Earl's Story
When he first arrived at Select Medical Rehabilitation Hospital at Lutheran Hospital, Earl Shumaker was scared.
He’d had a rough year. Months earlier, the 65-year-old from Auburn, Ind., had been diagnosed with esophageal cancer. He’d been planning to retire from his factory job, but now he found himself undergoing six weeks of chemotherapy followed by marathons of surgery. Ultimately, doctors removed a portion of his esophagus and replaced it with another piece of his digestive tract they replaced with a synthetic hose.
Earl had to breathe through a tube and was unconscious for 30 days. When his doctor took him off the machine, Earl’s breathing was so labored, the tube had to be reinstalled. Doctors then performed a tracheostomy.
After veering in and out of consciousness in a hospital bed for a month, Earl awoke feeling so weak he couldn’t get up on his own. Swallowing his food was difficult, and he could barely speak above a whisper. He was wary about a new hospital. After all he’d been through, what fresh horrors were waiting?
Doctors had recommended Select Medical Rehabilitation Hospital at Lutheran Hospital to Earl’s daughter, Krysten, and brother, Dennis, who’d been at his bedside. Krysten took a tour – she found the rehabilitation hospital’s patient-led team of physical, occupational, speech, respiratory and dietary specialists, along with doctors and nurses, to be just what her father needed to get back to his old, simple life. Earl loved to read, watch Indiana University Hoosiers play basketball and football on TV, go for long walks and spend time with his grandson, Hunter.
At the rehabilitation hospital, physical therapists set to work getting Earl upright and moving. On the first day, therapists helped him up and offered him a gait trainer, a specialized walker geared to help people with mobility issues. Two days later, they eased him off of his training wheels, swapping the specialized equipment for a traditional walker. Slowly, Earl began walking farther distances. As he advanced, therapists monitored his oxygen levels during the training to ensure his breathing, like the rest of his body, was growing stronger.
Occupational therapists offered Earl a variety of games. They asked him to slide a rag across an inclined table, which increased his range of motion and built strength in his arms. Sometimes, Earl batted at a balloon, plunged pegs into holes on a board or played a game where he pressed electronic discs arranged on the gym floor as they lit up in sequenced patterns. All of it increased Earl’s endurance and shook some of the clouds from his mind. The strength he built helped him as therapists offered how-to tips and had him practice getting in and out of his wheelchair and going to the bathroom.
Earl’s family helped with his therapy through a program called Care Partner, where loved ones join in to make sure someone like Earl learns everything he needs when he returns to them and nothing falls through the cracks.
As he continued improving, his whisper began to increase in volume and his ability to feed himself improved thanks to help from his speech language pathologist. The therapist gave him a new diet and worked with him through vocal exercises.
Therapists at Select Medical Rehabilitation Hospital at Lutheran Hospital work a kind of magic, Earl noticed. They prodded him into working hard without bullying. They made him feel motivated and excited about his own progress. Even when things didn’t go smoothly, they always had a smile and a word of encouragement for him.
At the end of 19 days, Earl recognized a dramatic change. “I am not the same person,” he said. “I have a more positive outlook now.”
When he left Select Medical Rehabilitation Hospital at Lutheran Hospital, Earl could walk 80 feet with a walker and climb stairs. He could take showers by himself. His voice and memory were back.
And he’s not done. Earl continued his rehabilitation with home recovery care. He’s confident that as he keeps working, he’ll be able to put the walker away for good.
In short, after rehabilitation, weeks of surgery and chemotherapy, Earl is no longer scared.
How does he feel now?
“Hopeful,” he said.