Fifty-three-year-old Justice Slappy from Youngstown, Ohio, is a motivational speaker and life coach who enjoys gardening and spending time with his wife, Vanessa, and their three children.

Recently, Justice was taken to an acute care hospital after becoming confused and having difficulty speaking and understanding language. Doctors diagnosed him with a stroke and performed a thrombectomy, a procedure used to remove a blood clot. A few weeks earlier, he had also been diagnosed with heart failure and instructed to wear a life vest, a wearable cardioverter defibrillator.

After initial treatment, Justice was transferred to Summa Rehab Hospital for specialized rehabilitative care. He continues to choose Summa Rehab despite the farther commute because he feels happy there and considers the staff like family.

Upon arrival, Justice had severe expressive and receptive aphasia, affecting his ability to speak and understand language, along with impaired mobility. “I could only say two words, ‘yes’ and ‘thankful,’” he says. Justice worked closely with the hospital’s interdisciplinary healthcare team, which developed a personalized treatment plan that included speech, physical, and occupational therapy.

Speech therapy focused on improving Justice’s ability to communicate and understand language. At the beginning of his inpatient stay, he used a yes/no communication board with limited accuracy. Over time, he improved his ability to communicate basic needs and conversations, and he also advanced to a regular diet.

Physical therapy helped Justice improve his mobility and walking, while occupational therapy focused on helping him regain independence with daily activities.

After a 15-day stay at Summa Rehab, Justice was discharged home. At discharge, he was independent with activities of daily living and able to walk 150 feet with supervision and no walking device. He now continues outpatient speech therapy at Summa Rehab to further improve his communication skills.

Reflecting on his journey, Justice says, “Everyone helped me, especially Rachel and Maria with my language skills. But I can’t leave anyone out. Every person was like a fruit or vegetable in the garden, and I needed all of them. They nourished me.”

“My recovery has allowed me to return to activities I enjoy,” he adds. “I couldn’t walk, talk, understand, or eat, and now I am cooking, doing laundry, using technology, and following cryptocurrency and stocks. My heart function has improved, and I no longer need to wear a life vest.”

Justice says that one of the most meaningful milestones in his recovery is a pen he now carries. “After my stroke, I didn’t know what a pen was, and now I know what a pen is,” he says.

Justice looks forward to continuing to improve his communication skills and eventually using his experience to help other stroke patients through motivational speaking.