'The QEII has been outstanding': N.S. man grateful for treatment at rehab centre following serious fall

A Nova Scotia man, whose life changed after a serious fall two years ago, is sharing his story to inspire others.

“I got up too quick, and got a head-rush,” explains 59-year-old Rob Patey. “I had a tingling in my legs and I thought ‘oh I’m going to bed anyways,’ hang up my phone up, but I never made it.  I ended up passing out.”

Patey smashed his head against the stove in his kitchen.

When he recovered, he found himself lying on the floor – paralyzed.

Patey says he is thankful he was able to have surgery at the QEII Health Sciences Centre within 12 hours of the fall.

“I had an incomplete spinal chord injury,” he explains. “So when I basically fell, my spine dug into my central spinal chord and that’s what caused me to become, I’m a quadriplegic, basically because of my hands and lower body.”

Rob spent two weeks in the intensive care unit before moving to the Nova Scotia Rehabilitation and Arthritis Centre at the QEII.

“When I came here, I was in a three-person lift. I had to have the hoist up there to hoist me into my chair, to do anything,” he says. “I spent eight months here at the rehab. Outstanding people.  The nursing staff, the doctors, everyone here, the P.T., O.T., even the sports staff. I had a fantastic time here.”

Over those weight months of inpatient care, Patey worked closely with physiotherapist Erica Dagley.

“When Rob first came to the rehab centre, he had very big limitations in his mobility so we worked together as a team to develop an exercise plan and all of the different functioning’s and nobilities that were trying to work on to see him to progress to where he is today,” explains Dagley.

Following Patey’s inpatient care, he continued at the rehab centre for almost a year of outpatient treatment, which is the province’s only specialized rehabilitation centre.

Five hundred patients are admitted to the centre every year, along with 30-thousand visits for outpatients.

“It’s always great to see our patients’ progress,” adds Dagley. “That’s one of the main reasons that myself got into health care is to help people to gain their independence back and to really see their changes in their mobility and engagement in all of their activities. It’s really nice to see.”

“If you’re coming here, you have to come with a positive attitude,” says Patey. “The staff and the organization will help you. They are there to help patients, that’s what they’re there for, like I said. The QEII has been outstanding.”

As Patey continues to work towards his goals, he says he is grateful for the care he received at the QEII, a place that helped him regain his independence.