When Edith Mims experienced two strokes over a year ago, she recognized the symptoms. Her husband had also previously had a stroke, so when she fell at her sister's birthday gala, she knew what was happening. "I had fallen, and I tried to get up and fell again; I knew what was going on," remembers Edith. However, with the gala's festivities, she opted to remain at the party. "The next day, I had another stroke. We were having dinner, and I dropped the same fork three times; after that, I said it was time to go to the emergency room. Once I got to Lane, the doctor told me I'd had two strokes and I was to begin rehab"
Edith's road to recovery has been long and continuing, but the progress she's made with her Occupational Therapists and the staff at Lane Outpatient Therapy has been incredible. "At the beginning, they did everything they could to make me happy, and I needed that. I couldn't walk, and I couldn't do anything for myself. I was encouraged and told what I needed to do and how I needed to do it," Edith recalls.
Independence is a vital aspect of Edith's life and a major motivating factor for the work she has put in with the outpatient staff at Lane. After her stroke, she couldn't use her right arm. She had to relearn how to feed herself, bathe and dress herself, and physically take care of the daily parts of her life. "I never said, 'I can't,' or 'I don't want to'; I just went with everything. I needed that encouragement; I needed that love that was given to me."
Today, Edith can participate in the things that she loves. She goes to church, the Council on Aging, and her favorite thing, Southern’s Jaguar football games. She even went on a cruise to Catalina Island. "Everyone wanted to take care of me, but because of my independence, I said, 'No, I'm going to do this all by myself.' I couldn't forget the things that I'd learned in outpatient therapy. Everyone was amazed at how well I was doing."
Edith has progressed from needing a wheelchair to using a cane; today, she is ready to put that cane down. The other main challenge was using her right arm. "I couldn't lift, I couldn't do anything; it would just swing. But with the help of my OTs, I learned how to write, feed myself, put on my earrings, and put on my makeup," Edith proudly proclaims.
While Edith has received excellent care and made remarkable progress, she does wish she'd have done things differently after experiencing her first stroke. "When I had the first stroke, I should have gone right then and there. The ER doctor was great. When I moved to Rehab, it got better. At Lane Outpatient Therapy, it was the best!"
Describing herself as a "Young 76" Edith Mims has big plans as she continues to progress and improve with the help of Lane Outpatient Therapy. "More trips, more games, and more parties. I want to stay independent. I'm so grateful and thankful for the Occupational Therapists at Lane."
