A Coma, a Crisis — and a Comeback
The sharp pain in De’Khari Wilson’s left foot came out of nowhere, making it nearly impossible for him to continue to drive his car. Shaken by the experience, he made an appointment with his primary care physician. The 32-year-old mortgage banker knew he wasn’t in the best shape; his weight was higher than he wanted and he struggled to use his BIPAP machine consistently despite severe obstructive sleep apnea.
Still, De’Khari wasn’t prepared for his doctor’s response when both his blood pressure and oxygen registered at dangerous levels.
“He wanted to call an ambulance,’” said De’Khari. “I told him, ‘It’s only a block away. I’ll drive to the emergency department.’”
De’Khari did drive himself to Henry Ford Providence Novi Hospital. He felt normal while waiting to be evaluated. But shortly after the doctor arrived and started asking him questions, De’Khari passed out. Turns out, his heart, lungs and kidneys were failing.
The treatment team quickly put him in an induced coma before transferring him to Henry Ford Hospital in downtown Detroit, where he was admitted to the intensive care unit. De’Khari’s heart failure was severe enough that he was evaluated for a Left Ventricle Assist Device (LVAD) that would help his heart pump blood more effectively. Ultimately, with medication, physicians were able to stabilize De’Khari’s condition without the LVAD but he spent 33 days sedated and fighting a host of life-threatening conditions.
When De’Khari awoke, he was stable but still critically ill.
“I was on a ventilator, had a tracheostomy and a feeding tube down my nose,” he said. “I couldn’t breathe, talk, walk or eat on my own.”
Determined to recover
Knowing De’Khari would need specialized, extended recovery support, his mother decided to transition him to Select Specialty Hospital – Ann Arbor. Once there, his physician-led, multidisciplinary team developed a personalized treatment plan to help him regain independence.
“I wanted to eat again and return to how I was before all of this,” De’Khari said.
Under the guidance of a pulmonologist, the respiratory therapy team started daily spontaneous breathing trials, gradually increasing their length. Each day, De’Khari’s breathing improved. He reached two milestones within his first four days.
In just two days, De’Khari was able to use a Passy-Muir valve – which pushes air through a patient’s vocal cords – and speak for the first time since being hospitalized.
“When I learned how to talk, that was super cool,” said De’Khari, adding that he asked his mom to bring his cellphone to the hospital as soon as possible. “My memory was crazy. Three days went by before I remembered my password and started calling people and talking.”
De’Khari also was able to breathe without the ventilator four days after admission.
At the same time, De’Khari’s speech-language pathologist had been guiding him through swallowing exercises to strengthen his throat muscles so he could eat again. The same day he came off the ventilator, a special study confirmed he could safely swallow, and he was able to start eating soft foods and thickened liquids.
“As soon as I was able to drink water, I was so happy. After starting with soup and applesauce, the first real food I ate was chicken pasta. It was so good!” De’Khari recalled.
Meanwhile, De’Khari’s physical and occupational therapy teams played an important role in helping him rebuild his strength, range of motion and balance. When he first arrived, his movement was limited and holding himself upright at the edge of the bed was challenging.
He practiced exercises including light weight lifting and sit-to-stand movements.
In four short days, he stood for the first time and remembers thinking, “I can get out of here.”
“My therapists said I progressed at an extremely fast rate,” he said. “They put me on my feet one day, and seven days later, I was walking on my own.”
Independence regained
After 25 days at Select Specialty Hospital, De’Khari could breathe, talk, walk and eat on his own again. He could think more clearly and groom himself at a sink. His tracheostomy and feeding tubes were gone. He was ready to transfer to an inpatient rehabilitation hospital to continue his recovery.
Grateful for the progress he had made, he described his stay as a positive experience.
“The nurses and doctors have been great, compassionate, encouraging and hopeful,” he said. “They helped save my life.”
De’Khari’s family also played an important role, supporting him and visiting often.
Two months after completing inpatient rehabilitation, De’Khari was home and continuing to improve. Having lost 70 pounds during his hospitalization, he is now focused on maintaining his weight and continues to get stronger through outpatient therapy and a consistent workout routine.
“I’m still pretty young, so physically I snapped back quickly,” he said. “It was the emotional stuff that took longer.”
While not normally an emotional guy, he admitted that tears often came easily during his stay at Select Specialty Hospital.
“Any time a doctor, nurse or CNA stopped by to tell me I was doing a good job, I’d just start crying,” De’Khari said. “They’d hold my hand and talk with me for five or 10 minutes. That kindness is really what got me through it – people taking the time to talk to me and be nice.”