Terry's Story
Terry Mashia thought it was the end.
The 61-year-old truck driver from LaPlace, La., takes blood pressure medication. One night after a long day of driving, he fell asleep and forgot to take his pill. He woke up with a headache, and when he tried to walk, his right foot seemed to drag.
Five hours later, Terry didn’t feel any better, so he went to the emergency room at the Ochsner Medical Complex ― River Parishes in LaPlace. Later, they transferred him to Ochsner Health Center in Kenner, where an MRI revealed a stroke on the left side of his brain. He spent a week in acute care and he chose to stay at Ochsner Rehabilitation Hospital for his recovery.
There, Terry pinned his hopes of returning to his old life to a physician-led team of physical and occupational therapists, nurses and case managers. To Terry, those hopes seemed dim. He’d been confined to a wheelchair. He couldn’t stand on his own. Walking required a team to help hold him up and move him forward ― even when he leaned on a rolling walker for support. The stroke had sapped all the strength from his right leg and arm, and his now-shaky balance and coordination made dressing, going to the bathroom and even moving from wheelchair to bed practically impossible.
But from the very beginning, Terry was all in on therapy. He took instructions well and always tried his best. Terry found some of the therapies strange and high-tech – but they worked. Physical therapists taped electrodes over his leg muscles and used low level electrical impulses to trigger contractions that helped his muscles grow stronger. Five times they used electrical stimulation on Terry. Before long, walking became a little easier.
Once, Terry used a virtual reality system to improve his balance and motor control. He slipped on a pair of goggles and wielded a hand controller. Behind the goggles, Terry became immersed in a computerized world where he pretended to pop balloons or play whack-a-mole.
They also had Terry use a robotic arm. He sat in a chair and strapped himself into a device that supported the weight of his right arm. When he moved the robotic arm, it also moved in a 3D environment on a computer screen in front of him.
In addition to offering him tips for dressing himself, bathing and going to the bathroom independently, occupational therapists gave Terry weight-bearing exercises to build strength on his right side. He performed the exercises in front of a mirror to make sure he was balanced and getting the full range of motion. He felt his strength and ability to control his own body start to return. That, along with the constant support from his therapists, broke through Terry’s skepticism. “I was depressed and thought my life was over,” he said, “but the staff lifted my spirits.” He could see his old life returning – spending evenings with his wife. Going fishing. Home-cooked meals.
Once they saw Terry walking with the HemiWalker – a device specially designed to help people who have limited use on one side of their body – Terry’s therapists knew he was ready to go home.
After 20 days in rehab, Terry was astounded with his progress. He could walk more than 200 feet with a cane and climb 12 steps with assistance for balance. Strength training and practice helped him learn to dress himself, use the bathroom alone and get in and out of bed without any help.
He calls it a blessing.