Greg's story

Greg sits in a chair wearing a red graphic t shirt and smiling at the camera

Greg Jeffries, 49, was at home doing the thing he loved most – spending time with his 9-year old daughter. The happiness turned to confusion and alarm however, when Greg fell against the wall in his bathroom and hit his head on the bathtub on his way to the ground.

Greg’s daughter attempted to get him up, but was unable to do so. In a moment of quick thinking, she called her mother and Greg’s wife, Erin.

“I could hear some slurred speech in the background, so I had my daughter put the phone on speakerphone, so I could talk to Greg,” Erin recalled.

After asking her daughter more questions, Erin called 911 and asked for an ambulance to go to their residence. Greg’s daughter went outside and retrieved a neighbor who is a nurse and also called Erin’s brother who is a paramedic. Both arrived at the house quickly and confirmed Erin’s instinct – Greg was having a stroke.

After being taken by ambulance to Mercy Lincoln Hospital, Greg underwent a CT scan and was given a TNK-tPA injection which dissolves blood clots. He was diagnosed with an ischemic stroke, which occurs when a blood clot blocks or plugs an artery leading to the brain.

Greg, a machinist, was transferred to Mercy Hospital St. Louis where he underwent a thrombectomy, which is a surgery that removes blood clots in an artery. Following the surgery, his nurses noticed a steady decline. Further complications required time in the intensive care unit and Greg stabilized after 10 days.

Nicknamed “Little Mule” in the ICU because of his hardheaded, stubborn personality, Greg was admitted to a rehabilitation hospital following his time in the ICU. After starting rehabilitation elsewhere, Greg and his wife chose SSM Health Rehabilitation Hospital – Lake Saint Louis for his next level of care.

“We know several people that have been through therapy here and heard nothing but good things,” Erin said of their decision to choose the hospital.

Upon admission, Greg could not walk. He needed two people to transfer in and out of bed, as well assistance for many daily tasks, including dressing, toileting and bathing. He had impaired coordination, little motor control, visual deficits, left-sided weakness and inattention to his left side. The stroke also caused difficulty swallowing and speaking. Perhaps the biggest challenge upon admission was his balance – Greg required three people to help him walk due to poor control of his legs and his inability to maintain an upright position.

These difficulties caused Greg to struggle emotionally because he was unsure of how he would recover from many of his symptoms. However, Greg found strength and motivation in his family.

“I wanted to go home and not rely on my wife and daughter to help me do everything,” Greg explained. “My daughter was especially worried she wouldn’t be able to help me or do anything with me again.”

The physician-led rehabilitation team worked with Greg and his family to put a customized treatment plan in place. With his goals set, he and his team of physical, occupational and speech therapists focused on building strength, balance, range of motion and coordination. Greg resolved to work hard in his therapy sessions.

Greg’s physical therapy sessions focused on improving his lower extremity coordination and motor control. To build strength and endurance, Greg used the exoskeleton, a wearable robotic device to help him stand and move his legs to walk. Later, he was introduced to a body-weight supported harness to guide his walking. His hard work led to success and he progressed from needing three people to help him walk a few steps to walking up to 300 feet by himself with use of a walker.

Occupational therapy sessions also focused on building Greg’s strength, as well as his left-side range of motion. His therapists reeducated the muscles on his left side to help him with his activities of daily living, which include dressing, showering and using the restroom. To address Greg’s left-sided inattention, his therapists strategically placed necessary items to his left, drawing his attention to his left side. His family was also educated to stand on his left side when talking to him, which shifted his attention and awareness to that side. Therapists used hemi techniques for Greg’s dressing needs, which required him to dress his weak side followed by his strong side and when undressing, using his strong side followed by his weaker, left side. With repetition, he progressed steadily.

Greg’s loving wife and daughter were supportive during occupational therapy and empowered him to be as independent as possible, which lifted his spirits.

“My daughter and wife were there almost every day to check on me and make sure I was doing okay,” Greg said. “It helped them to see me get better, especially my daughter. When she would leave she would say, ‘Dad, you be good for the nurses and do what they say so you can get better. I miss you. I want to cuddle with you.’”

As he grew stronger through physical and occupational therapy, Greg also participated in speech therapy. Unable to eat solid food, he learned swallowing strategies using different solid and liquid textures. His determination allowed him to progress from mildly thick liquids and minced/moist foods to thin liquids and regular foods.

When Greg finally received the green light for solid foods, he celebrated with a beloved Chick-fil-A meal. In addition to swallowing, Greg also improved his slurred speech. Through consistent implementation of strategies related to his therapeutic tasks, plus every day conversation, Greg’s speech improved steadily.

Hearing himself speak was a turning point of his recovery. “When I finally heard my voice for the first time since the stroke … This made me feel like I would actually get my life back,” Greg explained.

After three weeks at SSM Health Rehabilitation Hospital – Lake Saint Louis, Greg was discharged and planned to continue his therapy at SSM Health Day Institute.

He credited his family and therapists for helping him succeed and progress through his rehabilitation.

“I learned how lucky I am to have the support that I do from my wife and daughter and a good therapy team,” Greg explained. “I wouldn’t be where I am now without the therapists who helped me.”