Horizons Success
Stories

Geni is a nurse who’s been caring for other people for the last 30 years—she’s seen mountains move. She knows what hard work looks like and what it takes to achieve a certain quality of life, especially one that works after a tragic event.

Geni suffered a stroke on Aug. 13, 2023, with no warning symptoms, leaving her paralyzed on the left side of her body. Her stroke was severe enough that it permanently changed her life and way of being. But for Geni, she sees a mountain she needs to move to, which is OK with her.

Geni says it took 9 months of continuous therapy
to regain her balance and begin to start walking.

She doesn’t mind that time is moving slowly for her, she has her nursing aide who helps her find her way and keep things light, “Teka is an angel, I don’t know what I’d do without her.” Geni believes nurses help make the world go round, and she is proof of that. Her will and drive are second to none, and she credits the nursing team with keeping her smile,

“Teka makes me laugh every day. We have fun!”

Geni attends therapy five days a week, relearning to walk and regaining mobility on the left side of her body. When she first came to Allaire’s Horizons Neurological program, she couldn’t move anything. She felt helpless until she met her therapists, Anita and Sam, and things began to change for Geni. “9 months ago, I couldn’t move. Today, I can walk 50 feet, and I did that because of Anita and Sam. They wouldn’t let me quit, not even through the tears. We just keep going.”

While Geni understands she still has a long way to go, she’s up for the
challenge and determined to be an example for other patients.

Giving up has never been an option for Geni, who has two sons who are eagerly anticipating their mom’s return and who Geni says helps motivate her to get back to being the person she once was—a nurse. That’s the type of person Geni is, one who thinks of others while working so hard through her healing journey.

Continuous therapy has made it so that Geni has a fighting chance to get back to life as she knows it. She uses her time outside of the gym to practice and exercise while Teka cheers her on. “It’s hard, then it’s easy. Goal met. Hard again, easy again. Goal met. Hard, then easy. Goal met. You just go slow and relearn every new skill you have, too. That way, by the time I reach all the goals, I’ll be me again,” says Geni.

Allaire Rehab & Nursing helps patients like Geni find their way back to the life they want.

Each new goal is a new horizon that can be seen far ahead but just out of reach until you least expect it.

It turns out we like to move mountains, too, just like Geni!

Some days are less ordinary than others, and for 35-year-old Craig White on January 9, 2024, less than ordinary was an understatement. Craig suffered a severe stroke on that fateful morning with no warning signs and no way of knowing just how much his life was about to change.

Craig woke up like any other morning, made coffee, and got ready for his job as a day chef for a local nursing home in Cape May County. That’s the last thing he remembers as he woke up in the hospital, not sure of what was happening to him, or where he was really, and for what reasons. When doctors explained he had a stroke and was in the hospital, he realized he couldn’t move the left side of his body. Panic set in, as did the reality of his long road to recovery.

Craig had a great support system that helped him find Allaire and the program that would ultimately bring him back to his family and daughter. Craig credits the stellar rehab team at Allaire that helped him regain mobility and create a new way of living after suffering a stroke.

Throughout his time at Allaire, Craig also says his perspective on life has changed after living and working so hard with peers in similar situations. Craig spent six months at Allaire, receiving therapy services five days a week, utilizing his newfound skills to practice and exercise in his room. Craig never gave up but credits his team of therapists for his success.

In September 2020, 39-year-old Margelle Rosario was in a car accident that changed her life. She woke up in hospital, bedridden, with no memory of this traumatic event.

Margelle, who is a mother to three children (aged 17, 11, and 2), was diagnosed with a serious concussion, multiple fractures to her legs, and severe injuries to her face and hands. “I didn’t think I would ever walk again,” she says. “It felt like I had to start all over – learning like a baby. It was a struggle, and I had to keep pushing myself. My children are my reason for everything. I had to get back to them.”

Allaire is the only special care nursing facility in the state of New Jersey that offers long-term care with therapy for those suffering from neurological impairment. Had she been in a regular nursing home, Margelle’s recovery would likely have been much longer, but because she qualified for Allaire’s unique Horizons Neurological Program, she was able to get unlimited therapy, as well as the physical and emotional support she needed to return home in less than a year. With the support of the Horizons team, Margelle began the slow recovery process.

“On days when I was down, Christine, my therapist, would tell me, ‘You got this!’ and ‘You can do this!'” Margelle says. “She was so persistent and helpful; she gave me the right words of encouragement and made my days better.”

Although her journey was challenging, Margelle’s time at Allaire Rehab & Nursing was meaningful. “When you are here for a while, you grow a bond with all of the staff,” she explains. “I even made lifetime friends with some of the residents. This place has a piece of my heart.”

“I love my team! There is no “I” in Team. We worked together to get to where I am now. I am so grateful that I found this place. Horizons basically saved my life.

Now, I am ready to live in the community and continue to advocate for myself. I will miss everyone so much, but I will come and visit!”