Guillain-Barre is a disease in which a person's immune system attacks peripheral nerves, and in its most severe cases can cause near-total paralysis and breathing problems. Mr. Schuh's case was said to be quite serious.
“I needed help with everything. I had to learn how to chew, swallow, sit, stand, and walk again. I felt like a toddler.” Physical stress In addition to the above, Mr. Xue said that the mental burden of being hospitalized was severe. “She had her husband and two young children at home,” Schuh said. “I actually hosted my son's second birthday party while I was in rehab. It was tough being away from my family and facing not being able to do the simplest things.”
Xu spent two and a half months at ECU Health Medical Center, six weeks of which were spent in the rehabilitation ward. She said that during her stay, Ms. Schuh said that while all the treatments helped her recover, she found that recreational therapy (RT) had the greatest effect.
“I didn’t know what RT was until I was in the hospital,” Schuh said. “RT has had the biggest impact on me because it helps people continue to be themselves despite physical barriers. RT helped me schedule my son's birthday party. He also took me on outings to Target.'' During his stay, Schuh said he had a literal epiphany. He wanted to pay it forward. ”
After recovering, Hsu went back to school and graduated with a master's degree in recreational therapy from East Carolina University. She also added an aquatic therapy certification to her degree from her own personal experience in a therapy pool.
“Aquatic therapy was so beneficial to my recovery that I was determined to get certified in it when I returned to ECU,” Schuh said.
Schuh also wanted to work in the field of inpatient rehabilitation because “I like to see people get better in a short period of time and I like to see their progress.” . But she didn't know that she would be working at ECU Health in the same rehabilitation unit where she recovered just a few years ago. She said, “I never thought I'd be back here at the Medical Center, but in many ways it's the perfect job for me to come back and help people in the same facility that I was helped by.”
