Holzer Patient Shares His Story
Bruce Masters is pictured at the Rehabilitation Unit.
“They told me I’d never walk again,” shared Bruce Masters. “But thanks to the great care I received at Holzer Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit, I can.”
On July 14, Masters was in a car accident and suffered a broken neck in four places, several broken ribs, and a multitude of health problems. He was life-flighted to Huntington, West Virginia, where he was on a vent for two days.“We weren’t sure if he was going to make it,” stated his mother, Carol Cox.
On July 28, he was admitted to Holzer Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit in Gallipolis, Ohio as a quadriplegic and began an intense therapy treatment. The Holzer Gallipolis Medical Center Inpatient Rehab is located on the Fifth Floor of the hospital at 100 Jackson Pike, Gallipolis, and has provided services since 1991. The primary purpose of the Rehab Unit is to assist patients and their families with the transition from an acute hospital setting to home. Patients participate in a comprehensive rehab program consisting of at least three hours of therapy a day, five days a week.
Holzer Inpatient Rehab Nursing staff described Masters as dedicated, positive, determined, and a joy to be around. “Bruce was an inspirational patient,” stated Amanda J. West, PTA, Holzer Inpatient Rehab Unit. “Through many ups and downs he continued to push with a strong drive to progress. He went from requiring total assistance on admission to walking to the car the day of discharge.”
Holzer’s Inpatient Rehab Unit features a therapy area and LiteGait® equipment, the only one available in the area. The LiteGait® is an innovative gait-training device that enhances our services during the recovery process. Appropriate for use with a wide range of impairments, LiteGait® provides proper posture, reduces weight-bearing, eliminates the risk and fear of falling, and helps coordinate lower-extremity movement. Its unique harness design not only permits unilateral or bilateral support that allows progression of the weight-bearing load from non to full weight-bearing, but it also frees the therapist to observe gait patterns and make manual corrections in limb placement, weight shift and step timing.
Currently, Masters is walking with very little assistance, using a cane for stabilization if needed. “I can’t even begin to compliment the Holzer staff,” stated Cox. “They kept him upbeat and were wonderful. He’s my miracle.”
“Bruce was one of the most motivated patients I have ever worked with,” shared Andrea Roush, OTR/L, Holzer Inpatient Rehab Unit. “He always strived for greater independence and refused to give up hope of walking and being completely independent despite an initial poor prognosis. If I planned for Bruce to do 30 minutes of exercise, he wanted to do 60 minutes of exercise. It’s patients like Bruce that remind me that working as an occupational therapist here at Holzer is exactly what God has intended for me to do.”
“If it wasn’t for the Rehab team, I’d be on my back,” shared Masters. “Everyone was great, very professional and truly caring. It’s not just a job for them, they love what they do and it shows.”
Masters has continued his therapy sessions following his discharge from Inpatient Rehab at the Holzer Therapy & Wellness Center in Gallipolis. “Therapy has been great. I receive treatments three days a week and have continued to progress. I am so appreciative of the wonderful care I have received throughout the Holzer system,” continued Masters.
Masters is a resident Gallipolis Ferry, West Virginia and has five children: Corey, Alycia, Patricia, Ryan and Emily. He is also a grandfather to five, with one more on the way. “I have a lot of living left to do,” shared Masters. “And I am so grateful to be able to do it.”
For more information on Holzer’s Inpatient Rehab services, call (740) 446-5902.
