Rehabilitation Patient Stories
At Nationwide Children's Hospital, we realize that emotional support is every bit as important as medical treatment. That’s why we want you to meet some of our rehabilitation patients, who, like you, are dealing with daily challenges.
Rachel Barezinsky's Story from a Brain Injury
Rachel Barezinsky suffered a severe, penetrating traumatic brain injury in 2006 when a bullet pierced her head, nearly ending her life. Part of Rachel’s recovery included Inpatient Rehabilitation at Nationwide Children's Hospital. Rachel’s faith and courage continue to be an inspiration to many. Her story provided hope and encouragement for patients like Ryan (pictured here with Rachel), a 16-year-old who was involved in a motor vehicle crash resulting in a severe brain injury and bone fractures. Rachel shared her own experiences and humor to facilitate his success in Rehabilitation.
In January 2011, Rachel was featured in an ABC News story, “Living Miracles: Survivors of Gunshots to the Head.” Her story also appeared in People magazine in February 2011, in a story about miraculous recoveries, and was covered by WOSU radio in, "Columbus Woman Overcomes Gunshot Wound To The Head."
To learn more about Rachel Barezinsky, follow her journey through “Rachel's Story.”
Pictured above is Rachel when she visited the Rehabilitation Unit at Nationwide Children's Hospital in 2008. She spent time with Ryan, a fellow Rehab graduate, and Ansley, Rehab’s therapy dog.
Sophie Sheridan was a happy, healthy 8 year-old. While on vacation with her family, she started to experience difficulty breathing, especially lying down. As the Sheridan’s drove home to Columbus from Georgia, Sophie’s condition worsened. Her parents decided rather than waiting to talk to their doctor in the morning, they would take her to Nationwide Children's Hospital’s emergency department.
Sophie had developed cardiomyopathy as a result of myocarditis, a virus that attacked her healthy heart. Normally a virus would result in a cold, or feeling achy and uncomfortable for a few days. But in Sophie’s case, the virus attacked the muscle of her heart which led to severe heart failure.
Within a few hours of her admission to the ER, Sophie was in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, and within 24 hours, she was on ECMO – special equipment that helped Sophie’s damaged heart rest. Sophie had emergency heart surgery shortly after that, followed by a heart transplant six weeks later. Today, Sophie loves to read and play with her sisters. She checks in with her cardiologists and therapists at Nationwide Children's Hospital on a regular basis, and she is making remarkable progress on all fronts.
Dany, 11 years old, is battling Ewings Sarcoma, a childhood cancer that occurs primarily in the bones and soft tissue. She shared a special moment with Jodi, fellow Ewings Sarcoma survivor. Diagnosed at 17, Jodi is now a nurse practitioner and a living example of someone who is thriving and encouraging others that there is a healthy future after cancer.
At Nationwide Children’s Hospital, more children are treated for cancer than any other children’s hospital in Ohio. In 2010, nearly 200 families heard the devastating news, “your child has cancer.” Last summer, Dany was diagnosed with Ewings Sarcoma, a cancer of the bones or soft tissue, after several weeks of tests and visits to doctors in her local community—about a 3-hour drive from Columbus.
Just days after doctors at Nationwide Children’s started chemotherapy treatments, Dany showed marked improvement. Her first visit to the cancer floor lasted nearly two months as she received chemotherapy and built up her strength on the Rehab floor. She will continue treatment for several more months, and all signs point to a full recovery.
“There are not enough words to explain how good the doctors and nurses are to Dany and our family,” said Dany’s mom. Cancer Survivors like Jodi, and the doctors and nurses on the cancer floor, are an example and an inspiration to Dany.
Jodi will never forget her senior year of high school, 12 years ago when she discovered she had Ewings Sarcoma. She faced the cancer head-on and fought, undergoing several surgeries and months of chemotherapy and radiation at Nationwide Children’s. She recently married Josh, the man of her dreams, and works as a nurse practitioner. Jodi says “I am living proof that you can live a successful life after cancer.”
Meet Marcyana and Learn About Her Brain Tumor Surgery
When a scan revealed Marcyana had a large tumor, Neurosurgeons at Nationwide Children's knew they had to operate. Unfortunately, Marcyana's tumor was in her brainstem -- one of the most difficult places to operate.
Nationwide Children's Hospital
700 Children's Drive Columbus, Ohio 43205 614.722.2000
700 Children's Drive Columbus, Ohio 43205 614.722.2000