Magee Rehabilitation

There is a common misconception that COVID-19 only seriously impacts the elderly and individuals with preexisting conditions. Brianne Boyle is proof that the coronavirus does not discriminate. The 24 year old woman from Northeast Philadelphia was leading a healthy and happy life last year when she contracted COVID-19. She battled the illness for 8 months, ended up on life support and is lucky to be alive. Brianne came to Magee for intensive inpatient rehabilitation and she has made a remarkable recovery. (note/correction: the date Brianne contracted COVID was March 2020, not 2019 as mentioned in the piece)

Brian Page Jr., the Little Flyers hockey player who was paralyzed from the chest down in a November game, continues his healing journey at Magee's Riverfront outpatient facility. https://fusion.inquirer.com//philadelphia-flyers-brian-pag

Dan DiZio, Co-founder and CEO of Philly Pretzel Factory, had a tough battle with COVID last year. He was in the ICU for weeks and nearly lost his life. When his health finally stabilized, Dan came to Magee for physical and cognitive rehabilitation as part of his recovery. Nine months later, a healthy and thriving Dan came back to Magee to show his gratitude. "You guys are real heroes. From the bottom of my heart, thank you," he told the team of nurses during his visit last month. "I don't think you get the recognition you deserve." https://www.phillyvoice.com/covid-19-philly-pretzel-factor/

Magee is the only acute rehab hospital in the area offering music therapy to patients. Although it is not covered by insurance, it is available to all patients at no cost, thanks to the generosity of our donors and grant funding. Since its inception in 2017, Magee’s music therapy program has helped hundreds of patients during their healing journey. More info: https://mageerehab.jeffersonhealth.org//car/music-therapy/

A raging nor’easter snow storm doesn’t keep members of Team Magee from their duties providing patients with physical and cognitive rehabilitation. Pender and Liz are just two of hundreds of staff members who faithfully report to work no matter the weather.

Bob Zimmerman is an avid golfer who underwent knee surgery to improve his game. Unfortunately, complications from surgery resulted in paralysis from the waist down. However, he is making great progress in his recovery. Bob has been at Magee for more than two months, working with his care team daily to get stronger and hopefully walk again. His therapists say Bob is the youngest 83 year old they’ve ever seen! Bob’s determination and motivation is helping him to achieve rehab goals sooner than expected. He looks forward to the days when he can golf again. Bob is a shining example of the courage, dignity and grace demonstrated by all of our patients. It is our privilege to help them return to their best possible life.

Dan DiZio, the CEO and Founder of Philly Pretzel Factory, made a special visit to Magee to show his gratitude to the team who helped him recover from COVID-19. Philly Pretzel Factory

Magee’s Gaining Ground program is taking participants for 2021 sessions! Dates: February 22 March 18, April 5 - April 29, May 3 May 27, June 7 - July 1, July 12 August 5, September 13 October 7, October 18 November 11. More info?... https://mageerehab.jeffersonhealth.org//ou/gaining-ground/ Contact us: [email protected] or 215-218-3913. See more

Taking a look back at some of our most compelling #BelieveInAWayBack stories in 2020: When Patrick Heintz suffered a major stroke during a weekend trip to Philadelphia with friends, his wife, Leslee, flew across the country to be at his side. She was with him every step of the way during his two month inpatient stay at Magee. See how their love and determination has helped him to get strong enough to return home to Michigan on Valentine’s Day weekend. (You may want to grab a tissue)

Taking a look back at some of the amazing stories we brought to you in 2020: Gary’s incredible journey and recovery this year is too heartwarming not to re-share. By making a gift this holiday, you can support programs like art therapy and wheelchair sports, and help patients like Gary achieve their therapy goals. #ImInForJefferson Jeffersonhealth.org/GiveMagee Jefferson.edu/Give #believeinawayback #teammagee #weimprovelives #thankyou

#DYK #DidYouKnow Magee Rehabilitation is a renowned provider of healthcare services for individuals with work-related injuries! #TeamMagee #BelieveInAWayBack

#ThrowbackThursday: As 2020 comes to a close, let’s take a trip in the wayback machine to April 2020 - to our most viewed video ever! Amidst the stress of the pandemic, the Magee therapy staff came together for a moment of positivity and levity, crucial for self-care. They accepted the #TikTok #levelupchallenge from our friends and colleagues at TJUH, choreographing this dance number during their lunch break. Level Up singer, Ciara, took notice and shared this video on her Instagram page, garnering 3 million views!

"We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated." Maya Angelou To all of our patients: you inspire us each and every day! #TeamMagee #BelieveInAWayBack #QuoteOfTheDay

Each year Magee honors patients who participated in our art therapy program with The Daren Dieter Award. It is named after the victim of a 2007 shooting that left him paralyzed from the neck down. Daren, who succumbed to his injuries in 2011, was an artist and an active participant in Magee's art therapy program. This year Magee is honoring four patients, who will receive a cash prize that can be used to purchase art supplies, or assist them in continuing art therapy at home ...after their discharge. We are featuring the four recipients throughout the month of October. Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2019, Audreyelaine first came to Magee through our Outpatient MS Healthy Living program. She found respite in the Magee community, especially meeting other patients with MS. In May 2020, Audreyelaine experienced a flare in her MS which caused her to become inpatient at Magee. Found in the art studio as often as possible, Audreyelaine experimented with a variety of painting techniques even creating her own process, self-titled tap tap art. Not only did she enjoy this process herself, but she inspired many patients to try it as well. Art therapy relaxes the mind and calms the spirit. It was my calm spot in the storm, she said.

Mark Torregosa is a COVID-19 warrior! After being hospitalized for six months, including 10 weeks of rehab at Magee, Mark is finally home with his family. Here is a look at the celebration as Mark was discharged this week. #TeamMagee #BelieveInAWayBack #philadelphia #covid #covid_19 #covid19 #coronavirus #heroesworkhere #healthcareheroes #physicalrehab #occupationalrehab #determination #perseverance #onedayatatime #onestepatatime #celebration

Magee Rehabilitation’s Concierge Services is making every effort to help our inpatients cast their votes in the upcoming election. Recovering from traumatic illness or injury prevents many from getting to a polling location in person. Charmaine spotted a flyer in the hospital that offers patients the opportunity to fill out the ballot with assistance from a therapist and then have their ballot personally dropped off at city hall, by her designated agent, Robin Parry with Magee’s Guest Relations/Concierge Services. Charmaine has never missed voting in an election and she was very proud to wear the I Voted Today sticker that Robin brought back with her from city hall. Magee has also been helping patients register to vote and obtain absentee ballots. It is a service we provide for every election.

Recovering from a spinal cord injury is arduous work, but Isiah is certainly giving it his all. Here, he is harnessed into the Vector, working with his therapists on improving his standing tolerance and balance. Through the session, his PT, Stephanie Shealy, and Jefferson PT student, Jennifer Hineman, adjusted the harness to change the amount of body weight support to challenge him even further. At the same time, Isiah worked with OT Pete DeLong and Nigel, Magee’s facility dog, to challenge his standing balance and core strength. His care team describes Isiah as extremely motivated and always up for new challenges during his recovery process. His five year old son is also quick to remind him to work on his exercises when he is not in therapy sessions! #spinalcordinjuryawarenessmonth

"Whatever your goals may be, you must never give up in your healing journey!" September is Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month. Magee has helped tens of thousands of individuals with spinal cord injuries achieve their highest levels of independence. Nicole Walsh first came to Magee in 2018 following a devastating car accident on the Northeast Extension of the PA turnpike. Throughout her two year healing journey, Nikki has demonstrated courage, bravery and tremendous drive. We asked her to share some of her story and where she is at today!

In honor of National Rehab Week, we invite you to take a virtual tour of Magee! See why the Philadelphia region’s original provider of physical and cognitive rehabilitation is consistently recognized by US News & World Report as one of the nation’s top hospitals for physical medicine and rehabilitation!

Three interns in Magee’s creative arts therapies program developed an innovative approach to helping patients during their inpatient rehabilitation. The multi-dimensional project combined songwriting, dance/movement, and a photographic technique called painting with light.

Art therapy plays a special role in the healing journey of many patients at Magee. For Omar, it provides a creative outlet and a safe space of expression. It’s also helping him achieve goals with physical and occupational rehab.

Magee patient, turned Paralympian, turned med student, Michelle Konkoly says she feels like she can accomplish almost anything after having to learn to walk again.

Please take a moment to see what some of our patients at Magee Riverfront outpatient facility have been working on through Acting Without Boundaries. Acting Without Boundaries is a non-profit that teaches acting workshops and puts on productions with children and adults with disabilities. Founder Christine Rouse is a former Magee patient. The video is the result of an Intro to Acting class, in which 6-7 patients participated via Zoom once a week for six weeks. The goal was to introduce the concepts of acting as a different form of creative therapy. The exercises incorporated physicality, voice, and creative thinking. The class participants decided on a theme for the final video, wrote the script, filmed, and performed their portion of the script.