Peggy's Story*
Butler, Pennsylvania resident Peggy Downey, 56, lives for her family. When she’s not watching her grandchildren, she enjoys the beauty of the woods and outdoor activities at her camp in nearby Dubois—a special place for relaxed family gatherings over the years.
At camp, Peggy typically rides her electric bike, tools around on a golf cart and enjoys evenings by the campfire. She adjusts her activity level based on how she is feeling—breathing issues from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) sometimes slow her down. However, one weekend Peggy found herself struggling to catch her breath and frequently dropping things. She also noticed that her right foot was dragging when she walked, knocking her off balance. Peggy decided to pack up and head home with her daughter, Rachel, who was visiting from Florida. Once home, Peggy remembers showering and the rest is a blur. Rachel observed her mom stumbling and not making sense and immediately called emergency services.
An ambulance rushed Peggy to Butler Memorial Hospital where doctors determined Peggy had suffered a stroke from a blood clot in her brain, and a second was spotted in her lung—called a pulmonary embolism. She also had contracted pneumonia. Peggy’s doctors treated the blood clots in her brain and lung with blood-thinning medication and created an opening in her windpipe—called a tracheostomy—to connect her to a ventilator to take over her breathing. Doctors then placed Peggy in a medically induced coma for 10 days, to give her body time to rest and heal.
It was touch and go during that period recalled Rachel. “They told me five times to say my goodbyes, but I knew my mom is a fighter.”
After 20 days, Peggy successfully liberated from the breathing machine, but still required oxygen support through a tube under her nose. She was ready for the next step in specialized care and recovery. For that, she chose Select Specialty Hospital – McKeesport.
Upon her transition to Select Specialty Hospital, Peggy met with her physician-led multidisciplinary team including nursing, pharmacy and respiratory, physical, occupational and speech therapy. Breathing was still a struggle and she couldn’t walk or even stand up due to weakness in her right leg. She was also experiencing cognitive challenges. “I could not remember things,” Peggy said.
Her recovery goals included improving her breathing and thinking, walking and eating solid foods again. Peggy hoped to get back to spending time with her family at camp and riding her bike.
Nursing worked with pharmacy to monitor the antibiotic levels in Peggy’s blood maximizing their effectiveness in clearing up her lung infections. Respiratory therapy took Peggy through lung strengthening exercises which successfully decreased her need for supplemental oxygen, and over time completely eliminated it.
Meanwhile, physical therapy worked with Peggy to strengthen her legs and improve her range of motion in preparation to stand on her own again and get back to walking. “Physical therapy worked really hard with me and inspired me to keep pushing when I didn’t think I could do it,” Peggy said. “Being able to complete a slide board transfer into the wheelchair allowed me the freedom to get out of my room.” It was the first of many milestones that moved Peggy closer to her goals.
Occupational therapy sessions focused on progressive resistance exercises to help strengthen Peggy’s upper body and support better mobility. They also practiced daily activities, such as bathing, dressing and grooming. With each passing week, Peggy gained more strength and mobility.
Speech therapy focused on improving Peggy’s swallowing. They put her on a specialized diet and taught her vocal exercises and techniques like the chin tuck to prevent choking. In three weeks, Peggy returned to a regular diet.
Peggy praised the entire Select Specialty Hospital team for their care and encouragement. “They really care about you and your recovery and constantly motivate you,” she said. “But they also are aware of when to stop before you get too frustrated or fail.”
The culmination of her hard work came on the day of her discharge. “My greatest achievement was standing fully upright with just a little help and taking my first step,” Peggy recalled. “I was super excited and happy. I called everyone and bragged about it.”
Rachel was by her mother’s side throughout her one-month stay, working with the case manager to arrange Peggy’s transfer to Select Medical Rehabilitation in Pensacola, Florida to continue rebuilding strength and stamina.
“Prior to getting sick, I was planning to go to Florida to visit my daughter. The case manager was amazing in coordinating my transition from Select Specialty Hospital to Select Medical Rehabilitation – Pensacola so that I could still do that,” Peggy said.
Upon admission to Select Medical Rehabilitation, Peggy’s therapy sessions increased to several hours a day with her team.
“In Florida, they really ramped things up. I went from sitting to standing exercises to taking steps in the parallel bars in the therapy gym,” Peggy said.
Within two weeks, Peggy was walking 10 feet with the assistance of two therapists.
“The gym was amazing, it was just an awesome set up. It was hard work, but I was so motivated to be there and improve. Before this all happened, I was a smoker. But I haven’t smoked since and this entire experience has put me in a better place physically and mentally,” Peggy said.
Rachel agreed with the transformation saying, “Thank you for giving me my mom back!”
After 20 days at Select Medical Rehabilitation, Peggy was walking and taking care of all self-care needs independently. She was ready to enjoy some Florida sunshine with her daughter before returning home to Pennsylvania.
Several months later Peggy celebrated another milestone when she successfully took her bike out for a spin during her first weekend back at camp.
“I am totally thrilled that I was balanced enough to ride my bike. I haven’t felt this good in years and I am accomplishing new things every day.”