LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) – 33-year-old Morgan Hentemann, a mom of 5 from St. Johns, reveals what it means to by no means surrender – irrespective of the chances.
“We stepped into a territory where, just her being able to be here right now, today, is honestly a miracle based on where her injury was and how severe it was,” Stephen Hentemann, Morgan’s husband, mentioned. “She had complete paralysis. I mean, just to be able to get her smile back, to walk, that honestly is a miracle in its own right. To be able to speak.”
Stephen and Morgan come to Lansing a number of days every week to work with the employees at Mary Free Mattress at College of Michigan Well being-Sparrow. Morgan’s journey to restoration consists of bodily, occupational and speech remedy.
“Aphasia’s one of the most frustrating conditions that I think you can have – to not be able to express yourself – so, to see her laughing and smiling and just saying whatever she has on her mind, that’s amazing. That’s our whole goal for our patients,” Speech Language Pathologist Emily Struble defined.
From day by day actions, like utilizing the bathroom, brushing your tooth and getting dressed – to issues many people take with no consideration, like hugging our kids – Morgan will get stronger each day.
“The kids were here visiting her. So, during one of the sessions, we had [Morgan] sitting on a mat table and the kids were all lined up, you know, outside of the gym. We had each kid come in, one at a time, and just working on giving them a hug. So, I was helping, you know, get that right arm around, so that was pretty touching,” Occupational Therapist Lauren Knapik recalled.
“The famous phrase is, for anyone who’s ever experienced a stroke, is the answer will always be, ‘day by day.’ It’s always day by day. You take life day by day,” Stephen added. “You enjoy the moments day by day because little victories can be very, very small, but they can compound, and you have to keep going.”
READ MORE: Wellness Wednesday: Morgan’s Journey – Half 1
