Portrait: Kevin
Back in 2015 I was an alcoholic battling suspected PTSD. One night I developed aspirated pneumonia. I was rushed to the hospital. From there, I spent weeks on a ventilator.
A little bit about Kevin
Back in 2015 I was an alcoholic battling suspected PTSD from the years I spent working on an ambulance.
One night I developed aspirated pneumonia. I was rushed to the hospital.
From there, I spent weeks on a ventilator.
When I came off it, my mind was erased and I had lost every muscle in my body. My short-term memory was also gone.
From there I was discharged to an inpatient physical therapy rehab facility where I began to learn how to walk and talk again. Eight months later, I was discharged home, still dependent on a wheelchair.
My recovery journey: the highs and low
After a few years at home and working with different physical therapists, I am starting to walk device free and I am able to talk coherently. My memories are back and my short-term memory seems normal now. My recovery journey has been terrible, to be honest. I was too slow at reaching recovery goals to stay in outpatient physical therapy rehab programs.
I’ve just been at home transitioning from a walker to a cane, to walking unaided now.
Advice from my personal experience
Even if you’re not able to hit goals as fast as people want you to, don’t stop fighting. Even if it takes you longer.