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Donor support for acute rehabilitation helped Al return to work after a stroke
Al Fulk expected to leave rehab in a wheelchair. After his stroke, he thought that was the best-case scenario. But thanks to you, he walked out of Mercy Health Springfield Regional Medical Center Acute Rehabilitation with only a walker. He was back at work the same day.
Your gifts toward acute rehabilitation contributed to Al's recovery. After suffering a stroke in 2022, he couldn't walk and struggled to even sit upright in a wheelchair. Al's therapist personalized his sessions, and the results speak for themselves.
“The therapists were great. I always wore concert t-shirts to rehab, and my therapist started playing Led Zeppelin—one of my favorites—during our sessions. I looked forward to my therapy."
Not only that, but Al's therapist used baseball to strengthen the stoke-affected side of his body. Al coached college baseball for 30 years. "Every day he would bring in a ball and make me catch it with my left hand," Al says.
But successful rehab requires more advanced equipment than a stereo and a baseball. A recent Foundation-funded renovation included a walking track to help patients regain balance. For Al, being able to walk and climb the steps in his home to get to his bedroom were major goals, as was being able to return to his successful real estate business.
“I’m driven. I knew I was going to get better. That makes a big difference," says Al. "Therapy is like two-a-day football practice—no one likes it, but you’ve got to do it to win.”