Ira's story
Michael “Ira” Egan loves to walk and embrace adventure. Born and raised in Cincinnati, he joined the Air Force after high school and spent four years intercepting signal intelligence, first in Italy then in Taiwan. After the service, he returned to Cincinnati and dipped his toe in various interests before finding his next career path—walking a mail route for the U.S. Postal Service for 24 years. After retirement, Ira continued putting one foot in front of the other with 15-20 mile excursions on the Loveland trail and visits to the Oregon coast and New Orleans. He also took up sports photography. All was going well until one fateful day when his feet gave out from under him.
“I was fasting for 78 hours, only having water and black coffee, which was the perfect storm for what happened,” Ira explained. Home alone, he stood up from his couch, lost consciousness and crumpled to the floor. He wasn’t sure how long he was out, but when he came to, Ira felt a stabbing pain in his right shoulder and couldn’t move. Thankfully a friend happened to stop by and immediately called 911.
Emergency Medical Services rushed Ira to Bethesda North Hospital. Doctors conducted tests and determined Ira’s fall had caused trauma to his neck resulting in a type of spinal cord injury called central cord syndrome. Ira was unable to walk and had lost strength and dexterity in his hands.
“I couldn’t grab or hold on to anything which made eating and drinking very difficult,” said Ira. In addition to challenges with feeding himself, Ira’s lack of mobility made self-care and personal hygiene tasks nearly impossible. Accustomed to blazing his own trail, Ira felt vulnerable and overwhelmed by the sudden loss of mobility. When his condition stabilized after 10 days, Ira’s doctors recommended inpatient rehabilitation for continued recovery. Ira sought the advice of several friends who all recommended TriHealth Rehabilitation Hospital.
Upon arrival to TriHealth Rehabilitation Hospital, Ira met with his physician-led multi-disciplinary team. “When I got there I told them I wanted to walk, use the bathroom, shower and live alone,” Ira recalled. The team developed a personalized care plan for Ira and got to work.
Physical therapy evaluated Ira’s condition—he had started to regain some sensation, but could only stand from the wheelchair and walk about 12 feet with assistance before getting dizzy. The therapy team began challenging Ira’s sense of balance and coordination with daily walks of increasing lengths. Pedaling the stationary bike in the gym also built up his leg muscles. Soon, Ira’s strengthened legs and feet were carrying him through obstacle courses, up and down ramps and over uneven surfaces.
“I found my recovery to be truly amazing and I give a lot of credit to the personable and professional care at TriHealth Rehabilitation Hospital,” Ira said. “They unapologetically worked me hard, with compassion to get me better and get me out of the hospital.”
Part of that hard work involved Ira’s sessions with his occupational therapist. His fingers initially felt slow and clumsy. Day after day Ira worked to refine his fine motor skills through activities including moving safety pins, one by one, from one container to another. It was tedious but important work. Improving grasping skills and hand strength translated to abilities he needed for self-care skills such as brushing teeth, showering and grooming. As Ira’s coordination and strength continued to increase through physical therapy, he also applied those gains to activities in occupational therapy such as climbing stairs and getting in and out of the car simulator.
After 15 days at TriHealth Rehabilitation Hospital, Ira reached his goal of regaining the independence he needed to return home. He was able to walk up to 250 feet and go up and down 13 steps. He bathed and dressed without assistance, including putting on his neck collar which continued to provide protection through the healing process.
Ira expressed his gratitude to the team—putting his fingers to work writing thank you notes to his nurses and therapists. “I can’t wait to get back on the trail,” Ira said as he walked out of the hospital toward home and future adventures.