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Aug 19, 2023

Resilience in Recovery: Pam Wolcott's ARU Journey

Aug. 28, 2023 Pam Wolcott was admitted to EAMC after falling at home and experiencing a seizure in her right leg. It was discovered that she had a large meningioma, or brain tumor. She was transferred

Aug. 28, 2023

Pam Wolcott was admitted to EAMC after falling at home and experiencing a seizure in her right leg. It was discovered that she had a large meningioma, or brain tumor.

She was transferred to Emory University, where she underwent a surgical resection. As a result of her surgery and hospital stay, Pam experienced a significant decline from her normal, independent self. She was unable to dress herself or walk independently.

Following her procedure, Wolcott moved to Acute Rehabilitation Unit (ARU) at EAMC-Lanier. Wolcott and her husband, Gary, live on Lake Harding in Valley, Alabama.

When asked what brought her to the ARU, Pam said, “My husband did research on rehabilitation facilities and honestly EAMC-Lanier was one of the highest ranked for patient outcomes, and as an additional benefit it was only 30 minutes from home, making it easy for my husband to come visit daily.”

While in the ARU, Wolcott received speech, occupational and physical therapy services. She quickly achieved her speech therapy goals and was able to focus on other areas. Wolcott continued to work with OT and PT throughout the duration of her stay.

Determined to go home better than when she arrived, Pam worked hard each day and brought a positive attitude to every therapy session. She progressed to the point where she could walk more than 300 feet to and from the therapy gym for her multiple therapy sessions during the day and she would even complete small bouts of ambulation without requiring the assistance of walker. Additionally, Pam achieved independence with all self-care tasks during her stay.

When asked about her experience, Wolcott believes it to be a complete success.

“I came in with the attitude that I was going to leave here better than I came in and I came in believing that attitude was 90 percent of recovery. When I came in, I was unable to lift up my left arm and look at me now," Wolcott said.

When asked what she would say to other patients beginning rehab at the ARU, Wolcott says, “you’ve got to be willing to put in the work and your attitude is 90 percent of your recovery.”

To learn more about the Acute Rehabilitation Unit at EAMC-Lanier, click here.