Success Stories

He was diagnosed with a GI bleed and acute sepsis and had to be placed on a ventilator as he developed pneumonia that led to respiratory failure. Thomas became unresponsive, but fortunately he was stabilized and then transferred to Kindred Hospital Dallas Central. Once he was admitted Thomas began to receive aggressive respiratory therapy. He responded quickly to his treatments and was successfully weaned from the vent. Buoyed by a positive attitude and constant support from his family and team, Thomas participated eagerly in his rehab therapy sessions and began to regain his strength, mobility and independence. During his recovery process Thomas became very involved with drawing and coloring, and he worked on his video game skills to help him stay engaged and ward off boredom and anxiety. Thomas began to be affectionately called ‘Stitch’ after the cartoon character with whom he told his caregivers he identified and who is a favorite of his 10-year-old son. Thomas met all of the recovery goals and said that he looked forward to returning home to his family once his journey to recovery was complete.

“I am thankful for the care you gave me – my experience here at Kindred has been really good overall,” Thomas shared before he was discharged.

As a past recipient of a kidney transplant, Thomas was susceptible to complications and had to be placed on a ventilator when his lungs failed and started on IV antibiotic therapy to treat a septic infection. After he had been stabilized, Thomas was transferred to Kindred Hospital Dallas Central where he could receive ongoing medical care, respiratory therapy and rehabilitation. When he first arrived he was unresponsive and required maximum assistance from his caregivers for all his needs, but with diligent care from his team and respiratory therapists he began to regain consciousness and steadily recovered his lung strength until he was able to be weaned from the ventilator. Thomas also progressed to being able to stand and begin to do more of the activities of daily life by the time he was ready to be discharged to continue his journey to recovery.

“I just want to say thank you to everyone who cared for me and for everything you did for me,” Thomas expressed before he left Kindred.

When her symptoms worsened rapidly she had to be flown by air ambulance to a general hospital and began to receive treatment for COVID-19. Lisa was placed on a ventilator, received antibiotic therapy and was then transferred to Kindred Hospital Dallas Central where she could receive respiratory therapy and rehabilitation. At the beginning of her stay Lisa was unresponsive and required full attention from her caregivers for all her needs. Her respiratory team worked with Lisa to strengthen her lungs, and as she became more alert and oriented she started to make rapid progress. Her first milestone was reached when she was able to be weaned from the ventilator and required only supplemental oxygen. Her rehab team helped Lisa begin to reclaim her mobility and independence, and Lisa was soon able to feed herself and begin to get back her independence over the activities of daily life.

“The team here was wonderful,” Lisa shared before she was discharged to continue on her journey to recovery. “I am grateful to my team and plan to come back and say thank you when I’m all better.”

He drove himself to the ER and was diagnosed to have experienced a stroke from a cranial hemorrhage. His condition deteriorated and led to respiratory failure, requiring Juan to be placed on a ventilator and started on intensive care. Soon after the incident, his family was advised that they might want to consider palliative care, but they declined and opted to pursue treatment and recovery, and as soon as Juan was stable enough to be transferred he was brought to Kindred Hospital Dallas Central. He began to receive treatment from an interdisciplinary team and was started on aggressive respiratory therapy to strengthen his lungs. Although Juan was minimally responsive, he began to make progress with dedicated care from his team and his wife, Olga, at his side every day. Juan’s first major recovery milestone was reached when he was taken off the vent and could breathe on his own. He then had the breathing tube removed and started to work with his speech-language pathologist who helped him recover his cognition and communication abilities. A major pressure wound that Juan developed at the acute care facility was healed during his stay at Kindred, and his rehab team guided the recovery of his fine motor skills, mobility and independence.

“We are very happy with the service and care at Kindred and Juan’s outcomes,” Olga shared. “We’re looking forward to continuing his recovery process.”

He was placed on a ventilator and started on dialysis and IV antibiotics, and Houmpheng also received treatment for swelling of his brain and a pulmonary embolism. He remained in the ICU until he was stabilized and could be transferred to Kindred Hospital Dallas Central where he could receive respiratory therapy, wound care, ongoing medical treatment and rehabilitation. With his wife, Kongseng, at his side, Houmpheng slowly regained consciousness and began to show definite signs of recovery, despite the poor prognosis his wife had been given before her husband came to Kindred. Kongseng and his family helped him remain motivated to participate in his therapy and rehab sessions, and he steadily improved until he was able to be taken off the vent. The next challenge Houmpheng faced was to regain his mobility and independence, and although he initially had no control or movement at all in any of his limbs, he steadily improved until he was able to sit up unsupported and begin to use his right hand to feed himself and perform the tasks of daily life.

“My family and I are very pleased with his recovery outcomes,” Kongseng shared before her husband was discharged to continue his journey to recovery. “Thank you all for everything you have done for him.”

She was weaned off the vent before she was transferred to Kindred Hospital Dallas Central to receive ongoing medical care, advanced wound care and rehabilitation. At the beginning of her stay, Karen was experiencing significant pain from her surgical wound site as well as her lower body, and was extremely weak, requiring full assistance from her caregivers. Her interdisciplinary team worked together to heal her wounds, improve her strength and mobility and restore her independence over the activities of daily life. With constant support from her family and dedicated care from her team, Karen made steady progress and improved in all areas of her care plan. Now able to stand up, walk with a rolling walker, and begin to do most of the basic daily tasks, Karen is finally looking forward to being able to go home soon.

“Thank you for all you did for her,” Karen’s sister shared before she was discharged. “We are all grateful for the care that you gave her.”

Her physicians worked hard to stabilize her condition and finally managed to wean her from the ventilator nearly a month after her transplant. Kay was able to be transferred to Kindred Hospital Dallas Central where she would begin to receive additional respiratory therapy to strengthen her lungs, and rehabilitation to enable her to reclaim her independence and return home.

Kay was completely dependent on her team of caregivers for all her needs as she was extremely debilitated and couldn’t even lift her arms or legs on her own. She was guided by her physical and occupational therapists who worked with her seven days a week until she was finally able to stand and walk on her own and take care of her daily needs. Her speech pathologist helped her reclaim the ability to speak using a voice valve at first and then, when the breathing tube had been removed, Kay was able to once again speak with her own voice and begin to drink and eat a normal diet.

“This was a long journey,” Kay shared before she was discharged. “I had to fight confusion and depression along the way, but I’m grateful for the care I received and for having the support of my husband and daughter every step of the way.”

At the beginning, Hillary was unable to lift her arms or legs and required complete assistance from her caregiver for all her needs; but she was motivated and engaged and began to make progress with her respiratory therapists, and was able to be taken off the ventilator successfully.

She then was able to have the breathing tube removed and her speech pathologists helped her regain the ability to swallow so she could begin to drink and eat a nourishing diet guided by her nutritionist. Her wound care team helped to resolve her wounds and Hillary also made great strides with her physical and occupational therapists and was soon up on her feet once again and walking with minimal assistance. Hillary enjoyed the time she spent in the rehab gym and was glad to start reclaiming her independence before she was discharged from Kindred to continue her recovery. “I’m grateful to everyone but my favorite therapist is Dennis,” Hillary said about her certified occupational therapy assistant. “He created an exercise plan that allowed me to get back the strength I need to brush my own hair. When I first came to Kindred I could hardly reach my head.”

She was intubated and placed on a ventilator to support her lungs and increase her blood oxygen levels. Once she was stabilized she was transferred to Kindred Hospital Dallas Central to begin respiratory therapy and rehabilitation.

At the beginning of her stay at Kindred, Donna was very weak and unmotivated, but as her respiratory therapists made progress and she became more alert and oriented, Donna became more engaged in her recovery and was able to be weaned from the ventilator. Her physical and occupational therapists played a significant role in getting Donna back up on her feet and able to care for her daily needs. Her speech pathologist was able to guide Donna to regain the ability to swallow safely and she was soon able to begin drinking and eating a normal diet.

After being at Kindred for just a few days over a month, Donna reached her goal of being independent in all areas of self-care and mobility and was able to be discharged home to continue her recovery.

Julian was placed on a ventilator and remained in a critical condition until physicians were able to stabilize his heart and other functions, allowing him to be transferred to Kindred Hospital Dallas Central to receive respiratory therapy and rehabilitation.

Julian was immediately started on the respiratory failure program and began to make excellent progress, leading to him being weaned completely within a matter of a few days, and then successfully having the breathing tube removed. Julian also made significant progress in all other areas of his recovery, helped along by a positive attitude and steady determination to recover his health. By the time he was discharged from Kindred, Julian was well on his way to being able to reclaim his independence and get back to enjoying life and his retirement.

“I was very satisfied with my treatment and recovery,” Julian affirmed just before he left Kindred. “The staff here are very, very good and nursing was amazing – polite and professional.”