Bobby's Story
Stroke
Bobby Jackson, a 52-year-old husband and father of five, grew up immersed in sports — he played football, basketball, and competed in swimming and track. His wife was the captain of her basketball team. Together with their children, they remained an active family.
One day, he was outside talking with two of his children. “I walked inside the house, I sat down and then — nothing,” recalled Bobby.
He was having a stroke.
Bobby was rushed by ambulance to the hospital. The hospital team was able to provide life saving measures and acute care to stabilize him.
Recovering from a stroke may be one of the greatest challenges a person will ever face. In Bobby’s case, the stroke caused severe weakness — he could not walk or speak.
Once he stabilized, Bobby took the advice of his hospital care team and went to Baylor Scott & White Institute for Rehabilitation (BSWIR) - Lakeway to rebuild his life.
Upon admission to BSWIR - Lakeway, Bobby required assistance just to sit up and transfer out of his bed. The stroke caused right hemiparesis, significant weakness on the right side of the body. Bobby struggled with basic tasks such as standing, walking, swallowing and speaking. His main goal was to walk, so a physician-lead team of therapists developed a personalized plan, focused on restoring Bobby’s strength, coordination and communication abilities.
Physical therapy sessions addressed his mobility challenges. At first Bobby required a two-person assist to walk, but by working on standing tolerance using a platform walker and mirror therapy for trunk control, Bobby began to regain his strength, balance and confidence. He quickly progressed to taking steps with assistance.
“They put pressure on me,” said Bobby, “but I had to go through it." In the four weeks that he was in BSWIR - Lakeway, he progressed to walking with a hemi walker (a walker made to support one side of the body) with minimal assistance.
In occupational therapy, the focus was on rebuilding his ability to perform daily tasks, such as dressing and cooking. Therapists worked closely with Bobby to improve his dynamic balance, his ability to shift his weight and transfer from one place to another. A balance system was used to provide support while he built tolerance, strength and balance. Therapists also used the parallel bars focusing on using the affected arm to increase strength and neuromuscular re-education so he could perform activities of daily living.
Speech therapy also played a key role in Bobby’s recovery. When Bobby arrived, he was totally aphonic, meaning that he would attempt to speak but would not be able to create a voice. In addition to vocal exercises, his speech therapist taught him how to position his body and coordinate his breathing and speech so that his voice was stronger. “When I first got here, I couldn’t speak,” recalled Bobby. Getting his voice back was a turning point in his recovery. By the time of discharge, Bobby was able to use his normal voice to speak at a low volume. Swallow safety was also something that he and his speech therapist focused on. On arrival, he was only able to eat soft foods and thickened liquids. The therapists used neuromuscular electrical stimulation to activate and strengthen muscles used for swallowing. Bobby and his family got the news that he was cleared to eat and drink a regular diet while he was in the therapy gym and they were all overjoyed and celebrated the moment together.
As his therapy progressed, Bobby began to see the results of his hard work. His ability to walk improved, his hand function returned, and he could communicate with more ease. Bobby said he feels optimistic about his future and his ability to return to the activities he loves, primarily spending time with his family.
In fact, of all the challenges he faced, Bobby said that being away from his family was one of the most difficult. “They were my motivation.”