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Following a routine blood draw in August 2024, Charity Dehmer experienced symptoms that led her to return to the hospital. Initially dismissing the heaviness in her left arm as a side effect of the blood draw, Dehmer soon realized something more serious was occurring. Upon entering the hospital, she discovered she had suffered a stroke and had two prior undetected strokes.
Dehmer, a 47-year-old resident of Westfield working in technology and a mother of four, faced significant challenges after her stroke. She sought help from Franciscan Health's rehabilitation team in Indianapolis after speaking with a friend who also experienced brain injury. The team, led by Dr. Sachin Mehta with neuro occupational therapist Allison Speath and speech therapist Teresa Cochran, developed a recovery plan for Dehmer.
"Allison and Teresa have been crucial in my stroke recovery journey," said Dehmer. "Their support has been transformative by working in tandem to ensure my recovery is progressing and giving me tools and strategies which help me to get back to 'normal' life post-stroke."
Initially attending therapy sessions twice weekly focusing on speech, eyesight, and motor skills, Dehmer now attends once weekly as part of her ongoing recovery process.
"Allison was able to identify an issue I hadn't been able to communicate articulately at the time, that my eyes weren't working as they had pre-stroke," said Dehmer. "Through her evaluations, she was able to confirm my eyes had been impacted by my stroke and set me on a path for recovery and success."
The Franciscan Health team also assisted Dehmer's mental and emotional recovery from the stroke.
"I was just telling Teresa and Allison recently that I don't know the state of the relationships I would have without their help," said Dehmer. "I don't know that I would be working right now without them. The truest, most honest thing I can say is they gave me my life back. And it's probably better than it was before."
Dehmer plans to attend Franciscan's Stroke Camp in July at West Harrison, Indiana.
"The thing about brain injury is that every week you think you're okay and then you get to the next week and you look back at the prior week and you're like, 'Wow, I was really a mess,'" said Dehmer. "I look back to January and I can't believe how different I am today. And to know that in another few months I'll look back to where I am today and probably think the same thing. I am so thankful to everyone at Franciscan for helping me get my life back."
May marks National Stroke Awareness Month with Franciscan Health Indianapolis ranked No. 1 in Indiana for Stroke Care by Healthgrades.
Learn more about Stroke Rehabilitation at Franciscan Health.
