As students at Lincoln High School walked across the stage to receive their diploma this May, one person who helped them get to that proud moment was top of mind. Becky Tegeler, a guidance counselor for more than 10 years, is still recovering from a stroke she experienced in February.
“I had a headache that wouldn’t go away and became a stroke,” Becky said. “I came to Madonna on March 15, was an inpatient until April 7, and am now continuing to progress in outpatient.”
Becky’s stroke impacted her right dominant side. When she arrived at Madonna in a wheelchair, she couldn’t move her right arm or leg, and she had difficulty with speech. However, her drive to return to her family and her students pushed her to succeed.
With the help of specialized technology like the Madonna ICARE by SportsArt, a motorized elliptical, the ArmeoPower, and the LiteGait bodyweight support system, Becky began to stand and take her first steps. She also improved her range of motion and strength in her arm. But her ultimate goal was to get her speech back.
“As a school counselor, talking has never been hard for me,” she said. “I probably talked too much. When that was taken away from me, the competitive side of me decided I was going to prove I had a voice, and I was going to use it.”
Amy Potter, MS-CCC-SLP, Becky’s speech pathologist at Madonna, witnessed Becky’s progress.
“Becky had a mild dysarthria, affecting speech intelligibility,” Potter said. “We utilized the Iowa Oral Performance Instrument for lingual strengthening, [using] audio recordings for Becky to provide a self-assessment of her speech productions and monitoring of strategies. Becky improved in her inpatient stay, learning and using her strategies and completing exercise programs. She continued to improve during outpatient.”
Now, Becky, who recently walked out of Madonna’s doors has returned to work. She honored several members of her care team with a Madonna Angel Wings Award, a special recognition program in which grateful patients and families can make a gift to the hospital in honor of exceptional employees who helped impact their recovery.
“I am grateful for all of their positive efforts and for their collaboration,” she said. “Miracles happen at Madonna!”