The William R. Lewis, MD, Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit (IRU) at Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula is celebrating 10 years of helping patients who have endured significant illness or injury heal by focusing on opportunities, not roadblocks. For Monterey resident Teddy Peters, the IRU helped him overcome more than just a roadblock — it gave him a second chance at a normal life.
Teddy was transported to Community Hospital’s Emergency department on February 22, 2022, with a severe brain injury that he almost did not survive. It was possible that Teddy would remain unresponsive for the rest of his life. But after months of determination and hard work, he went from being unresponsive to levels of cognition and physical activity that are near where they were before his accident — and getting better every day.
We saw Teddy at the worst moment in his life and we didn’t know if he was going to survive. To see him walking around the unit was a special feeling for everybody involved in his amazing healing journey. And his mom deserves as much credit as anyone else. She was there for him constantly, and it paid off.
—Mario Ruiz, Director, Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula IRU
The IRU is a special unit at Community Hospital for people who have suffered a serious injury or illness including stroke, amputation, and spinal cord, cardiac, or orthopedic injury. During an average stay of about two weeks — in Teddy’s case, more than two months — patients take part in 3 hours or more per day of intensive physical, occupational, and/or speech therapy, five days per week.
A long road to rehabilitation
Before Teddy made it to the IRU, he spent six and a half weeks in Community Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU). It was unknown if Teddy, who was comatose, would ever recover. An array of clinical experts including doctors, nurses, neurologists, and physical, speech, and occupational therapists cared for Teddy in the ICU, all working diligently to give him another chance at life.
Every small step was a celebratory milestone, from regaining consciousness and beginning to communicate, to intentional movement and increased cognition. “There was a lot of hard work, lots of advocating for his care, and lots of reassuring his mother,” says Candice Garrett, occupational therapist at Community Hospital, who recalls Teddy’s’ case as “one I will remember for the rest of my career.”
Teddy’s mother, Barbara, in a state of fear and anguish that only a mother in her position could understand, never left her son’s side. She watched every bit of his progress and celebrated every baby step, and she knew there was more inside her son than what he presented. “Teddy is a young, smart, and physically active guy, and I could see that he was still in there,” she says. “I knew he could get back there.”
Garrett, who worked intensively with Teddy, also saw what Barbara saw, and so did Mario Ruiz, Director of the IRU. “We all saw so much more potential inside Teddy than what he was able to show at that moment,” Ruiz says.
Once Teddy reached a level where he could participate in his recovery, he was carefully weaned from his breathing tube and prepared for the IRU. “I felt immense relief,” Barbara says, “because that meant Teddy had a chance at real recovery. It meant I had a chance at getting my son back.”
Hope for the future
Once in the IRU, Teddy started relearning the basics. He began by accomplishing incredible feats for someone in his position — sitting up in bed, moving his arms, and feeding himself with utensils. Then he practiced talking, eating, and shifting his weight — seemingly simple, everyday tasks that are so easily taken for granted.
Although there were moments when Teddy’s motivation faded, pictures of his family kept him going. “I just kept thinking about everyone I love and how supported I am,” Teddy says, “and how I used to run, swim, go to the gym — I just kept telling myself that I could get back to that if I gave it my all.”
“His initial anxieties, frustrations, and fears melted into a jovial and jocular posture that was infectious,” says William Leisek, one of Teddy’s occupational therapists at the IRU. “His jokes and smiles were a regular part of our day.”
As Barbara recalls, Teddy’s therapists wiped sweat from their foreheads as they were on their hands and knees, moving Teddy’s legs so his muscle memory returned. His occupational therapists helped him relearn to clothe himself, shower, and shave. His speech therapist helped him regain the ability to talk and Nutrition Services provided him with a special diet critical for healing post-feeding tube.
“It was more than the physical rehabilitation,” Barbara says. “They were personable, real, and encouraging with Teddy. They were professional, but they would joke with him and make him feel comfortable, like it was back to normal.” Ruiz even coordinated special visits from Teddy's dog, Austin, which Barbara says played a major role in Teddy’s high spirits and motivation in the IRU. “And as a parent, the staff were also there for me,” Barbara says. “I needed that motivation.”
Gratitude for a second chance
Teddy, one of the IRU’s youngest-ever patients, arrived at the IRU unable to move his own body or sit in a chair. On June 15, 2022, almost four months after his accident, he was discharged from Community Hospital. “By the time he left,” Leisek says, “he was standing consistently, starting to walk, and making progress that inspired us all. We were so concerned about the future of this young man, and we were so happy to see the enormous functional gains he made to reclaim his life.”
“We saw Teddy at the worst moment in his life and we didn’t know if he was going to survive,” Ruiz says. “To see him walking around the unit was a special feeling for everybody involved in his amazing healing journey. And his mom deserves as much credit as anyone else. She was there for him constantly, and it paid off.”
At the IRU’s 10th anniversary celebration in September, Teddy and his mother were reunited with the care team that gave him a second chance at life. Teddy and his mother expressed gratitude to the therapists, nurses, doctors, specialists, and so many others who contributed to his incredible recovery.
Today, Teddy is running, swimming, and going to the gym, with some adjustments to accommodate changes in his balance. “I’m so grateful to the IRU and everyone at Community Hospital for helping me get to where I am, and I feel so fortunate to have a second chance at life,” Teddy says. “Looking towards the future, I want to volunteer, go back to work, and go to college.”
Learn more about Rehabilitation Services at Montage Health.
