrs. West, who spends all day every day with her husband said, “I couldn’t have gotten through any of this without my faith in God and the strength He has given me.” She went on to add, “Marie, his physical therapist, and Amy, his occupational therapist, have been unbelievable at helping and motivating him! His speech therapist, Karen, is very nice and very patient with him, but regaining his speech has been more of a challenge.”

Sarah added, “Marie and Amy really believed in him. It was such a motivator for him!” She explained, “At first they started with stretching while he was in bed. It escalated pretty quickly to getting him up and taking him to the gym. They got him to stand and started using the parallel bars. It was pretty amazing!”

Physical therapist, Marie Clonts, commented, “Mr. West is recovering slowly but surely from his stroke. Although he is frustrated by the slow progress, he works really hard. His dry wit allows us to laugh while we work. I have every confidence that he will continue to improve. It has been my privilege to work with Mr. West and his incredibly dedicated family.”

Amy Waibel, OTR/L, said, “Mr. West has made tremendous progress with his activities of daily living, mobility, and transfers. His family has been extremely supportive, which has made a great impact on his recovery. They have truly been a pleasure to work with.”

Karen Singletary-Fuller, speech therapist, commented, “Mr. West has demonstrated remarkable progress. Initially his goal was to increase his swallow safety and efficiency, and to decrease his G-tube feedings. However, Mr. West met all his goals with puree, mechanical soft, and currently regular consistency diet. He also demonstrated progress from thickened liquids to thin liquids. Speech therapy continues to focus on his short term memory and speech production.”

Mr. West says that his biggest incentive is getting back home so that he can spend time with his family. His youngest daughter, Rachel, is an analytical chemist who lives in Richmond. She comes up every weekend to see him. Sarah and her husband, Paul, live here in Haymarket with their two children, Devin and Skylar. He loves taking them all bowling, golfing, and out to eat.

As a retired Army Master Sargent, Mr. West is no stranger to working hard. He met his wife, Mira, on a blind date while serving in Korea in 1987. They were married a year later. Three months after their daughter, Sarah, was born, he was transferred to Virginia. They also did a tour in Germany and in Georgia before returning to Virginia.

Upon his retirement from the Army, Mr. West went to work for a government contractor as a photographic engineer. Mira is a hairstylist, managing her own business out of Creative Hair Designs in Manassas.

Mr. West is described by his family as being strong-willed, determined, and hard-working, all ideal traits for being a successful rehab patient. They added that he is somewhat of a jokester, a good public speaker, has a beautiful singing voice, and is a skilled pianist.

The staff at GHRC is very proud of Mr. West for all that he has accomplished. His fierce determination to get well and go home is truly inspiring.

~By Lynnette Esse, AD