John Pye not only survived a deadly heart attack a year ago, but was able to take a very special walk on the anniversary of his release fromSilver Cross Hospital, thanks to the care from staff at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab at Silver Cross.

Pye was playing pickleball at a court in Mokena on July 1 of last year. The next thing he remembered was waking up at Silver Cross 20 days later.“There was a player there who knew CPR, so I hear he was doing that until the police arrived with a defibrillator,” said Pye, 73, a retired educator.

Rescue and Recovery

Mokena EMTs rushed Pye to Silver Cross, where he was admitted to Cardiac Intensive Care.When he woke up, Pye and his wife, Nancy, heard that his being without oxygen for so long meant there would be work to do to regain some normal functions, including swallowing, walking, and using his hands.

Enter Dr. Megan Parkes, Medical Director of theShirley Ryan AbilityLab at Silver Cross Hospital.Dr. Parkes said when she first saw Pye, “He was in really bad shape. So, his wife was really happy he could get therapy in our AbilityLab here.”Four days later, AbilityLab therapists had Pye up from his bed and into a Sara Stedy, a piece of equipment that helps a patient sit or stand while gaining the strength to walk again.

His Occupational Therapist, Elena Woulfe, agreed Pye was all in.“John was very pleasant and motivated to get better,” she said.

During his therapy, Pye was also on a feeding tube, as he had difficulty swallowing. A speech therapist worked with him on that, as well as on strengthening his memory.“ They would challenge me to do more each time, yet they were so compassionate and caring,”said Pye.

In addition, there were two sessions each day of physical therapy and occupational therapy.The AbilityLab therapists were “a gift from heaven,” Nancy said. “And Dr. Parkes was our guardian angel. She checked in on us every day.”

“When he first started walking, he was able to go only 30 feet,” Dr. Parkes said. “By the time he was discharged, he was walking 400 feet.”

The Walk of Life

Pye was released after 40 days in the hospital, but his therapy continued at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab’s DayRehab Center in Burr Ridge. “The transfer of care from the hospital to there was seamless,” he said. “They knew all about what I needed to continue my life with my family.”

On the one-year anniversary of his release, “He walked our daughter Julie down the aisle,” Nancy said. “We are so thankful. We are just so blessed to have Silver Cross as our hospital.”

To learn more about rehabilitation services at Silver Cross, visit silvercross.org.

Silver Cross Hospital

1900 Silver Cross Blvd.

New Lenox, IL 60451

815-300-1100

www.silvercross.org