One day, Kevin Bitney was celebrating Easter with his family in Neligh, Nebraska. The next, he couldn’t stand.
“On Easter Sunday, I had my family over and noticed my legs were swelling up,” Kevin said. “The next morning, I tried to get out of bed and I fell down and I couldn’t move.”
Within days, Kevin was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), a rare neurological disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks the peripheral nervous system. By the time he arrived at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospitals Specialty Hospital, he was on a ventilator, unable to get out of bed and wondering what recovery would look like.
“My mind said I could, but my body said I couldn’t,” Kevin said. “So, I wasn’t in very good shape.”
Rebuilding from the ground up
When Kevin first arrived at Madonna, even the smallest movements were a challenge.
“He was just very weak,” Taylor Bryson, PT, DPT, a Madonna physical therapist, said. “He had minimal to no activation in his legs, minimal to no sensation. His proprioception and awareness of what his body was doing was almost absent, so he was very impaired when he first got here, for sure.”
Kevin’s physician-led care team knew Madonna’s holistic approach to care was exactly what he needed to maximize his recovery.
“GBS truly affects the entire person,” Bryson said. “It affects his respiratory system, his nervous system, his musculoskeletal, everything, so we’re getting to work with him as the big picture, the full person.”
Even during those difficult early days, Kevin’s personality stood out.
“I vividly remember the first time meeting him,” Bryson said. “I walked in and he was like, ‘Hey Taylor! I’ve been waiting for you!’ like it wasn’t the first time we had met. He was super personable, super outgoing, super talkative, but then also knew when it was time to be serious, knew when it was time to focus and he was always willing to work really hard in therapies.”
Building on progress through Madonna’s continuum of care
As Kevin became medically stable and began regaining strength, he advanced through Madonna’s continuum of care, transitioning from the Specialty Hospital to the Rehabilitation Hospital. That seamless progression allowed him to continue building on the gains he had already made while increasing the intensity of his therapies.
Bryson says she knew Kevin was ready, even if he wasn’t quite convinced.
“He was very nervous about going to acute rehab just because it is much more intense,” Bryson said. “There are a lot of new things. He didn’t know what to expect, but I knew they would take great care of him and he did great. He progressed so much.”
For many Guillain-Barré patients, recovery can happen in remarkable ways once the nervous system begins healing. Kevin’s care team watched it happen almost daily. His first few days in the Rehabilitation Hospital, he could stand, but it didn’t come naturally.
“When he stood up, his knees would hyperextend, his butt would be sticking out,” Jill Schott, PT, DPT, a Madonna physical therapist, said. “He just didn’t know how to activate his muscles and his body how he needed to.”
Then everything started changing.
“First we were standing in the parallel bars, and we even tried the standing frame,” Schott said. “Then the weekend came and by the next week, we were walking with a walker and just one person.”
Schott says she wasn’t surprised by the pace.
“I always love our Guillain-Barré patients because they do make progress so quickly and it happens overnight sometimes,” she said. “It was really cool to see what physical therapy can do for him, but also that he put in the work and was motivated to get to that point.”
Occupational therapist Kayleigh Stremel, OTD, OTR/L, says she experienced the same thing.
“The first day I met him, again, he was in a power chair and he could barely stand,” Stremel said. “I swear I came back the next day and he was up standing, ready to go. Every single day, he was exceeding our expectations.”
A goal from day one
Kevin’s rapid progress wasn’t just the result of healing. It was fueled by determination.
“I’ve kept a positive attitude,” Kevin said. “I’ve been proud of myself for understanding the process. Everyone has a bad day, but I was able to turn my frown upside down and think positive. Since day one, I’ve said I’m going to walk out of here.”
His therapists noticed.
“Kevin himself had high-achieving goals, which made it really easy for me to create my plan of care for him,” Stremel said. “He wanted to leave here as independent as possible, walk out of here, and that’s exactly what he did.”
Kevin’s motivation and rapid progress kept his care team on their toes.
“Kevin really cared so much about his own journey here,” Stremel said. “Every day, he was like, ‘What can we do?’ He had ideas for me. He was so high achieving, and it was so much fun to work with him. He really pushed himself beyond his limits.”
Walking beside his daughter
One of Kevin’s favorite memories at Madonna happened outside the hospital. During a community outing to Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, he had the chance to experience life beyond rehabilitation and share an unforgettable milestone with his daughter, Grace.
“I hadn’t been off campus in a couple of months and it was great to just get fresh air,” Kevin said. “We went to the jungle first in the wheelchair and then I got to the aquarium. I started on one end and walked with my walker all the way to the other end, so that was awesome.”
For Stremel, it became one of the most meaningful moments of Kevin’s stay.
“The coolest part was being able to incorporate his daughter,” Stremel said. “She had not seen him walk yet, so being able to watch her walk alongside him for the first time was so special and truly just makes me love what I do so much more.”
Walking out stronger
Just weeks after arriving at Madonna unable to get out of bed, Kevin accomplished the goal he’d set from the beginning. He walked out.
Looking back, he says one thing stands above everything else.
“Madonna, from the top to the bottom, has been a great experience,” Kevin said. “I know it’s got to be hard, but the care, the love, for the job and for everyone,” Kevin said. “The meals are amazing and everything’s clean and it’s just a great place.”