When Aubree Kerr woke up with a terrible headache and no feeling in her toes, she knew something was wrong.
“Being a nursing student, I know signs and symptoms of bad things that you’re not supposed to normally have,” Aubree said. “I was laying there and thought, ‘I can’t go to sleep because if I go to sleep, there’s a high chance I’m not going to wake up.’”
In the emergency room on May 4, Aubree discovered she had been born with an arteriovenous malformation (AVM), or a group of incorrectly-formed blood vessels, in her brain.
“It was made at eight weeks gestational, and it ruptured,” Aubree said. “That’s what was causing my headache and all the pressure in my brain. I had a stroke and I woke up with no feeling in my left arm and my left foot.”
After being placed in a coma at Wesley Medical Center in Wichita, Aubree was transferred to the neurology unit at the University of Kansas Medical Center. After two weeks, Aubree and her family followed the recommendations of the neurology team and came to Madonna Rehabilitation Hospitals’ specialized stroke program.
“She had a good understanding of how the body works and anatomy and the importance of early rehabilitation,” Sara Hohensee, PT, DPT, CBIS, physical therapist, said. “She sought intensive rehab right away after her stroke and that played all the difference. Early rehab after a stroke is a huge piece in the success of a recovery story.”
When Aubree first arrived at Madonna, she couldn’t move her left foot or lift her left arm; she could only squeeze her left hand.
“We used our Armeo system as well as some bodyweight support tools to get her up and moving again,” Emily Wallman, OTD, OTR/L, CBIS, occupational therapist, said. “Her function on her left side came back remarkably fast.”
Her physician-led care team also implemented high-intensity gait training to improve her mobility.
“We got her up and moving, at an intense pace,” Hohensee said. “We started with a big platform walker and progressed to a regular walker, then [later] to a cane. We also did a lot of body weight-supported treadmill training. It allowed her to walk for a longer amount of time to get in more repetition.”
Aubree also benefited from the use of Madonna’s warm water therapy pool.
“Doing physical therapy in the water a few days a week was great,” Hohensee said. “It was a great way for her to work on her walking, without the impact of her own body weight.”
As Aubree got stronger, her care team scheduled occupational therapy sessions in Madonna’s nursing skills lab. They hoped that these return-to-work exercises would help her body and brain regain function faster by simulating her neural pathways and muscle memory.
“We worked on rolling and dressing some mannequins, changed some tracheostomy ties, and took vitals,” Wallman said. “Even when her balance was still fairly impaired, you could just see the familiarity in her movements. I really saw more of that motor planning component click for when she was doing those things that she’s used to doing every day.”
She believes her experience will make her a better nurse.
“I can reflect on my experience if they’re having a hard time,” Aubree said. “I can help talk about it because I was so young to have a stroke, and I survived.”
After less than a month at Madonna, Aubree returned home to Wichita, using just a cane for support at times. Her recovery journey was a true testament to her positive outlook on life.
“All I can say is I’m a go-getter,” she said.
