Lucinda's Story
From Crisis to Independence: Lucinda Starr Reclaims Her Strength
A Sudden Medical Crisis Changes Everything
Lucinda Starr was enjoying life, cheering on Ohio State sports and watching the construction of her new home when everything changed. She began to feel short of breath and was rushed by ambulance to a local emergency room before being transferred to OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital.
Her condition quickly became more serious. Lucinda was experiencing respiratory failure, a condition in which the lungs cannot provide enough oxygen to the body. To support her breathing, doctors placed a tracheostomy, a tube inserted into the neck that allows air to flow directly into the lungs. She also required a feeding tube to deliver nutrition.
“I don’t remember much of what happened,” Lucinda said.
After nearly two months in the hospital, Lucinda had stabilized but still needed extended healing and recovery. She was referred to Select Specialty Hospital - Wheeling, a critical illness recovery hospital, for continued specialty care.
When she arrived, the 75-year-old was unable to breathe, eat or walk on her own. For Lucinda and her husband, the future felt uncertain.
Steady Progress Through Coordinated Care
At Select Specialty Hospital, Lucinda’s care was led by a physician-directed team that coordinated every part of her recovery. Critical, integrated therapies built on each other to restore her breathing, strength, mobility, function and independence.
Although Lucinda had been told prior to arrival that she may not breathe independently again, the respiratory therapy team thought otherwise and immediately got to work.
“When I came here, I did not know the trach could be removed,” she said.
Therapists identified that the length of the tracheostomy tube was likely limiting Lucinda’s ability to clear her airway, even though she had a strong cough.
Working with the hospital’s pulmonologist, the team coordinated a specialty consult to safely replace the tube with a standard length tracheostomy. After the change and further evaluation, Lucinda was placed on a pathway for removal of the tracheostomy, which occurred just 48 hours later.
This was a major milestone. Lucinda shared that was the moment she felt she was on track to return home.
As her breathing improved, attention turned to safe swallowing and nutrition. Speech therapy worked with Lucinda to relearn how to swallow, starting with modified textures and small bites and sips to rebuild coordination and reduce the risk of aspiration, when food or liquid enters the airway. As her strength returned, her diet was gradually advanced. Within the first weeks, Lucinda progressed from relying on a feeding tube to eating by mouth again, eventually returning to a regular diet.
Throughout Lucinda’s recovery at Select Specialty Hospital, the nursing staff supported her daily care and encouraged her to take an active role in her recovery, reinforcing therapy techniques and helping Lucinda build confidence in what she was capable of doing.
Next up was mobility.
Physical therapy began at the bedside. On admission, Lucinda required maximum assistance from two therapists to move from lying down to sitting at the edge of the bed and her tolerance for sitting was just a few minutes.
Lucinda was limited by weakness, low endurance, shortness of breath and reduced ankle mobility, which made it difficult to place her feet flat on the floor.
Through targeted exercises, energy conservation techniques and the use of supportive devices including ankle braces, Lucinda gradually improved her strength and tolerance for activity. As her breathing stabilized and her endurance increased, she progressed from sitting to standing, then to walking with assistance.
Meanwhile, occupational therapy focused on helping Lucinda return to daily activities. She practiced tasks such as getting dressed, grooming and reaching for items, along with upper body exercises to improve strength and coordination needed for independence at home.
To help keep her motivated, Lucinda’s husband worked with the hospital to complete the paperwork needed to bring in their English Setter for weekly visits. The visits gave Lucinda something to look forward to and lifted her spirits throughout her recovery.
Looking Ahead to Home and Independence
By the time Lucinda reached discharge, her progress was clear. She was breathing independently, back to eating a regular diet and walking up to 170 feet.
Lucinda and her husband chose Select Specialty Hospital - Wheeling after hearing strong recommendations.
“We were told this was one of the best in our area,” she said. “Out of all the facilities I’ve been to, this was the best.”
Lucinda had met all of her recovery goals at Select Specialty Hospital, but still needed further therapy to rebuild her stamina and endurance, so some time at a rehabilitation facility was her next step.
She looks forward to returning to the custom home she helped design and continuing the life she put on hold.