Tinley Park Woman Back on Her Feet Following Stroke Recovery Therapy at Silver Cross Hospital

Back in early March, Katie Moran was just finishing a Zoom job interview with the CEO of a company she hoped to work for when she felt a strange sensation.

“It was like a hot wire going through my brain,” said Moran, 45, of Tinley Park. “Then it felt like hot metal shards were running through the left side of my body.”

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Moran called to her husband, Kevin, as she began to collapse. He called 911, and she was hospitalized with a stroke.

“I’m 45, this isn’t supposed to happen,” said Moran, who had been attributing her high blood pressure to “white coat syndrome,” when she was in unfamiliar medical settings.

That’s why Moran felt the need to share her story during Stroke Awareness Month in May. And also, to give credit to those who helped get her back on her feet…literally.

After she was released from the hospital, Moran was referred for inpatient therapy at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab at Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox.

What happened in her three weeks there was nothing short of a miracle, she said, mixed with determination and hard work.

“I went there needing a wheelchair and walked out on my own.”

Teamwork…and Determination

Much teamwork was involved with helping Moran, said Dr. Megan Parkes, Medical Director of the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab at Silver Cross.

“When Katie came to us, she needed quite a bit of assistance,” Dr. Parkes said. “As part of her inpatient rehab program, she participated in 15 hours of therapy per week. Her treatment team consisted of physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech language pathology, 24-hour rehab nursing, social work and a rehab doctor.

“Katie was extremely motivated from day one. She was up for any challenge the therapists threw at her. Her attitude was such a great asset in her recovery. While her body didn't always cooperate the way she wanted it to, she didn’t let that discourage her. She pushed through the bad days and was a source of inspiration to others.”

Moran knew she would be in good hands. Her mother sang the praises of the AbilityLab therapists after she suffered a stroke and is now doing well.

A former asset management vice president working with sensitive data files, Moran said she was used to being in charge during high-stress situations, “doing the stuff no one else wanted to do.

“The most difficult thing for me at first was having to depend on others for everything,” she said. “I am a very independent person.

“But the therapists at the AbilityLab were amazing. They knew how far to push me, with Physical Therapist Jada Cox saying, ‘You are capable of doing hard things.’ That really motivated me, because I knew it was true.”

Cox and Occupational Therapist Lindsay Heidrich said Moran’s motivation and dedication played a huge role in her recovery.

“Katie was determined to regain her function and independence, which allowed the therapy team to find challenging, yet fun ways, to help her achieve her goals in inpatient rehabilitation.”

The “fun” including incorporating Moran’s love for Bruno Mars in several “dance breaks” using a FreeStep harness system.

Cox and Heidrich used techniques such as dual tasking, and task-specific training to help “retrain” Moran’s brain to maximize learning and adapting to new changes to improve various everyday functions.

Exercises included transferring items out of their pantry while in the harness, directional walking while tapping and reaching for varying objects, and performing varying movement patterns while in quadruped or tall-kneeling, which aimed at improving her overall balance and stability, and regaining functional use of her extremities.

Moran said the 45-minute sessions took a lot out of her, but she soon began feeling her body working again, and she was building strength.

“I could tell the therapists, ‘That really hurts. Maybe we can try something else.’ Or ‘I really enjoy that, can we do more?’ And ‘I’m not so good at this, can we try again?’

“They never, ever made me feel embarrassed if I couldn’t do something right way. They would say, ‘OK, let’s try it this way instead.’

Not So Fast!

Moran also was scheduled for speech therapy when they noticed she seemed to slur words sometimes.

“I’m just a fast talker. So, they got me to slow down and think before I talk and enunciate.”

Speech Therapist Maeve Houlihan said returning to a normal life and work – including effective communication – was important to Moran. The therapists worked together to incorporate exercises combining tasks that would improve all facets of her health.

“As proof of her dedication, Katie demonstrated consistent carryover of speech strategies, which helped improve her communication and cognitive skills.

“She even requested more cognitive activities she could do outside of therapy sessions. Katie is a true testament to working hard to get back to her most independent self.”

With continued inpatient therapy, Moran lost the harness and was walking on a treadmill. She had to move her left arm with her right when she first arrived at Silver Cross. Now, she continues to work on fine motor skills on an outpatient basis and at home, with the help of her husband and son, Keegan.

“They are just absolutely wonderful. Kevin always has handled the cooking, and he helps me when I can’t do something. Keegan is my angel, who tells me to shake it off if I’m having a bad day.”

Moran wants people to know they should not ignore their body and certainly their mental health.

“I realized that before the stroke, I was not taking care of me. I was doing for everyone else. I had a very high-stress job, and I’ve been taking various medications for rheumatoid arthritis since I was a teen. And the only doctor I was seeing was for my arthritis.

“You have to love yourself enough to care. Little successes add up to big ones. You have to push through the hard times.

“The people at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab at Silver Cross were wonderful helping me do that. They helped me get my life back. And I’m really proud of myself, too.”

To learn more about rehabilitation services at Silver Cross, visit silvercross.org or call (815) 300-7110.