Sarah Fitzgerald, a dedicated 23-year-old X-ray technician student, was balancing her studies at community college while working shifts as an EMT. This past summer during a workout at a local gym, Sarah developed a severe headache. Concerned, she called her mother, Leah, to come pick her up. Sarah collapsed in the locker room by the time her mother arrived.

Unable to talk, Sarah communicated with her mother by using sign language. She was taken by ambulance to a local hospital where a CT scan revealed she had suffered a massive brain bleed. She transferred to another hospital for advanced treatment where it was found that Sarah had an undiagnosed arteriovenous malformation (AVM) that had ruptured. An AVM is a rare condition where arteries and veins are connected abnormally, which disrupts the flow of blood between them.

Over the next five and one-half weeks, Sarah underwent seven surgeries, including five brain surgeries. She also required a tracheostomy to help her breathe and a feeding tube to manage her nutrition. When her condition stabilized, she was transferred to a long-term acute care hospital for continued critical care where she received treatment for an additional four and one-half weeks.

Sarah then was referred to Rehabilitation Hospital of Northwest Ohio (RHNO) for specialized rehabilitative care. Upon entering the hospital, she was unable to talk, eat, or walk. The hospital’s interdisciplinary healthcare team developed an individualized treatment plan with Sarah and her family to meet her specific goals, which ultimately included returning home with her mother.

Sarah’s treatment included intensive physical, occupational, and speech therapy. She worked diligently every day with the medical team, making significant progress that included removal of her tracheostomy, and a return to eating, talking, and limited walking with assistance. Recently, Sarah even went on a community outing with the RHNO staff to an apple orchard. Always her biggest supporters, her family surprised her by showing up to spend the day with her.

Sarah’s motivation and positive attituded have inspired other patients as she continues to make great strides in her recovery. She truly lives her mantra, which is “I can. I will. I do. I can do hard things.”