Sten’s lighthearted personality made his hospitalization easier on his
family, friends, and caregivers.
After 13 days in the hospital, Sten was discharged to an inpatient
rehabilitation facility for intensive physical, occupational and
speech therapy. As his new therapists began working with him,
they soon became aware of his unique personality. Sten’s mother
recalls the time he met his speech therapist. “She brings out a box
full of blocks, and makes this little Lincoln Logs thing and she
says, ‘Now, Sten, can you make something just like this for me?’”
To make light of the simplicity of the request, Sten then proceeded
to assemble an elaborate Lincoln Logs complex.
Sten’s positive attitude and hard-working personality followed
him to rehab. He continuously pushed himself and challenged his
talented therapists. Sten was quite fond of his physical therapist,
Bryan. “Bryan was huge for me,” he said. Sten’s dad laughed and
agreed: “He was a good personality fit.” During a particularly
memorable physical therapy session, Sten attempted to get up
from a chair too quickly, but Bryan tackled him onto the bed to
prevent him from falling.
With the hard work came gains in function. “I got to the point
where I could actually use this,” Sten explained as he pointed
to his leg, “and that it’s not just going to be this weird floppy
attachment on my body for the rest of my life.” His strength
continued to improve, and he began to gain control over the left
side of his body. He was even able to use his left arm to push
elevator buttons, which he described as “just so cool” after not
being able to use his arm at all. He also remembers an even bigger
accomplishment. “One of the huge things for me was actually
being able to walk again.” Sten’s mother nodded in agreement,
but as she had when he was in the ICU, she felt conflicted. “The
first time he walked down the hall ... they came down to show
me ... and it was just the same thing, ‘Thank you, God. He’s up,
he’s walking!’ and then ‘Oh my gosh! My kid who ran cross
country, who was a major player on our community theater stage,
can barely walk.’”
Vigorous physical therapy helped Sten regain the ability to walk.
Getting Ready to Face the World Again
After three weeks in inpatient rehab, Sten was discharged to an
outpatient facility where his condition and abilities continued to
improve. “I was walking and doing pretty well by the end of my
two months at rehab.” As Sten graduated from rehab and moved
in with his parents, he began to notice that there was still much
ground to cover before he would be ready to face the world on his
own again.
Sten remembers having to learn new techniques for mundane
daily activities. “Like opening a jar, you just use both of your
hands and do it, but in my position I had to figure out new ways
around so many different things.” Another one of those things was
making the bed. (His mother playfully challenged the audience,
“Try to put a fitted sheet on your mattress someday with your
left hand in your pocket, I double dare you!”) These kinds of
challenges taught Sten to adapt and to appreciate the input of
those around him, like his girlfriend, who suggested moving the
bed away from the wall so that he could more easily walk around
it to put the sheets on.
As Sten continued to heal and regain mobility, he started working
toward getting back on his feet. He was able to return to his
apartment in downtown Minneapolis only nine months after the
stroke that paralyzed the left half of his body. Even after making
the step to living independently, he is still reminded of the
challenges he will continue to face on a daily basis. He told the
students of a particularly difficult day while out getting coffee with
his parents when he had a fall. “There was this ice plane and I just
went totally sideways and ended up on the ground and it’s just
terrifying,” he recounts. And it makes him question himself: “Can
I even go anywhere on my own now? Am I going to end up on the
sidewalk somewhere unable to get up on my own?”
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