Success Stories

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.”

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.”

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.”

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.

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.”

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.”

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.”

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!”

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!”

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.”