Omaha stroke survivor donates supplies to team that aided his recovery
By Beth Carlson
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OMAHA, Neb. (KETV) — Inpatient therapy staff at Methodist Hospital unwrapped $3,000 worth of new supplies Friday, all thanks to a donation from a former patient.
Rob Jewell spent six months in three rehabilitation centers across Omaha, doing physical, occupational and speech therapy to rebuild skills he lost when he suffered from a stroke in July. As a thank-you to those who helped him, Jewell donated a total of $9,000, split between Methodist Hospital, QLI and Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital.
“I’m like, why am I doing this? Well, it was to retrain my brain to think logically and think smarter and follow things through,” Jewell said. “The help I’ve received, I feel really good about it. I feel like I’m making progress.”
The effects of a stroke can vary from person to person. Jewell struggled with partial limb paralysis and speech difficulties and spent countless hours working in therapy to re-learn these skills. Often, therapists use children’s toys, puzzles or games to help victims work on fine motor skills, according to staff at Methodist Hospital.
“We’re incorporating their thinking skills, their vision, their balance, the use of their hand, the use of the full arm, the leg,” Sarah Cockle, service leader for Methodist Hospital Inpatient Therapy, said. “The possibilities are endless.”
On Friday, Jewell was able to meet and thank the staff who first helped him at Methodist Hospital, as they opened the new donations. Jewell had gifted hundreds of items from their wish lists.
“(He said) what could you use? What would benefit the team, the patients?” Cockle said. “And then the ideas just came flooding in.”
For years prior, Jewell played Santa during the holiday season, listening to children tell him what gifts they wanted for Christmas. A major milestone in his stroke recovery, he said, was getting back to being Santa.
“I had 35 kids out there that were, I talked to and given candy canes, and they colored and got cookies. It was fun. So, this was another Christmas celebration to them,” Jewell said.
Now, his donations will be used to serve future patients in the hospital.
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