Success Stories

She also was diagnosed with a severe septic infection and a complex wound that required surgery. She was transferred to Kindred Hospital Las Vegas - Flamingo after she had been stabilized to receive respiratory therapy, wound care and rehabilitation. She began her pulmonary treatments and gradually began to recover her lung strength, while simultaneously her wound care team applied advanced equipment and procedures to help resolve her wound. The first of several milestones was reached when Veronica was able to be weaned from the ventilator and then able to work more diligently with her rehab team to recover her independence and mobility. By the time she was ready to be discharged, Veronica had met all the goals set for her at the time of admission; she was walking with a rolling walker, independent in all the activities of daily life and her wound was nearly healed.

“I am grateful to be able to return home with my family - thank you all,” Veronica shared before she left Kindred.

As he developed acute respiratory failure and went into septic shock, Robert had to be placed on a ventilator and started on IV antibiotics. He remained at the facility until he was able to be transferred to Kindred Hospital Las Vegas Flamingo for respiratory therapy and rehabilitation. Under the care of a multidisciplinary team, Robert progressed quickly and was able to be weaned from the ventilator in just a few days.

He continued his rapid recovery and was soon able to do all of the activities of daily life, as well as walk on his own with only minimal assistance from a rolling walker and supplemental oxygen. Having met all of the recovery goals set for him and once again able to be independent, Robert was cleared to return home and was given a joyous farewell from the staff.

“It wasn’t long after we got back to our hotel that David began having trouble breathing. I called the front desk and the paramedics arrived very quickly” Linducia said. “He was rushed to the hospital and we later found out it was only a matter of minutes before he would have died from a heart attack. He had emergency heart surgery and had three stents put in. During the surgery he also suffered from three strokes and his doctors had to induce a coma.”

After surgery his outlook was very poor. David also began suffering from massive kidney failure and had to have dialysis. “His condition actually worsened” Linducia recalled. “He was on every kind of medication imaginable, completely unconscious and immobile. None of the doctors thought he would survive. Then four weeks into this ordeal I asked his doctors to run an MRI brain scan as he had said that if he was ever brain dead he wouldn’t want to ‘live’ hooked up to a machine.”

Fortunately David still showed normal brain function “and that was when he was given a tracheostomy and transferred to Kindred Hospital” Linducia said. “This marked a big turning point for us because things really started to change when we came here.”

“We immediately started to back down on all the drugs he was on and he began to come out of his trance. We had been at Kindred for a month when he was finally able to use the speaking valve, and that was so helpful as he was able to start talking about football with Bob, his respiratory therapist (he’s crazy about football you know!) And the more he talked, the clearer his mind became, and once he started eating solid foods and was off the medications altogether, he was himself again.”

David was highly motivated as he began doing rehab with the physical therapy team. “Not only would he do the number of reps they asked him to do – he would go the extra mile and do twice as many. And every day was special because we had so much support from the amazing staff at the hospital, especially Debbie who was the first person to welcome us. We got cards and letter from around the world, I was at his side every day, and even friends came to visit.”

Then, just a little over two months since David was admitted to Kindred Hospital, he walked out on his own and was able to return to the life he nearly lost. “David jokes about this being a great weight-loss plan, but really, we wouldn’t recommend it!” Linducia quipped. “His recovery is truly miraculous – everyone expected him to die – but he didn’t. Now that we’re home in Buffalo he is able to return to his job as a financial planner. His heart, lungs and kidneys are back to normal. The only after-effect he has is a slight imbalance from the strokes he had, but other than that, he’s better than ever!”

Linducia shared one final thought as the interview wrapped up; “I am so grateful to everyone at Kindred Hospital for their incredible work. There is not a single person there who is not absolutely amazing!”

All of us at Kindred Hospital are incredibly proud of David and Linducia’s teamwork and determination. We wish you both a lifetime of health and happiness!