October is National Physical Therapy Month: Rehabilitation takes determination

October is National Physical Therapy Month. Tim Anthony of Lansing credits the therapy staff at Veterans Memorial Hospital for his successful recovery following a serious accident last winter.

February 19, 2018, Tim was snowmobiling near Spokane, WA with the Army buddy he had traveled out to see. Neither of them were wearing helmets when they hit a patch of ice and sped out of control and crashed. Fortunately, Tim’s friend only needed some stitches, but Tim experienced a head injury that would consume his next year of life to overcome.

“My friend told me he had to do CPR to get me to start breathing again right after the crash,” explains Tim. “He called 911 and I was airlifted to the nearest ER. I stayed in that hospital for the next month where they removed a section of my skull so my brain would be able to swell. I had a traumatic brain injury, was unconscious and was not doing well. Chris and our children arrived at the hospital and were a great support to me.

“I kept making a little progress each day. A month later, I was just starting to  write, walk and talk when I boarded the leer jet medical flight that flew Chris and me back to La Crosse, WI. An ambulance picked me up at the airport to take me to Gundersen hospital. The first thing I could remember since the accident was waking up in the Gundersen Hospital. It was there at Gundersen when I looked in the mirror and saw my head and realized that something was wrong.

“I spent a month there, working hard, getting motivated to walk and talk again until I could finally come back home under 24 hour a day, seven day a week supervision. I also had to wear a helmet everywhere I went.

“I told them in La Crosse that Waukon had a good therapy department, so I continued my physical, occupational and speech therapy all at Veterans Memorial Hospital.  They are so great and like my second family! I continued coming to therapy, two to three times a week, through August, working nearly two hours each day, going from one therapist to the next. They were all such great support to me. They taught me how to walk and regain my balance so I wasn’t dragging my feet anymore. They encouraged me to look around, describe the things on the wall, read the signs, etc., all helping with my speech and memory.

“In July, I had surgery to put a plate in my head to shape my head again, protect my brain and seal up the dent.  It took 13 screws to hold the plate in and 51 staples to hold the outside skin together.  My daily motto was ‘take small steps, then you can take large steps after that’. One of my big steps was when I didn’t have to wear the helmet anymore.

“Speech therapy was so good. Steven got me talking and to slow down so my speech wasn’t so jumbled. I could actually feel my brain working harder and getting rewired and retrained. It was amazing.

“I had to take the physician driver reaction test to be able to drive again and was like a little kid at Christmas when I received the phone call that I had passed! It was great news!  I stopped at therapy to tell them I was able to drive again, thanks to all their hard work.

‘I would come out of my therapy sessions very tired after a good workout, but it felt so good. I would highly recommend them. I can go for walks without supervision, drive, mow my lawn, all thanks to them keeping me going down the straight and narrow while taking my time. My Army buddy and his wife drove out here to see how everything was going and were very impressed with my improvement since I had left Washington. It might be up to two years before I am completely healed, but thankfully I am not doctoring anymore.”

“Tim is an amazing person,” states Laurel Hagensick, Physical Therapist.  “When he first came to therapy he was a little hesitant and was still needing 24-hour supervision from his family. Over the course of several weeks, he worked so hard during his therapy sessions and made tremendous gains. He became very motivated and did everything he could to make improvements. He had wonderful support from his family and friends encouraging him each step of the way. He was able to return to walking normally again, return his balance back to normal and resume his independence in his home, community and even return to driving. He worked hard in physical, occupational and speech therapy and we are all so proud of him. Tim is a true testament to what hard work and determination can do!”

“Everyone was so nice and polite and answered all my questions. I have no complaints at all,” states Chris, Tim’s wife. “I had faith and always knew he would get to this point. Tim’s Army buddy’s friend said God told her he was going to be fine, and he is. So thanks for all the prayers, I never doubted that he wouldn’t be this good. He’s pretty much back to normal!”

“I was so impressed with the jet that brought us back to La Crosse,” adds Chris.  “Tim’s Army buddy’s friends started a GoFundMe® page and thanks to all the donations, it paid for our jet ride home which insurance didn’t cover. It was just a miracle that it was paid for. We had a lot of blessings and miracles the whole time. I was still working when Tim came home, and I had a lot of help with his constant care. Therapy was great to schedule around my schedule, too.”

“You never think it is going to be you and then all of a sudden it is,” concludes Chris. “If he wouldn’t have had the motivation to do this, he would have sat there in a chair the rest of his life, but it was him that wanted to get better. He had a great attitude and that is a big deal.”

“It’s great to have family and I have the best family in the world! My wife was my doctor and my nurse, and I got a good one,” Tim adds. “Everyone at the hospital was great there - I would highly recommend them all!  They are like a family. They really care. This small town hospital is truly a family and that helps you heal.”

For more information on the physical therapy services available at Veterans Memorial Hospital, call 563-568-3411.