Reclaiming Motherhood

Profile of Heather Smith

A Buzzards Bay woman reclaims her role as wife and mother after a stroke

As 2006 ended, life was good for Heather Smith and her growing family. She and her husband, Chris, were expecting their second child. Her son, Ethan, 5, had started school. She worked at JML Care Center in Falmouth as a physical therapy assistant. At 34, she was energetic and dedicated.

But on January 14, 2007, Heather awoke in the middle of the night with a painful headache. She was 30 weeks pregnant.

“Something was wrong,” Heather recalls. “I felt disoriented and dizzy. So I woke up my husband and told him to call 911.”

Paramedics first rushed her to Falmouth Hospital and then to Cape Cod Hospital, where doctors operated to repair a ruptured blood vessel in her brain. Ten days later, she was admitted to RHCI to begin a short but intense regimen of physical, occupational and speech therapy. The goal for Heather: become independent enough to return home and have her baby, then start an intensive outpatient program to rebuild higher level skills.

Initially, Heather’s condition was serious. “When family would visit, they’d start crying. I kept thinking, ‘why is everyone so upset?’ That’s when I knew I was in trouble,” she says.

Carolyn Slesinski, a speech and language pathologist, recalls Heather’s challenges. “Heather was impaired across a broad range of cognitive abilities,” Carolyn says. Her speech and writing skills were diminished. Her memory suffered. Her ability to work with numbers had evaporated.

Heather’s pregnancy complicated matters. “We were very concerned about her baby,” says Susan Ehrenthal, M.D., Heather’s RHCI physician and a specialist in rehabilitation medicine. “She really touched the women on her rehabilitation team, especially those with children at home. We all took Heather’s case to heart.”

Heather’s team had to be flexible. “Because of her pregnancy, there were exercises she just couldn’t do,” says physical therapist Kim Patota. “We made adjustments to her treatment plan, and she was extremely receptive. The fact that she worked in rehab helped. She understood what she had to do. 

On February 1, Heather left RHCI and returned home to await the birth of her child. She continued rehabilitation at home while her mother and other relatives pitched in.

“I was at the house every day,” says Heather’s mother, Karin Callis. “We helped with the housework and made sure Ethan got off to school.”

Heather made slow progress. She delivered Maxwell, a healthy baby boy, by C-section on March 12. Two months later, she started outpatient therapy at RHCI’s Bourne Outpatient Rehabilitation Center.

Physical therapist Jennifer Studley, physical therapy assistant Robert Correia, occupational therapist Julia Rush and speech pathologist Diana Granger designed a comprehensive plan to increase Heather’s strength and improve her cognitive and fine motor skills.

“She was very focused, very resolved,” says Diana. “She was a perfectionist.”

“RHCI helped so much,” says her husband, Chris. “They were fantastic.”

Looking back, Heather credits Maxwell’s birth for helping her stay motivated. “My focus was on Maxwell, and that helped a lot. When you have to change a diaper in the middle of the night, you have no choice except to do it. I kept telling myself that I have to get better so I can be a good mother to my children.”

Working with Ethan also helped. “He learned from me and I learned from him,” she laughs. “We play board games and card games. We work on memory and telling time. It’s just wonderful.”

Nearly 14 months later, Heather is almost all the way back. She has some lingering deficits, but her doctors have told her that time will be the ultimate healer.

“I know how far I’ve come — and I also know how much more I have to go,” Heather says. “I’m not yet living up to my own expectations. But my friends and family have been so supportive.” 

October 23 was Heather’s last day of therapy. “I could not have done it without RHCI,” she says. “Everyone, and I mean everyone, was fantastic. They encouraged me the entire time. I don’t know where I would be without them.”