It was a typical day for Judy Waldoff as she was preparing lessons for her students’s math intervention. Suddenly, Judy started feeling unwell and decided to end her lesson planning early. As Judy stepped off the front steps of the school she realized: “I’m having a stroke!”
Judy couldn’t recall how she made it home – but she remembers seeing her husband Joe standing at the back door of their home as she was trying to get our of the car. “It felt like my feet were all tangled together,” she recalled. She also couldn’t move the left side of her body, another telltale sign of a stoke.
Entering Rehabilitation
After Judy was stabalized, she sought inpatient rehabilitation at Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Dothan in Alabama. When she arrived, she couldn’t walk, move or even sit up on her own. “I’m going from a person who goes from 200 miles per hour to doing absolutely nothing for myself,” Judy said. ” They taught me how to brush my hair — how to put my clothes on — which I still have trouble with.”
From Sitting to Standing and Walking
In therapy, Judy’s conditions felt overwhelming but with the help of her physical therapist, she could see the start of a new journey. “Mrs. Judy’s progress was like nothing I’ve ever experienced in recovery,” said Gary Miller, her physical therapist. “She was distraught and had to battle through those mental barriers before making any progress. One day you are standing in front of a mirror trying to get her to stand up straight. By the grace of God, Judy was able to start moving her hand and she improved from there. Watching her progress and knowing that we had a small part in her recovery — it’s humbling.”
Judy’s road to recovery was no easy feat, but the support of the Encompass Health team gave her the willpower she needed and changed her life. “You can feel it in the way they treat you when you are here,” Judy said. “I was thinking, this is just going to be a hospital. I’ve never imagined going to a place like this.”
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