Kendall's Story
Kendall Cole’s goal is straight-forward: he wants to play basketball with his kids and drive a truck again.
The 33-year-old father and truck driver from Atlanta was in a car crash and sustained a traumatic brain injury that also led to respiratory failure. He was taken by ambulance to nearby Grady Hospital where he underwent emergency surgery to release the pressure and swelling on his brain.
He spent 2 ½ weeks in intensive care as his brain began to recuperate from the injury. When it was time to transition from intensive care to his next location for recovery, his mother, Arianna Grant, chose Select Specialty Hospital – Atlanta Midtown after touring the hospital and meeting the team.
“It gave me a very friendly vibe,” she said.
When Kendall arrived, he couldn’t eat, talk, walk or communicate. His breathing had improved; he received supplemental oxygen through a tracheostomy tube in his airway but no longer needed a ventilator. Additionally, because of his injury, he favored the left side of his body.
Kendall progressed quickly under the guidance of his physician-led team that included nurses and therapists. Physical therapists got him out of bed and sitting in a chair, and he progressed to balancing on the edge of the bed and with assistance, standing. His family was so happy the day that therapists first took him to the gym to try walking within the parallel bars and later, riding a stationary bike and shooting hoops while standing. Kendall wore a cervical collar to protect his neck and a helmet to protect his skull.
In occupational therapy, he practiced doing things he’s done his whole life but were now a struggle because of the accident, such as dressing and brushing his teeth.
Meanwhile, Kendall’s lungs steadily improved as he healed. His respiratory therapists strengthened them through exercises that included monitoring how long he could breathe on his own, continually increasing the time until he no longer needed supplemental oxygen. Only 10 days after admission, they put a cap on his tracheostomy.
Nurses also cared for the large incision on his head to ensure it was healing well and didn’t get infected.
His mother was a steady presence at the hospital, encouraging Kendall and celebrating his victories. His girlfriend and one of his sons also visited frequently.
Arianna remembers the first time she heard her son’s voice since the accident. It wasn’t a lot – just the word “yeah” – but just hearing him speak was a gift. So also was the day he chewed and swallowed a cracker with the speech therapist. He then underwent a fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) test to determine if he could keep food in his digestive system without aspirating. He could, and he began eating again, starting with liquids and soft foods and progressing to a normal diet.
Kendall also experienced aphasia, a disorder that often goes hand-in-hand with a head injury. Aphasia affects a patient’s speech and cognitive functions. Kendall participated in speech strategies such as repetition of words, narrating numbers and days of the week, naming common objects and their function. Initially Kendall only expressed himself using spontaneous single words, but slowly his receptive and expressive language skills started to improve and he was able to follow directions better and speak using phrases.
The physical therapist worked on leg strengthening exercises using 2-pound ankle weights and also put light weights on Kendall’s right leg during walking exercises that were performed in front of a mirror so that he could see himself and better understand feedback from therapists. He rode a stationary bike to improve his coordination, endurance and strength.
Occupational therapy provided multisensory stimulation to the weaker side of Kendall’s body, including deep pressure stimulation and range-of-motion exercises. They educated his family about exercises they could do with him during visits. Kendall also practiced daily living tasks such as washing his hands, holding a ball with both hands and tapping on targets to improve right hand movements as well as coordinated movement with both hands.
Three weeks after admission, Kendall wasn’t yet ready to play basketball, but he was walking up to 15 feet in the parallel bars with less assistance and had improved so much that he was ready for the next step in his recovery. He transferred to an inpatient rehabilitation hospital where he’ll continue to focus on regaining his strength and mobility and overcoming the aphasia.
“You all have exceeded my expectations here,” his mother told his care team. “He is totally different from when he first came here.”
Both Kendall and his mom echoed the same advice for future patients: Have patience and never give up.