Concierge: Dominic DiLieto
Patient: William Nelson
Patient age: 74
Admitted: May 30th, 2023
Admitted from: NYU Langone Medical
Discharge Date: September 29th, 2023
Length of stay: 4 Months (122 Days)
Reason for stay: Rehabilitation following hernia surgery
Details of experience:
At the end of September, our resident, William Nelson, returned home after staying at The Paramount for short-term rehabilitation. Over the past four months, Mr. Nelson has worked extensively on his rehabilitation with our physical therapy and occupational therapy team.
In 2019, Bill began experiencing a loss of control of his legs. Through 2021, his condition continued to become more severe to the point where he had complete numbness and paralysis in both his legs. After first being diagnosed with what was first thought to be the cause of the physical impairments and treated for such, it was discovered over a year later, in March of 2022, that the actual cause was a fistula in connection with his spinal cord. Beginning his physical therapy journey, Bill was soon up and walking using rehab poles. Unfortunately, a year following, Bill once again suddenly lost the ability to walk after triple hernia surgery. Now, the task of restarting his rehabilitation journey, which had led him to our facility here, The Paramount, began. With all that being said, it is important to include Mr. Nelson’s journey, including an enlistment in the US Army in 1969, and was soon engaged in combat, completing his full tour in Vietnam. This decorated veteran’s support for his country and fellow veterans did not end there. Over time, his advocacy for the support of our nation’s veterans has been duly noted and recognized on a national scale. Bill was also a member of the HBO family, eventually grinding his way to Chairman and CEO of HBO after decades of work with them. The same support he showed for veterans he brought to The Paramount, attending our veterans group programs and speaking with the many veterans we have throughout our facility.
After spending four months in a room located right next to our Nottingham nurses’ station, of course, Bill made many friends with the staff on the unit. When asked about the relationships he had made, he said, ‘They were all so great, I can’t single any of them out.’ With that said, he, of course, felt obligated to mention his two primary therapists, Rebecca and Mayra. The pair had certainly left an impression on Bill and vice versa. After only two weeks, a dramatic increase in his strength was noticed, and after about four weeks, Bill was able to take a few steps himself with the parallel bars. By the time he had returned home, Bill was ambulating on his own using just a walker.
We wish for nothing but the best for Mr. Nelson as he has become a deep part of our community, and wish him luck with the rest of his rehabilitation journey in the future.