Wayland Woman Fights Tufts for Longer Rehab

About eight months ago, Wayland mom Heather Wood was diagnosed with a rare disease of the central nervous system called Guillain-Barre Syndrome.

She and her husband Gary just had a baby boy, and suddenly, and shortly after, Wood was paralyzed and on a respirator, unable to open her eyes for six weeks.

Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is a disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks part of the peripheral nervous system, starting with weakness and tingling and progressing to paralysis in some cases, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

The syndrome, while rare, strikes both sexes and all ages. Doctors and scientists do not know the cause of the syndrome.

Wood convinced Tufts Health Plan to let her go to Spaulding Rehab instead of a nursing home, WCBS Boston News reports, but her coverage there ends in early May. The couple is trying to convince the insurance company to extend her stay, as Wood has made remarkable progress.

Wood told WBZ, “I just want to hold my baby.”

Read the full story here.

Photo via WCBS Boston/Twitter