It was an ordinary spring day for Victor DelGuidice. In the early afternoon, Victor went to the bathroom, and it was the last thing he remembered. His wife, Mary, found him slumped over and unconscious. She immediately called 911. Victor had suffered a massive stroke.
He was taken to Pennsylvania Hospital, where doctors delivered the devastating news to Mary: Victor would not make it through the night. When he managed to pull through, doctors remained uncertain if he would survive.
Three days later, after being moved to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Victor remained unconscious, and the family was told he would be this way for the rest of his life. To beat the odds, Mary knew she needed to get Victor the best inpatient rehabilitation care possible and chose Penn Medicine Rehabilitation at Rittenhouse. As the official therapy provider for Penn Medicine, Penn Therapy & Fitness’s team could provide a seamless transition and take a multi-disciplinary approach to Victor’s stroke recovery.
Inpatient Stroke Rehabilitation
After a week, small signs of improvement started to show. Victor woke up, but he remained in a state of confusion, suffering from memory loss and an inability to speak. Slowly, Victor’s memory began to return. His care team soon moved to intense physical and occupational therapy so Victor could relearn everything.
During his recovery, Victor told his care team he had a goal: he wanted to walk out of the hospital on his discharge day. While the staff had some doubts, they promised to try to get him there.
Nine weeks later, Victor was discharged — and walked out of the hospital on his own.
“What seemed impossible became possible,” says Victor. “The team is just extraordinary.”
Determined to continue his progress, Victor returned the very next day to start outpatient therapy. He sees the team at Penn Therapy & Fitness twice a week and practices perfecting his walking ability on the EksoGT.
Victor credits the team for his newfound independence.
“Their brilliance and expertise is one thing, but their love for what they do and the patient is another thing.”
-Victor DelGuidice
For more info about how Penn Therapy & Fitness can help with your stroke recovery, call 877-969-7342 or request an appointment online.