So, this place! I'm not sure where to even start so, I will just dive in. I had a complicated back surgery that did not go quite as planned. Much of the bone was taken away to the rear and sides of my spinal cord. Eight screws and rods were replaced in my back to hopefully fuse together T-11 through L-3 levels.

I was in the hospital for one week and one day then transferred to the Cleveland Clinic rehabilitation Hospital at Beachwood. I had a lot that was not going well for for me when I entered there. I was in a lot of pain and needed lots of help just shifting around in my bed. Toileting and basic hygiene were very embarrassing for me but, the staff was beyond compassionate. Keeping me safe and clean seemed no more difficult or extraordinary to the staff there than keeping my water cup filled with ice and water. They were all exceedingly genuinely nice and companionate. I cannot imagine a person doing what the nurses and their aides did there unless they had a love for their work, their patients ...or both!

I swear that one of their nurses aides , "Nikki", had to have been trained by Santa Claus himself! Somehow or another, she was able to come into my room, empty my urinal, clean it, and pop it back onto my bed railing and never once woke me up! She told me that if she was in my bed instead of me, that's the way she would want to be treated.

Earlier on, one of the nurses , Dimitriy, was so concerned about me getting a good night's sleep, I think he posted a guard outside my room with instructions not to let anybody inside until daybreak!

Now, about the therapists...

Just like the nurses and aides and other technicians, the therapy staff is also world-class! Dan was my occupational therapist and Emily was my physical therapist for the duration during the week. Their attention to detail, my pain levels, my progress, and my abilities, and my deficiencies are legendary. I know they did not just think about me while they were on the job. I had a specific issue getting my left leg to behave while I was walking. Emily told me that she had been thinking about that the night before! Seriously!? She was thinking about my issues during her own time off!?! I know Dan was doing the same thing too.

These two exceptional people transitioned me from wincing in pain at the thought of movement ....to making a five and a half hour car ride to my home, and walking up a flight of steps to my bedroom and bathroom all in a period of less than three weeks.

If you NEED rehab, this is THE place to go. Truthfully, while I do not miss being stuck five and a half hours from my home, I can humbly say that I profoundly miss the people (Nikkia, Nikki, Dimitriy, Tina, Amber, Marsha, Stephanie, Tom, Dan , Emily, Ron, Steve, etc.) I met and worked with while I was there.