PATIENTS
& VISITORS
The love and support of family and friends is a key part of the healing process.
George Derleth
Two decades ago, George Derleth, 77, of Saginaw, slipped and fell on a metal staircase at work. Since then, he’s had a long, 20-year saga of low back pain, five failed back surgeries, and 20 years of physical therapy.
“I’ve gone everywhere trying to get help for my back and legs,” he explains. “HealthSource is the place that I prefer, period!”
Carson Kowalski
For 14-year-old Carson Kowalski, a soccer injury put a major halt to middle-school life as he knew it. In pain and forced to be non-weight bearing when not confined to a fracture boot or cast, he was no longer able to continue the season with his new soccer team. He missed out on months of skating, skiing, and bowling with friends and was unable to walk, run, wake board or golf. During a long-awaited trip to Washington, DC, he plodded along in a full cast using a scooter.
Susan McInerney
Shields resident Susan McInerney had already undergone successful outpatient rehabilitation at HealthSource after a total knee replacement. She was a BIG fan of the aquatic therapy pool since it allowed her to move and progress with little to no pain.
“I was at a different rehabilitation center for five months after my knee surgery. I couldn’t even walk or bend it or do anything,” Sue explains. “My doctor sent me to HealthSource. Once I got out here and got into the pool, my knee started to work because the water just gave me the ability to bend it.”
So, when she broke her hip a short time later after tripping and falling at home, she knew she would head back to HealthSource for inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation.
Sharon Faber
When Sharon Faber of Zilwaukee looks down at her new, straighter, stronger legs, she hardly recognizes them.
It all began less than two years ago when she fractured her ankle and was referred to orthopedic surgeon Tarek Taha, MD. “When Dr. Taha was examining my ankle, he noticed my knees,” Sharon explains. “I suffer from rheumatoid arthritis and my knees were noticeably deformed in what is called ‘wind swept’ pattern – one leg is knock kneed and the other is bow legged.”
Kassie Verbeek, Vassar
As a three-sport athlete, National Honor Society member, and dual-enrolled student at Vassar High School, Kassie Verbeek was always laughing and smiling – the one everyone else turned to for support and motivation. Little did anyone know, Kassie felt sad and alone. Looking back in hindsight after working closely with her HealthSource outpatient therapist, she acknowledges she was “hurting deeply inside.”
Dr. Taha
Sharon Faber of Zilwaukee is one of Dr. Taha’s patients. She suffered from rheumatoid arthritis and her knees were noticeably deformed in what is called a “wind swept” pattern – with one leg knock kneed and the other bow legged.
“Both of Sharon’s knees were pretty bad and both needed to be replaced,” Dr. Taha says. “She was very restricted in her movement so we offered to take care of both knees, one at a time.”
Corey Dwenger
Corey Dwenger came to HealthSource for therapy after a near fatal car accident last fall. A well-known and beloved local high school wrestling coach, Corey sustained a traumatic brain injury affecting the left side of his brain. He wasn’t expected to live. But he did!
“The first thing I remember when I woke up is I couldn’t talk,” Corey explains. While miraculously regaining his physical health, he was faced with the effects of a brain injury that impacts his language center for understanding and expressing communication. Corey demonstrates expressive aphasia. Despite knowing what he wants to say, his brain does not communicate smoothly to his mouth.
Doug Mace, Clio
It isn’t easy coming to Saginaw twice a week,” Eadie explains, “Especially in the winter. But it’s so worth the drive. He’s not just the 10 o’clock appointment. He’s Doug to them. More than coming in for the drudgery of physical therapy, it’s coming in and – in a sense – he’s with friends. He’s with family who want the best for him.
Guy Brunner, Vassar
Five days into the 10-day trip to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally , Guy woke up in the morning unable to move. One of his friends heard him thrashing around and flipped on the light. “He took one look at me and knew I had had a stroke in the night,” Guy remembers. After being evaluated at a local hospital near their rental cabin in Sundance, Wyoming, Guy was quickly taken by jet to Sanford Health, a major teaching hospital in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Robert Cook
Robert suffered complications during a heart procedure that caused bleeding in his brain. A surgeon had to perform emergency brain surgery to repair the bleeding vessel. Robert thankfully lived through the serious crisis, but required intensive rehabilitation afterward.
He arrived at HealthSource wearing a protective helmet with his scalp plate removed. He couldn’t walk, talk or hold his head up. His entire left side was affected.
Jeff Taylor, Shields
New Year’s 2016 was supposed to be a festive one for Jeff and his wife, Shelly, who live in Shields. They traveled down to Macomb County that year to ring in New Year’s Eve with their son. Instead, Jeff woke up New Year’s Eve morning having a stroke. He was rushed to nearby Henry Ford Hospital, where he stayed a week in intensive care.
To keep the momentum of his recovery going, the Taylors wanted to find Jeff a top-notch place for inpatient rehabilitation. They preferred something closer to home so that Shelly and the Taylor’s dog Chico could provide continuous love and support.
Norman Stange, Saginaw
Hearing her husband, Norman, singing in the shower is a source of pride for Mary Ann Stange. Three years ago, her husband of 41 years suffered a stroke. The two were attending a play in Bay City when suddenly Norm couldn’t speak – not a single word.
Luckily, he was treated quickly with a clot-busting medication (Alteplase IV r-tPA ) and was only hospitalized for a short time. Norm’s stroke left him unable to read, write, or speak. The couple was devastated. However, Norm was committed to gain his communication back and worked intensely in outpatient therapy at HealthSource Saginaw with speech-language pathologist Katie McDonald. Norm regained function and was nearly back to normal in six months.
Connie Taschner, Saginaw
For Connie Taschner of Saginaw, life as she knew it changed completely on March 27, 2014, when she sustained a traumatic brain injury in a car accident. Her doctors in Ann Arbor didn’t expect her to survive, let alone recover to the point of walking, talking, and leading a full life with her husband, Ron.
“I’ve come a long way,” Connie says, crediting the Long-Term Care and Medical Rehabilitation experts at HealthSource Saginaw for their vital role in her recovery. “When I got here, I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t straighten my arms or legs.”
“The mental health experts at HealthSource Saginaw are my heroes,” says a recent Behavioral Medicine Center patient. “The hope you all have given me is priceless. I’ll take it with me everywhere I go. The impact you’ve made in such a short time should not go unnoticed, and I wish I had more to give than a thank you! I’ll never forget this experience or the people.”
Michael Gallagher, Saginaw
Michael Gallagher of Saginaw is remarkably upbeat about — what he calls — his two “speed bumps” and the “souvenirs” they’ve left behind in his life. The first was a life-threatening stroke in 2009 that left him partially paralyzed on his left side. The second was a broken hip just a few years later — the result of tripping on stairs in his garage.
Both brought him to HealthSource Saginaw for acute inpatient rehabilitation, where Michael discovered top-notch, creative, compassionate care. Both introduced him to people he would not otherwise have met — professionals he cherishes as people and experts he credits with producing his outstanding recovery outcomes.
Sarah B, CTRS
Sarah B, CTRS, works with children and adolescents every day at HealthSource Saginaw’s White Pine Mental Health Center. Her patients are in crisis — the kind that can’t be measured or quantified with a medical test. They are often completely closed off. Sarah’s job is to motivate them somehow to learn and practice skills for coping with emotional issues so they can function more fully when they leave inpatient treatment.
“Some people think we just play with the kids,” Sarah explains. “But everything has a purpose.”
Art projects, therapy dogs, exercise classes, games, and journaling are just a few of the activities HealthSource recreational therapists employ with their patients to build self-esteem and help kids cope, find emotional outlets and expression, and communicate more effectively.
Robert Loftus, Frankenmuth
For Robert and Jill Loftus of Frankenmuth, the drive to HealthSource Saginaw in Saginaw Township for outpatient therapy is well worth the gas and wear and tear on their vehicle. Robert had a very successful stay here in acute inpatient rehabilitation after his second stroke. Outpatient therapy has helped him gain back even more use of his right side.
“We’re driving a looong way,” admits Jill, director of patient care at St. Mary’s of Michigan. “It’s because they know Bob. The therapists are kind, considerate, and really know their mojo. They evaluate, re-evaluate, and never accept the status quo. He just gets better and better with the goals they set for him. It’s more than a facility…it’s a comprehensive program. They REALLY know their rehab.”
When Joni Buss of Birch Run had two of three brain tumors surgically removed, she suffered some unexpected, but not uncommon results. “I woke up from surgery and couldn’t move one of my legs at all,” she remembers. “The doctor explained that it might take time and therapy to regain use of my leg. He strongly recommended HealthSource for acute inpatient rehabilitation.”
What Joni found at HealthSource were outstanding facilities and therapists. The big things? She was standing within two days of arriving and walking (and running a little) with a brace by the time she was discharged. With outpatient therapy, she made even more progress and only has minor foot and ankle issues. “It was unbelievable. Everything else came back,” she says.
The love and support of family and friends is a key part of the healing process.
For more than 80 years we’ve been a healthcare focal point in Saginaw and surrounding communities. HealthSource Saginaw has changed and transformed to meet the needs of those we serve – from tuberculosis patients in the 1930s…to those seeking long-term care or recovery from surgery, debilitating illness or injury, chemical dependency, or mental health issues today.
We are a rehabilitation/recovery hospital. There is no one like us in the region offering the scope of services from short-term care to a lifetime of care.
LOOKING FOR THE BEST POSSIBLE OUTCOME AFTER A STROKE?