Earlier this year, Bill Hyman underwent spinal cord surgery at St. Michael’s Hospital. It was his second spinal cord surgery in approximately 10 years — both operations addressed his chronic pain and limited mobility.
He knew that rehabilitation came next, and recently found himself in a familiar place, Providence Healthcare, the same hospital that had helped him work his way out of a wheelchair and walk again after his first surgery.
“I can’t say enough good things about the place — the food is even decent,” Hyman says with a laugh. “When you need a little push because you are being lazy, they give you that push. It’s great.”
Providence and St. Michael’s Hospital are now part of the same hospital network (they amalgamated several years ago, along with St. Joseph’s Health Centre, to become Unity Health Toronto), so there was a smooth transition between the surgical teams at St. Michael’s and the rehabilitation teams at Providence.
At Providence, rehabilitation patients have access to a talented team of physiotherapists, occupational therapists, therapeutic recreationists, speech language pathologists and more.
Hyman has visited the Stroke and Neuro Clinic for several weeks and has made great progress as an outpatient. He recently trialled a type of knee brace called a Knee Ankle Foot Orthosis (KAFO), which let him take steps for the first time since his surgery.
Abigail Kavanaugh, physiotherapist at the Stroke and Neuro Clinic, says Hyman’s dedication is inspiring.
“Patients at our clinic are far enough along in their medical journey that we can help them with what they want to work on. Seeing them achieve their goals is pretty rewarding,” said Kavanaugh. “I hope for Bill that he has more walking in his future.”
Whenever Hyman starts to feel discouraged, he thinks about what he will do when he is finished rehab — going to a baseball game or heading to a boardwalk to enjoy the weather. He is thankful for the support he has received at Providence.
“If I didn’t have rehab at Providence, I would be in a wheelchair and be stuck in it. They mean the world to me.”
Natalie Leung is a communications adviser at Unity Health Toronto, which consists of St. Joseph’s Health Centre, St. Michael’s Hospital, and Providence Healthcare. Scarborough-based Providence is a leader in providing rehabilitation, palliative care, long-term care and community programs.
link