Christa Jordan, First Patient at the New Hospital, Goes Home
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Ten days after being the first patient admitted to the new Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital – Bartram Campus, Christa Jordan was able to return home. She is most excited to get home to care for her 90-year-old husband again. Before she left, we asked her about her stay:
How was your experience while at Brooks?
It was amazing. The girls that do the therapy are absolutely amazing, more than amazing. They really do their job that’s for sure. They are fantastic.
The nurses are also great. I want to take my nurse Golda home with me. I always call her Goldie. I don’t want to take away from any of the other nurses as they were all wonderful. It was just something about Golda’s charisma that stuck out to me.
What did you like about your care here at Brooks?
The therapists pushed me to my capabilities and to where I needed to be but also knew when to give me a rest. They helped me get stronger and use my whole left side again. Before coming to Brooks, I couldn’t place my own hearing aide in my ear or lift my arm behind my head. Now I can do it all and more. They gave me certain exercises to walk again such as marching to strengthen my left leg.
Everyone made me feel like a celebrity while being at Brooks. They treated me that way. It will be weird to make my own coffee again in the morning. The girls just took such great care of me here.
What would you tell others about choosing Brooks?
They should!! They absolutely should choose Brooks if they are ever in a situation where they need rehab or have to come to rehab. They heal you. When I was at Mayo Clinic before here, I was waiting for a bed to open up at Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital on University Blvd. My family wanted me to come to Brooks. Instead, a bed opened up here at this new location and it is wonderful that I was able to come here. My husband was at the other Brooks location a while back and he is the type of person that doesn’t always follow what he is supposed to do in order to get better, but he is a believer now! When he left Brooks and they helped him, he became a believer and that’s why I wanted to come to Brooks.
What was it like to be the first patient cared for at the new hospital?
It was an overwhelming feeling. I was treated like the president of the United States. I told everyone about it! I wanted pictures of me cutting the ribbon to show my family and my husband. Goldie and I are celebrities together.
