I got into a bad accident, which resulted in multiple rib fractures. I ended up in the hospital where I was treated for acute respiratory failure. I lost my strength and my sense of balance. Unable to cook a meal or do my laundry, I couldn’t go back home. I met with a liaison from Centers Health Care, and she arranged for me to go to Essex Center for my rehab. What a great move! The physical and occupational therapy team is excellent. They are all extremely supportive, and they had me back on my feet in no time. I walked out of Essex Center on my own after just two weeks! I’m stronger now than I’ve been in years, and most important, I can cook again for my family.

Back in ‘95 I got into a car accident. A drunk driver veered into my lane and hit me head-on. My son Jason, 17, was killed, and I had a broken back, broken leg, broken arm and a broken heart. I was in the hospital for a year; the doctors put me back together with titanium hardware. By the time I was released from the hospital, headed to Essex Center for my rehab, I had lost one leg and was paralyzed from the waist down. I have to admit, at first, I was a terrible patient. It’s not that I didn’t like my therapist; I just didn’t like anyone. I believe I had what they call survivor’s guilt. I wished I had been killed and my son had lived. The fact is, my therapists have been amazing. From day one, they understood that my rehab was as much about my mental state as it was about my physical condition. That I had to want to get better before I ever would get better. And believe me, they were relentless. I can’t remember the exact moment… Maybe it was when they invited my daughter to come into the facility to celebrate her birthday. Or the time one of the therapists challenged me to a game of chess and I felt a bit of the old competitive fire. Or it could just be that I realized I really liked the place. Now, Essex Center is my home, and I fully expect to…

I got into a bad accident, which resulted in multiple rib fractures. I ended up in the hospital where I was treated for acute respiratory failure. I lost my strength and my sense of balance. Unable to cook a meal or do my laundry, I couldn’t go back home. I met with a liaison from Centers Health Care, and she arranged for me to go to Essex Center for my rehab. What a great move! The physical and occupational therapy team is excellent. They are all extremely supportive, and they had me back on my feet in no time. I walked out of Essex Center on my own after just two weeks! I’m stronger now than I’ve been in years, and most important, I can cook again for my family.