Joel's story
Joel Doner, a 61-year-old attorney and avid fencer, experienced a life-altering event when he suffered a stroke. Joel lives in a small farming community with his wife, Margot, a retired school teacher, and together they run a boutique flower business. The move from the suburbs to farm life brought many changes, including tasks like chopping wood, vegetable gardening and maintaining flower beds. All was going well until one winter day when Joel’s life changed dramatically.
"I was working on my computer when I noticed I couldn't lift my left arm," Joel recalled. "I got up and walked to the edge of the steps, called for my wife, and then my leg collapsed under me. I fell down the steps and hit my head.” Joel had suffered a stroke.
After being rushed to Inspira in Vineland and airlifted to Cooper Trauma Center, Joel was paralyzed on the left side of his body and suffered seizures. His vocal cords were also paralyzed, making it difficult to speak, and his vision was blurry. After five days in the ICU, he was transferred to Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation (KIR) - Marlton for the next step of his recovery. He and Margot chose Kessler because of the excellent reputation of its neuro program.
Joel’s goal on arrival was clear: to regain his independence. He had a 3 cm bleed in the right basal ganglia, which fortunately did not affect his cognition.
The journey was challenging. His physician-led team of therapists developed a treatment plan that was rigorous. "The rehab team at Kessler are the best. They showed me the path to recovery and pushed me hard," Joel said. "Sometimes it felt like they were pushing too hard, but they always encouraged me to rise to the challenge." But as he soon discovered, sometimes you need a team pushing you.
One therapy that stood out for Joel was aqua therapy. "There's resistance to all your movement but feeling that zero G was fabulous," he shared. Physical therapy sessions focused on high intensity gait training program. Joel utilized the Andago system, which is harness system for over ground and over treadmill gait and balance training. Joel was even able to use it to practice lunges while in the harness. Therapy included intense walking exercises, obstacle courses and pushing a weighted cart to increase his heart rate.
Meanwhile, occupational therapy sessions focused on maximizing Joel’s independence through practice of activities of daily living, such as showering and dressing.
"I learned that I'm actually a lot stronger than I thought," Joel said. "You can't do that by yourself. You need a team pushing you." Joel celebrated every milestone, from gripping something with his hand for the first time to walking unassisted. "It was nerve-wracking, but my therapists were by my side the whole time."
Joel also credits Margot for being his rock throughout the process. "Without her help, I couldn't have done any of this. She was here every day, working with my therapists and learning how to assist me at home."
Joel’s progress was remarkable. Upon discharge, he could walk without a device for 150 feet and negotiate 24 steps using a single handrail. His balance, gait speed and endurance also improved significantly.
"I would recommend Kessler to anyone," Joel said. "They have the staff and the equipment to help. When I go home, I'll be stronger than I thought I would be. In a year, I hope to be at 90 or 100 percent." Joel is well on his way with outpatient therapy at Kessler Rehabilitation Center - Marlton.
