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Retiree Values Independence, Freedom of Being at Home Made Possible by VNA Care 

After five months in a hospital and rehabilitation facility, Chris Syria came home with one clear goal: stay there. At one point during that long stretch, he wasn’t sure he would survive — let alone regain the independence he so valued.

Paralyzed in a motorcycle accident in 1975 at age 17, Chris returned home feeling like he had been sent “out into the void” with no community-based services to aid him as he adapted to life as a wheelchair user.

Chris was determined to be active and independent. He pursued a computer science degree and career as a software engineer, coached softball and baseball, and developed a love for playing guitar. Now retired, his goal is to continue living independently and on his own terms for as long as possible.

With the steady support of VNA Care’s nurses and other clinicians, he’s doing just that.

“There’ll be a point when I decide I can’t be at home anymore,” he says. “But that point isn’t now. I want to enjoy my independence as long as I can. That’s what VNA Care makes possible.”

Chris was moving a guitar speaker when it rolled onto his legs and damaged his skin. He developed an infection and was, as he puts it, “laid up in bed for a month. I lost 30 pounds and became malnourished. The bottom fell out on me.”

By the time Chris was hospitalized, he had developed a life-threatening, stage 4 pressure ulcer on his hip. Doctors also diagnosed a neuromuscular dysfunction of the bladder that, if left untreated, could lead to serious complications, including kidney damage. Five months away from home and unsure what the future would hold took an emotional toll.

Chris slowly made progress in regaining his health, and was able to continue recovering at home with VNA Care’s home health care services.

Kim Hartwell, physical therapist, was among the first clinicians to visit. Chris’s wheelchair broke beyond repair when he was moving the guitar speaker, and Kim helped him secure a new electric wheelchair that would support his mobility and independence.

VNA Care’s nurses have been instrumental in managing a complex, six-centimeter-deep wound on Chris’s hip as well as a Foley catheter related to his bladder condition for more than a year. His nursing team includes Kerri O’Donnell, RN, wound/ostomy/continence nurse specialist; Alicia Weaver, RN case manager; and Sierra Fleming, LPN. Their expertise, advocacy, advice, and clinical skill have been essential.

“VNA Care’s clinicians are my support system,” said Chris. “They’ve been the closest to what’s going on with me, more so than even my doctors. They see me three times a week, and I get most of my guidance from them. They give me confidence to be at home.”

For Chris, being home is about more than comfort.

“To be home gives me freedom,” said Chris. “I appreciate VNA Care’s services more than you can imagine.”