Rehabilitation Was One Step On Her Journey: Chris’ Story

On a morning in late May 2021, Chris Fox collapsed. "I woke up one morning and fell on the floor," said the Rossville, Indiana resident.

She had experienced a cardiac arrest. Fortunately, she wasn't home alone. Chris's partner, Wayne, immediately called 9-1-1 and performed CPR until an ambulance arrived. The emergency medical team used defibrillators to restart Chris's heart once at her house, a second time in the ambulance and a third time at the hospital. Doctors couldn't restore her heartbeat.

Chris's story wasn't over, though. When her neighbor, Mandy, visited Chris at the hospital to say goodbye, "the monitor was working, and my heart was beating." Chris was alive.

A Long Road Ahead

Chris stayed in a medically induced coma for two weeks. During that time, she contracted COVID-19. Conditions for Chris continued to worsen. But Chris said, "One doctor here at Franciscan Health would not give up on me." After a week on a ventilator, Chris could breathe on her own. Doctors transferred her to Franciscan Health Lafayette East.

Chris arrived at the Inpatient Rehabilitation Center in June. After a month without movement, she needed to regain mobility. Chris needed to relearn how to balance. She needed assistance to get out of bed. "Basically, I had to learn to walk again," she said.

Her physician, Pradeep Gnanapragasam, MD, medical director for the Franciscan Health Inpatient Rehabilitation Center in Lafayette, informed Chris that she would need to stay in their rehab facility for three weeks. But Chris had other ideas. "I told him, no, I'll be out of here for my birthday, which was eight days away."

Setting Goals, Making Progress

Chris's birthday was July 1. Determined to complete rehab by that date, Chris worked tirelessly. She trained with therapists during the weekdays and, on weekends, asked the nurses to help her walk around her hospital room. She did everything she could to keep moving.

The hardest part, she said, "was the steps. I had an awful time going up and down those steps."

Chris and Dr. Gnanapragasam worked towards recovery. He checked on Chris every day. He helped her take practice steps. Then, to get in and out of a car. At first, Chris had to move her feet with her hands.

Still, she was determined to reach her goals. She wanted to be out of rehab by her birthday and conquer the steps. "I kept wanting to go up and down the steps," she said.

Dr. Gnanapragasam said that the stairs "became her challenge. She got better in everything except the stairs."

And then one day, she conquered the steps, too.

Working Through Setbacks

Chris left rehab on June 30, one day before her birthday. She'd achieved her goal. Her victory amazed Dr. Gnanapragasam. "She had a target," he said, "and she achieved it. That's the story of Chris."

Once at home, Chris experienced constant pain, even with medication. And she felt defeated without a way to manage the pain. Then, she remembered painting.

Chris had started painting seven years before to help manage pain caused by a hip fracture. After an accident, Chris "went home, and none of the medications eased the pain." She talked to her older sister, who advised her to paint. "She told me that if I could just sit and paint, my mind would go away from the pain. So I did. And it did."

After her rehab at Franciscan Health, Chris began to paint again to escape the pain. She struggled at first. Her hands shook. She had trouble working for long periods. Then, as she gained strength, feelings of gratitude replaced the pain. She wanted to thank her Franciscan Health care team for helping her during her recovery.

"The more I thought about it, the more I knew I had to do something for these people. And when I do something for somebody, it's usually a painting."

The Journey To Healing And Gratitude

It didn't take Chris long to decide what to paint for her rehab team at Franciscan Health: the steps.

"Every day when I would go down to rehab, I would look at those steps and know that when I could achieve the stairs, I could go home."

Chris created a painting with a message to other patients at Franciscan Health. "One step at a time. One day at a time. You can do this."

Chris's painting of the stairs hangs in the therapy gym at Franciscan Health. It's there to inspire patients to set small goals, keep progressing and never give up. It's also a reminder of Chris's gratitude to the staff at Franciscan Health.

"I definitely would recommend Franciscan Health Inpatient Rehabilitation Center to everyone," said Chris. "They are an outstanding bunch of people, and I feel very fortunate to have ended up here. I would tell anyone and everyone who needed help, who was on their way back to good health, to come here. They're here to help us, to heal us and to send us home."