Stanley, a former patient at Woodlands, was at the service for 24 weeks after contracting Guillain-Barré syndrome. Upon leaving Woodlands, Stanley gave a heart-warming speech to the team.
Guillain-Barré syndrome is a very rare and serious condition that affects the nerves. It mainly affects the feet, hands and limbs, causing problems such as numbness, weakness and pain.
When Stanley arrived at Woodlands he was in a wheelchair and could barely feed himself. He couldn’t use his right arm and he couldn’t walk. Ever since arriving at Woodlands, Stanley was determined to walk out of the service unaided, and that’s exactly what he did. With the help of the staff throughout his journey, Stanley managed to achieve his goal and we couldn’t be more delighted for him.
Stanley said:
“When I arrived at Woodlands, I could barely feed myself and I didn’t have the use of my legs. I am leaving with full use of both arms and with the ability to walk completely unaided. Without the team at Woodlands, I could never have succeeded at my ultimate goal.
“I would like to thank everybody here at Woodlands in every single department for helping me on my road to recovery. Words of encouragement, a friendly smile, an impromptu chat, a shoulder to lean on, are all on off here at Woodlands. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. You’ve looked after me. You’ve encouraged me. You’ve given me self-belief. You’ve taught me once more how to be independent. Along the way, we’ve had a load of laughs and a load of tears.”
Stanley has a great sense of humour and has kept the staff laughing ever since he arrived at Woodlands — he will be truly missed.
We wish Stanley the best of luck for the future!
Woodlands is our neurological rehabilitation service in York which provides level 2 neurological rehabilitation and neurobehavioural services for adults.
You can watch Stanley’s speech below:
