Skip to Content (press ENTER)

Patient Stories

As a national leader in rehabilitative care, Spaulding Rehabilitation helps patients find their strength every day. But it's the words and experiences of our patients that best describe what our services can really do.

Our patient stories provide a look inside the outstanding rehabilitative services available through our network of world-class providers. We invite you to read these compelling and unforgettable stories — and learn how our rehabilitative care has changed people's lives.

Don't bet against our patients' will and determination.
  • Right: Jack Smiley playing hockey; left: portrait of Jack Smiley, a fit young white man.
    At the age of 22, Jack Smiley had a stroke. And despite the fast symptom progression, he managed to skate to the sidelines and seek help. He never fell. Now, in the two years since, he is only rising to greater heights.
  • Sandy, an older man, doing a walking exercise at the parallel bars with his physical therapist.
    When Sandy Maisel's legs went numb last summer, he feared he would never walk again. But when he arrived at Spaulding Rehabilitation after successful spinal surgery at Mass General Hospital, Sandy says his Spaulding team "changed my attitude toward what was going on in my life."
  • John Haase and three of his teammates in tennis clothes on a tennis court, holding up awards.
    When his shoulder pain became unmanageable, John turned to Spaulding Rehabilitation to get him back in the game.
  • Priya cradles her swaddled baby.
    Surviving a life-changing illness or injury gives you perspective — and often, a new purpose. Learn about Priya's journey.
  • Paul sits on a rock with his cocker spaniel, Ellie, in his lap, and a marsh in the background.
    When Paul Gentile felt faint and nauseated on a hike, it started a chain of events that led to a heart procedure and a recovery at Spaulding Cape Cod. Paul was scared, confused, and worried about the impact his condition would have on his life. But he knew he was in the best place at Spaulding.
  • Comfort poses in the library, looking strong and healthy.
    After Comfort Nwaoha experienced a stroke, she came to Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital unable to walk, move her dominant hand, or speak clearly. Learn how Spaulding gave her the stepping stones to her recovery.

Gifts to Spaulding support our patients and families as they build new futures. Throughout Spaulding’s history, we have improved the lives of thousands of people. Together, and with your generous donations, we will continue to discover and deliver the best care possible — today and tomorrow.

1 to 10 of 56
  • Patient Story

    Meet Robert Lewis, Jr. | A Spaulding Story of Strength

    COVID-19 survivor and Spaulding patient Robert Lewis, Jr. shares his journey: from diagnosis with the novel coronavirus through his rehabilitation at Spaulding Hospital Cambridge—and what it means to him to be back at work at the community outreach organization he founded in Boston. My COVID-19 Recovery—As Told by Robert Lewis, Jr. I’m not sure how I expected to feel when I turned 60 years old last spring, but I didn’t anticipate a trip to the emergency department. I certainly didn’t expect to be sedated, intubated, and wake up 12 days later. But on March 22—my 60th birthday— that’s what happened. It was the beginning of my COVID-19 journey. It was an intense and frightening time. When I was moved to Spaulding Hospital Cambridge for rehabilitation after three weeks of acute care, I had to relearn…everything: how to breathe without an oxygen tank; how to walk; how to touch my nose and tie my sneakers. I had to get my strength back. What struck me about Spaulding was the incredible treatment that I—and my family—received from everyone there, from the moment I arrived until I walked out just one week later. There’s a culture of love and compassion and excellence that radiates from every person. Trust

  • Patient Story

    Meet Martha and the “Spaulding Sisters”

    The self-titled “Spaulding Sisters” made the most of 2020. The group of women met at Spaulding Boston over the past several years, bonding over their shared love of aquatic therapy. When the COVID-19 pandemic closed our community water fitness classes, the Sisters came together to support each other and their health in a whole new way. The ladies are avid participants in the Spaulding Adaptive Sports Program’s virtual classes (launched in response to the pandemic), “meeting” several times a week to exercise virtually together from the safety of their homes. They are among the more than 1,000 participants who have benefitted from virtual classes like yoga, boxing, exercise for stroke and TBI, dance with Parkinson’s, and more. In 2020, donations were used to pivot Spaulding adaptive sports programming to be entirely virtual—supporting the health and wellness of an even broader community, when so many were isolated and unable to participate in their regular fitness and community activities. Martha Starr, “Spaulding Sister,” patient, and volunteer, says the virtual programs have been a true lifesaver in 2020. And so have the Sisters’ weekly Friday Zoom calls to check in on one another. They share resources and coping strategies, discuss their conditions, and laugh together. Martha

  • Patient Story

    Meet Lauren and Tracey: From Rehab to the Finish Line

    Spring 2023 Watch this special story of a mother and daughter who both underwent outpatient rehabilitation therapy with Spaulding, and recently achieved an incredible feat — running the Boston Marathon on Spaulding's Race for Rehab Team. Their journey is a testament to the power of healing and perseverance. Join us in celebrating their

  • Patient Story

    Conozca a Gary

    Read this story in English. Otoño 2021 ¿Cómo empezarías a reconstruir décadas de su vida? Gary Brennan de Centerville conducía al trabajo un día cuando la última cosa que se acuerda fue que se estaba despertando en un centro de trauma. Él le pidió a su equipo clínico que alertara a la familia de su prometida: él y Lynne planeaban casarse en unos pocos meses. Gary pensó que era 1974. No sabía que ahora tenía 59 años y que llevaba casado con Lynne durante casi 40 años. Un conductor había chocado por detrás de la camioneta de Gary, lo que resultó en una Lesión Cerebral Traumática (LCT) que borró décadas de su memoria. “Mi vida se convirtió en queso suizo”, dijo Gary. "El galán estaba allí, pero lleno de agujeros". Lynne y él necesitaban reconstruir todos los aspectos de su vida. Ayudar a Gary a llenar esos agujeros era una de las metas de su equipo de rehabilitación en Spaulding Cape Cod.  Él recibió un tratamiento intensivo para abordar los déficits causados ​​por la LCT, fortaleciendo sus habilidades cognitivas, el equilibrio y sus cuidados-personales. Después de su rehabilitación hospitalaria y semanas de atención domiciliaria, él regresó a Spaulding para recibir terapia ambulatoria para trabajar hacia una

  • Patient Story

    Conoce a Ethan

    Quién estuvo a su lado cuando lograste una meta importante en su vida? Para Ethan Wang, será una comunidad de familiares, amigos y cuidadores que lo animarán (virtualmente) mientras camina en su graduación de la Universidad de Boston este año. Es un logro importante para Ethan, quien sufrió una lesión en la médula espinal mientras estudiaba en el extranjero, paralizándolo del cuello para abajo y descarrilando su primer año de universidad. En Bali, en marzo de 2019, Ethan resultó gravemente herido mientras nadaba en el océano. Necesitaba de una cirugía inmediata para salvarle la vida, seguida de una transferencia médica a Singapur para más cirugías, antes de que pudiera regresar a su hogar en Massachusetts. Luego vino el largo camino de la rehabilitación. Nuestra comunidad de donantes también ha estado con Ethan en este viaje. Los donativos a Spaulding brindan recursos y apoyo para ayudar a pacientes como Ethan a lograr sus metas. "La principal fuente de fuerza de nuestra familia es el increíble apoyo que hemos recibido", dice Willis, el padre de Ethan. "Hay mucha fuerza en la comunidad, y eso es lo que nos ha ayudado". La parálisis causada por una lesión de la médula espinal (LME) es un evento intenso que cambia

  • Patient Story

    Meet Ethan | A Spaulding Story of Strength

    Para leer esta historia en español, visite nuestra página en el Internet. Who was by your side when you achieved a major life goal? For Ethan Wang, it will be a community of family, friends, and caregivers cheering for him (virtually) as he walks at his Boston University graduation this year. It’s a significant milestone for Ethan, who sustained a spinal cord injury while studying abroad—paralyzing him from the neck down and derailing his junior year of college. In Bali in March 2019, Ethan was critically injured while swimming in the ocean. He needed immediate life-saving surgery, followed by a medical evacuation and more surgeries in Singapore, before he could return home to Massachusetts. Then came the long journey of rehabilitation. Our donor community has been with Ethan on this journey, too. Gifts to Spaulding provide resources and support to help patients like Ethan achieve their goals. “Our family’s main source of strength is the amazing support we have received,” says Ethan’s father, Willis. “There is so much strength in community, and that is what has helped us.” Paralysis caused by a spinal cord injury (SCI) is an intense, life-changing event. Ethan spent 148 days as an inpatient at Spaulding Boston, achieving a new physical milestone

  • Patient Story

    Meet Clifton: Surviving Stroke: There and Back Again

    Spring 2023 Life often comes full circle. Clifton Singletary’s Spaulding Rehabilitation story began while he was serving our patients. When he returned to Spaulding as a patient himself, his desire to give back grew stronger. Clifton’s first visit to Spaulding was in July 2013 to escort the Boston Pops as they performed for survivors of the Boston Marathon bombings. Clifton, a decorated Boston police officer, was invited to Spaulding in recognition of his service that day, when he helped load the wounded into ambulances. Clifton never imagined that he would return to Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston almost 10 years later, following a hemorrhagic stroke. Unable to walk on his own and struggling with post-stroke coordination, sensory, and cognitive symptoms, he found that his Spaulding team was determined to get him back on his feet. “This is beyond professionalism,” he says. “There’s a level of dedication the people have here that is beyond comprehension.” Spaulding’s personalized approach to care has Clifton not only walking again but inspired to return to the hospital to help others. Part of his efforts include participating in a research study testing a virtual reality–linked treadmill to improve gait performance for stroke survivors like himself. One in four people will have a

  • Patient Story

    Meet Alan: A Second Chance at Life After Stroke and COVID-19

    Leer esta historia en español. Spring 2022 Because of Spaulding, patients like Alan LaChance can make incredible recoveries. Shortly after Thanksgiving, Alan woke up feeling like he couldn’t breathe. He was rushed to the hospital and diagnosed with COVID-19. The 37-year-old’s condition declined rapidly, and he sent a text to close friends saying he knew he was dying. That’s the last thing Alan remembers before he woke up four weeks later. Alan had been put on a ventilator and sustained multiple strokes while unconscious. He was no longer able to speak or move his right side. Alan and his family knew he needed to go to Spaulding Cape Cod for his rehabilitation. “Spaulding Cape Cod gives you the tools to recover,” Alan says. “With two young kids, I have a lot to work for.” New, innovative therapies discovered through research can enhance recovery and quality of life for people overcoming conditions such as COVID-19 or stroke—or both, like Alan. By helping us invest in leading-edge rehabilitation technologies, clinical training on innovative therapies and groundbreaking research, donations to Spaulding have an impact on our patients today and for years to come. As an avid exerciser and active employee at a utility company, Alan adopted a “bootcamp” mentality at Spaulding Cape Cod and resolved to “get up

  • Patient Story

    Together We Celebrate Spaulding Charlestown, 10 Years Later

    Spring 2023 From fragile first encounters to final goals achieved, rehabilitation is a team sport—and together we celebrate every milestone. This year our team marks a special milestone at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, which moved from our former neighborhood in Boston and opened at our new location in Charlestown 10 years ago in 2013. Since then, Spaulding has helped thousands of patients find their strength through their toughest moments. From recovering after the Boston Marathon bombings to a global pandemic that radically changed medicine as we know it, our commitment to our patients, their families, and the communities we serve has been unwavering. Together we celebrate: 10 years of compassionate clinical care and incredible recoveries 10 years of groundbreaking research and innovative treatments 10 years of disability rights advocacy through programs, partnerships, and universal design 10 years of training and educating future leaders in rehabilitation medicine Across Spaulding Rehabilitation, our goal is to help people get one day better, every day. And whatever triumphs and challenges await, our dedicated team will be there, with your support. Generous donors will help improve the quality of life for each person who comes through Spaulding’s doors in the decade ahead. Thank you for your

  • Patient Story

    Meet Larry

    Leer esta historia en español. Fall 2021 Life can change in an instant, usually when you least expect it. Larry Dicara was taking his daily, socially distanced walk with a dear friend when he was struck by an SUV traveling 60 miles per hour. The driver had suffered a heart attack and run off the road onto the sidewalk. Larry was rushed to acute care, having sustained major trauma including brain injury, laceration of his spleen and liver, and fractures in his arm, foot, pelvis, and spine. His doctors didn’t expect him to ever walk again. That’s where Spaulding came in. Larry spent more than four months rehabilitating at multiple Spaulding locations during the COVID-19 pandemic—and generous donor support helped keep him and his care team safe. Donations allowed us to purchase additional therapy equipment to set up temporary gyms on each unit at Spaulding Brighton, enabling clinicians to treat patients like Larry closer to their rooms to reduce any potential virus transmission. After weeks of intensive therapies and non-weight-bearing exercises, Larry finally got the green light to try full weight-bearing walking on his left foot. Larry’s occupational therapist, Steph, said, “Let’s see what you can do!” With his left hand on the bed rail, Larry took

1 to 10 of 56