Julie
“I was very happy when I was able to speak with my husband and family.”
Julie was admitted to a general hospital after her respiratory condition worsened due to
the effects of COVID-19.
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She was placed on a ventilator, started on a course of antibiotics
and antiviral medication, and remained at the facility until she could be transferred to
Kindred Hospital San Antonio Central. When Julie first arrived she was unresponsive, but
her respiratory therapists immediately began to work with her to strengthen her lungs.
Julie gradually regained consciousness, and once she was fully alert and oriented she
became engaged with her caregivers and motivated to recover. Julie improved rapidly
and was able to be taken off the ventilator. With diligent work from her rehab team and
support from her loved ones, Julie went from one success to another until she was able
to stand up and walk on her own using a rolling walker.
“I was very happy when I was able to speak with my husband and family using a voice
valve for the first time once I was off the ventilator,” Julie shared. “Another moment of
joy came when I was able to take a shower again, and now I’m looking forward to going
home.”
Gayland
“I have never been so sick in my entire life!”
Gayland was active and enjoyed good health until he developed shortness of breath and
had to be hospitalized.
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He was diagnosed with COVID-19 that caused acute respiratory
failure, and Gayland was placed on a ventilator when his lungs failed. Once he had been
stabilized he was transferred to Kindred Hospital San Antonio Central where he could
receive respiratory therapy and rehabilitation. At the beginning of his stay, Gayland was
guided by his respiratory therapists who helped strengthen his lungs; as he became
more alert and oriented he was able to participate more fully in all aspects of his
recovery plan. His first milestone was achieved when he was liberated from the
ventilator, followed by excellent gains with his rehab team. With his wife at his side
encouraging him, Gayland steadily improved until he was back on his feet, walking with a
rolling walker, and able to do the activities of daily life before he was discharged.
“I have never been so sick in my entire life!” Gayland shared before he left Kindred.
“Thank you to Dr. Gomez, and to all the physicians and the excellent staff who cared for
me in my time of need.”
Rodney
“I am very happy with my recovery.”
Rodney had to be admitted to a general hospital when the shortness of breath he was
experiencing developed into a severe case of respiratory failure.
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He was diagnosed with
COVID-19 and had to be placed on high-flow oxygen and started on a course of antiviral
medication. When Rodney was stabilized he was transferred to Kindred Hospital San
Antonio Central to receive respiratory therapy and begin his rehabilitation. When he
began to receive therapy, Rodney was very weak and could barely sit on the edge of his
bed for a few minutes before his oxygen levels would begin to drop. With help from his
respiratory therapists, Rodney progressed steadily. As he became stronger, he was able
to take on more of the activities of daily life and was very happy when he could finally
stand on his own and begin to walk with assistance and a rolling walker.
“Thank you all,” Rodney shared before he was discharged from Kindred. “I am very
happy with my recovery.”
Guillermo
“Thank you to everyone who cared for me and for all the support you gave to me.”
Guillermo was independent and enjoyed an active lifestyle until he developed difficulty
breathing and had to be admitted to an acute care hospital.
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He was diagnosed with
Guillain-Barré syndrome, an autoimmune disease that also affected his mobility. He was
placed on a ventilator and Guillermo remained in a critical condition until he was able to
be transferred to Kindred Hospital San Antonio Central for respiratory therapy and
rehabilitation. Although he was completely dependent on his caregivers for all his needs,
he had excellent family support, and as he began to recover he became highly motivated
to get better. During his stay at Kindred, Guillermo progressed to no longer needing the
ventilator and began to reclaim his strength and mobility. By the time he was discharged
to continue his journey to recovery, Guillermo was able to move about using a
wheelchair and was on his way to getting back his independence.
“Thank you to everyone who cared for me and for all the support you gave to me,”
Guillermo shared before he was discharged from Kindred.
Isabel
“I am also thankful to all who have supported me through this journey.”
Isabel worked full time and loved to garden until she developed shortness of breath and tested positive for COVID-19.
As her condition worsened she had to be admitted to a general hospital and was placed on high-flow oxygen and
started on IV treatments.
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When she had been stabilized she was transferred to Kindred Hospital San Antonio Central for respiratory therapy
and rehabilitation. Isabel unfortunately experienced additional complications and had to be placed on a
ventilator to support her lungs and monitored carefully for cardiac irregularities. With her daughter always
present, Isabel slowly began to gain strength and show signs of improvement. Her respiratory team successfully
liberated her from mechanical respiration and she began to work with her physical, occupational and speech
therapists to recover her ability to speak and swallow and regain her fine motor skills and mobility. With
encouragement and support from her caregivers and her daughter, Isabel steadily progressed until she was able to
walk with a rolling walker and take care of all the tasks of daily life with minimum assistance, allowing her to
be discharged to return home to continue her recovery.
“I am thankful that God has blessed me with this life and given me more time to be with the people that
love and care for me,” Isabel shared before she left Kindred. “I am also thankful to all who have
supported me through this journey.”
James
“There is very good team work here at Kindred.”
James is a guitar player and teacher who began to experience symptoms his doctor thought were allergies and
prescribed medication for him to take at home. A few days later his condition deteriorated and when he was unable to
move and began experiencing episodes of delirium, his wife called 911 and he was rushed to the hospital. James had
to be placed on a ventilator and started on dialysis as his condition was extremely critical – he was
suffering from emphysema, pneumonia, acute respiratory and kidney failure, sepsis and cardiac hypertension.
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After nearly two weeks in critical care without any signs of progress, James’ physicians spoke to his wife
about his condition and counseled her that he might not survive. That night she went home and prayed and wrote
him a letter that she read to him the next day, expressing her wish for him to get better and come home, but if
it was his time she was willing to accept this and let him go. When she had finished, James squeezed her hand
and this marked a turning point in what would be an amazing recovery.
James was able to be transferred to Kindred Hospital San Antonio Central where he would be able to receive
advanced respiratory therapy and rehabilitation, as well as wound care and ongoing medical treatment. With
dedicated work from his respiratory therapists, James was able to be weaned successfully from the ventilator in
just under a month after arrival; he would then go on to have the breathing tube removed and make excellent
progress with his physical and occupational therapists before finally being discharged to continue with
aggressive rehabilitation before going home.
“There is very good teamwork here at Kindred, and you know that teamwork makes the dream work!”
quipped James before leaving the facility. “All the staff are compassionate and excellent in their fields
– Meg, my wound care nurse, played music and helped my wounds get better. Thanks to Ryan – my case
manager -- for finding the right rehab place, and special thanks to all my nurses and CNAs. And also to Nelson
who checked on me every night and everyone else who helped me recover.”
Ruben
“I want to thank all the staff at Kindred.”
Ruben is the chief engineer for a major bank who shared that until Christmas day of last year he “never got
sick and always planted a vegetable garden.” His condition worsened, and in February he went to the ER where
he was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat – a condition known as a-fib. His condition went downhill rapidly
and he had to be resuscitated twice and placed on a ventilator to support his failing lungs. Ruben also developed
acute kidney failure and required dialysis during his stay in the ICU that lasted for a month.
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Once Ruben became stable, he was transferred to Kindred Hospital San Antonio Central to begin respiratory therapy
and rehabilitation. At the beginning of his stay Ruben exhibited a great deal of confusion about his condition
and even removed his breathing tube a couple of times. He was also clearly frustrated at not being able to
communicate and the fact that he was still dependent on his caregivers for all his needs. With diligent care and
support from his team and family, Ruben started to make progress and was able to be weaned from the ventilator
not long after arriving. As he improved, his outlook and mood also got better and he then was helped by his
speech pathologist to speak and swallow again, allowing him to begin drinking and eating a normal diet once
again.
Ruben’s physical and occupational therapists helped him regain his strength and mobility as well as the
ability to take care of his personal needs and, by the time he was discharged to return home, Ruben was up and
walking with the aid of a walker and looking forward to a full recovery. “This has been the first year I
didn’t put in a vegetable garden,” Ruben shared before he was discharged. “I want to thank all
the staff at Kindred – you are very caring and compassionate and willing to help with my recovery. I would
recommend Kindred to my family.”
Matthew
“It was so nice to finally see Matthew up and awake.”
Matthew suffered from severe liver cirrhosis that led to pneumonia, upper GI bleed, multiple strokes and kidney and
respiratory failure. He was placed on a ventilator to support his lungs and given a feeding tube as he was unable to
take anything by mouth. Unfortunately his prognosis was grim and his family was counseled to begin preparing for
end-of-life arrangements.
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More
At the hospital, Matthew remained in critical condition until he finally began to show signs of recovery. When he
was stable, arrangements to transfer Matthew to Kindred Hospital San Antonio Central were made and he
immediately began to receive respiratory therapy and rehabilitation as well as wound care and dialysis. His
recovery at Kindred was challenging as Matthew still suffered from an altered mental status and due to COVID-19
visitation restrictions was unable to see any family members in person, although frequent contact through
electronic media aided his recovery.
After over a month at Kindred, Matthew was finally able to be weaned off the ventilator and his mental faculties
rapidly improved. Soon after this accomplishment he was able to have the breathing tube removed and his speech
pathologist assisted Matthew to recover his voice and the ability to swallow, enabling him to start to eat and
drink a regular diet. He also made significant progress prior to being discharged with his physical and
occupational therapists who helped him get back up to his feet and walking with the aid of a walker as well as
getting back the ability to take care of his daily needs.
“It was so nice to finally see Matthew up and awake,” members of his care team shared prior to his
discharge. “As he is now able to talk and communicate we have come to discover he has a great sense of
humor. It’s wonderful to be able to interact with him and we wish him all the best!”
Marcus
“I just wanted to come by and say thank you again.”
Marcus was studying to become a barber when he began having trouble breathing. His condition became so severe that
one day at home he passed out and his son had to call 911.
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He was rushed to the hospital where physicians had to place him on a ventilator to support his lungs and
diagnosed him as suffering from acute pneumonia. At the hospital, Marcus remained in a coma and was in poor
physical shape as he was also very overweight.
When his doctors managed to stabilize his condition, Marcus was transferred to Kindred Hospital San Antonio
Central to receive advanced respiratory therapy and medical management, and begin rehabilitation and nutritional
counseling. When he first arrived at Kindred, Marcus was still in a coma, and when he finally regained
consciousness he was extremely confused and emotional about his situation.
The beginning of his recovery was difficult as he was unable to communicate verbally and relied on his team of
caregivers for all his needs. His respiratory team applied aggressive respiratory therapy to strengthen his
lungs and soon Marcus began to make progress. His dietitian managed his nutrition which he was receiving by
means of a feeding tube and helped Marcus begin to lose weight, which also contributed to his recovery. His
physical and occupational therapists worked diligently with Marcus to help him regain his mobility and
independence and he was soon up on his feet and walking short distances with assistance.
As his lung function improved, Marcus was able to begin communicating with a speaking valve and not long
afterward he was able to be successfully weaned from the ventilator. This milestone allowed Marcus to be
discharged from Kindred to return home and continue his recovery with home health. He still had the breathing
tube in place due to the fact that he needed supplemental breathing assistance, but once Marcus had lost forty
pounds he was able to have the tube removed.
Just recently, Marcus visited the hospital to share some great news. “I just graduated from barber
school!” Marcus said. “I wanted to come by and say thank you again to everyone who helped to save my
life. I am especially grateful to Sherie, Heather and Chelby for doing an outstanding job with my physical
therapy and rehab – they never gave up on me – and also to my speech therapist for helping me speak
again. I’ve now lost a total of eighty pounds!”
Michael
“I honestly felt I was going to die.”
Michael was an avid outdoorsman and dedicated family man who worked in maintenance for the past eleven years before
he developed a severe pulmonary condition that led to him needing hospitalization.
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More
Physicians diagnosed Michael to be suffering from pneumonia that was escalating rapidly. Unfortunately, his
condition was very severe and it led to respiratory failure. He had to be given a breathing tube so a ventilator
could support his lungs. Unable to eat or drink, he also was given a feeding tube to administer nutrition.
Michael’s medical condition was further complicated as he developed kidney failure and became septic; his
gallbladder also was affected. He suffered from numerous reactions to medications and was in a very critical
state when he was transferred to Kindred Hospital San Antonio Central.
When Michael arrived at Kindred he began to receive advanced pulmonary therapy and his physical and occupational
therapists started the process of rehabilitation to help restore his strength and mobility. Progress was very
slow at first as he was severely weakened by his condition, but step by step, Michael and his family began to
see glimmers of hope since he was first admitted to a general hospital over three months ago.
“I honestly felt I was going to die,” Michael shared. “It’s been very frustrating because
of how long it has taken to get to this point, but since coming to Kindred I am much more encouraged. I’ve
gotten a lot of positive reinforcement. Shawn, my therapist, works me hard and my respiratory therapist Celia is
very helpful and kind.”
“My wife and daughter have been saying to me ‘come home!’ and it looks like I’m finally
getting close to being able to do that,” Michael affirmed. “After three months of lying in a
hospital bed I am finally able to stand and I’m getting stronger every day.”