Following a recent surgery related to a spinal injury, I had severe pain and no controllable function below my waist. After a 10-day hospitalization, I was transferred to Green Bay Rehabilitation Hospital for post-acute care.

When I arrived at the hospital, I was restricted to a wheelchair. It took two people to transfer me out of the wheelchair for any reason, such as getting into bed, bathing, or using the toilet. I was unable to stand on my own, and walking was out of the question. As you can imagine, I was very anxious and depressed about the future. Adding to this, I have celiac disease, which restricts my diet from containing gluten.

I’m now retired, but I have a 50-year history of medical and hospital expertise, so I can’t emphasize strongly enough the sincerity and truthfulness of my hospital experience.

I’ve never seen a dedicated specialty hospital as organized and committed as Green Bay Rehabilitation Hospital. From the CEO to housekeeping, including the medical director, social work, dietary, nursing, occupational and physical therapy, everyone was truly focused on patient welfare and healing. It was obvious that it was not just a job, but truly a calling for every staff member as they gave genuine, empathetic care to their patients. By the end of my first day, my mental state had changed completely. After interacting with the various staff members, I couldn’t help but feel safer and more optimistic regarding the future.

I received at least three hours of intensive, one-on-one occupational or physical therapy every day. On a few days, I also received an additional two hours of therapy. When I say intensive, that is exactly what I mean. Each therapy session was tailored to my particular healing needs. I worked hard enough so that most days I returned to my room sweaty and worn out, but this was a good thing.

I also must mention the dietary staff. I have a gluten problem. This meant that most of the time I couldn’t eat the majority of the meals offered in the dining room. The dietary staff came out to my table to give me other food options. It was obvious that they enjoyed using their talents to prepare very tasty meals for me. Often, they would prepare and set aside a version of the meal being served that was gluten free. Other times they would prepare something completely different for me. Every single meal was excellent. One time, one of the staff made a ranch-type salad dressing for me, and by the time I reached the end of the food line, another staff member had made me a special salad.

The rehabilitation staff were my heroes. Each of them was so enthusiastic and skilled at their craft that I couldn’t help but be motivated to work and heal. They were an amazing group of individuals, without exception.

The nursing staff were my angels. Any time, day or night, their concern, care, and kindness were unfailing. The manner in which the nurses and aides took care of their patients made all the difference in the world. I never felt like a burden to any of them.

The most important fact was that after 16 days, I walked out of the hospital on my own using a walker. I wasn’t back to normal, but to me it was nothing short of a miracle. I would receive outpatient therapy to continue my healing journey. It was genuinely difficult to say goodbye to such a group of wonderful people.

If you, or anyone you care about, ever requires inpatient occupational, physical, or speech therapy, do whatever it takes to have them treated at Green Bay Rehabilitation Hospital. Don’t settle for anything less.