Stroke won't stop Army vet from walking again

(WOWT)
Published: Nov. 7, 2017 at 4:23 PM CST
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Meet Sergeant First Class Victor Cabriales. Cabriales spent 34 years in uniform with the United States Army; he was deployed to Iraq twice. He spent three decades in uniform only to find that his biggest battle was waiting for him when he came home.

“First deployment I was a truck driver. And then on the second one, I was a Motor Sergeant - making sure that all the vehicles were capable of taking the equipment back and forth,” said Cabriales.

Back in September, Victor was enjoying a quiet evening watching over the grill when his symptoms started.

“I was at home and all of a sudden I felt something creeping up my leg and I thought it was a heart attack but I finally figured out it was a stroke.”

He was right, it was a stroke. It brought Victor to the Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital in west Omaha. Tuesday was his first time on the driving simulator.

The stroke affected Victor’s left side and has left him unable to walk. After 20 days of inpatient care, Victor is now coming in from home to make his way through the program. This is a time when his military experience is serving him well.

“It’s a big challenge. It’s almost like fighting in a war. Make sure you do all the steps right. And here they have all the techniques to progress one step at a time,” he said.

The driving simulator is just part of Victor’s rehabilitation regimen. His days here at Madonna are very full. A light board helps his coordination. Tuesday he spent time with the exoskeleton – Victor calls it his robo-cop outfit. Victor’s attitude has impressed his Madonna Therapist Breezy Parkhill.

“He’s just really driven. He’s always on time. He’s eager to participate in any task that we do and he’s always asking how we can make that harder,” said Parkhill. “How can we get him stronger, so that he can go back to doing the things he was doing prior to the stroke.”

“A whole lotta challenges. And that’s what it’s all about, you know? Just like in the military you challenge the next rank keep on challenging and challenging and it’s a challenge and then you challenge the family. You’re gonna do it and you’re gonna walk,” he said.

Victor wants to keep in touch and has invited 6 News back to film him when he, once again, walks.