[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2025\/06\/phils-sci-inpatient-rehab-patient\/#Article","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2025\/06\/phils-sci-inpatient-rehab-patient\/","headline":"Phil’s Story: Specialized Rehabilitation After Spinal Cord Injury","name":"Phil’s Story: Specialized Rehabilitation After Spinal Cord Injury","description":"

When an unexpected fall changed everything, Phil found the spinal cord injury rehab he needed at UPMC Mercy.<\/p>","datePublished":"2025-06-18","dateModified":"2025-08-27","author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/services\/rehab","name":"UPMC Rehabilitation Institute","url":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/services\/rehab","sameAs":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/upmc-rehabilitation-institute\/","parentOrganization":"UPMC"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"UPMC HealthBeat","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Phil-S-Photo-e1750346113467.jpg","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Phil-S-Photo-e1750346113467.jpg","height":866,"width":2000},"url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2025\/06\/phils-sci-inpatient-rehab-patient\/","about":["Health Topics A-Z","Rehabilitation"],"wordCount":1046,"articleBody":"Phil Shelapinsky, 77, was six months away from retirement when a baffling fall changed his life.In June 2024, the active, healthy lawyer spent a quiet evening at home. His wife was away for the night with friends in Grove City. Around midnight, he got up from his chair to head to bed.He wasn\u2019t dizzy. He wasn\u2019t lightheaded. There were no signs of illness. No warning.\u201cI remember taking two steps and then the next thing I remember, I could hear my neck bones cracking, and I was on the floor,\u201d Phil says. \u201cI have no idea why.\u201dHe spent 12 hours lying there on the floor, unable to move, until his wife, Loretta, returned home.\u201cIt was pretty devastating,\u201d she says. When she came home, she saw his car outside, but couldn\u2019t find him.\u201cWhen I did, it was horrific,\u201d she adds.An ambulance whisked Phil away to the nearest hospital. Doctors found no signs of stroke, heart attack, seizures, or anything that might have caused the fall.A neurosurgeon performed surgery on Phil’s neck and spine. Following the procedure, he was in the intensive care unit and spent two weeks in the hospital.The Road to RecoveryThe next step was inpatient rehabilitation.\u201cEverybody kept saying the sooner he gets to rehab, the better his recovery,\u201d Loretta says.Phil transferred to a rehabilitation facility and spent six weeks receiving care, including physical, occupational, and speech therapy.\u201cThey were wonderful, but what we realized several months later was that it wasn’t the specific care he needed,\u201d Loretta says.At that time, Phil was still unable to walk or eat. He also had a feeding tube due to a bone spur in his throat. He returned to the hospital for surgery on his throat to remove the bone spur.Specialized Spinal Cord RehabAfter time in a skilled nursing facility, and another short rehab stay, Phil arrived at UPMC Mercy in August 2024. The couple said they noticed the difference in the more specialized rehabilitation and care for spinal cord injuries.UPMC Mercy is nationally ranked in rehabilitation by U.S. News and World Report.UPMC Rehabilitation Institute\u2019s inpatient rehabilitation is known for specialized care for patients like Phil with spinal cord injuries (SCIs), as well as those who’ve had strokes, traumatic brain injuries, or other serious injuries.\u201cThe care I got was just tremendous,\u201d Phil says. \u201cThey had more technology and the people at Mercy were just outstanding.\u201dJust as important was the support. Since the day of his injury, Loretta had spent countless hours and days on the phone with hospitals, insurance companies, and organizations trying to figure out exactly what care Phil needed and how to get it.That all changed when they met Lonna Perella, BSN, RN, a UPMC nurse manager.\u201cThe day I met Lonna, I think that night I just cried because I thought finally there\u2019s someone who can hold my hand and guide me,\u201d she says. \u201cAll I wanted to do was help Phil and get him the care he needed, and I didn\u2019t know how to do it.\u201dHome Sweet HomeAfter seven weeks of specialized inpatient therapy at UPMC and more than four months after his fall, Phil and Loretta prepared to bring him home. Lonna guided them every step of the way.\u201cShe started explaining that going home is going to be a completely different scenario, talking about what we needed \u2014 equipment and supplies, home health,\u201d Loretta says. \u201cI think we were both so overwhelmed, and she could see it. And she said, \u2018I will be here with you all the way. Here\u2019s my cellphone number, here\u2019s when I work.\u2019 It gave me such a sense of security.\u201dLonna helped the family find and rent a handicap-accessible van. She also explained the benefits of \u2013 and how to get connected with \u2013 in-home therapy for the first few weeks while they adjusted to their new routine. Then, Phil began outpatient therapy at UPMC Rehabilitation Institute.\u201cLonna was just a lifesaver and hooked us up with everything we needed and made sure we had supplies when we came home, had the names of places we needed to make contact with,\u201d Loretta says. \u201cI still tell her when I see her that I thank God for her. She really was a lifesaver. I don\u2019t know what we would have done if we hadn\u2019t met.\u201dThe couple was also connected to a smart technology study at UPMC through the University of Pittsburgh. The research team set Phil up with technology in his hospital room and at home after discharge. The technology includes a voice-activated remote control and a tablet for the TV, window blinds, doorbell camera, garage door opener, and inside door opener.\u201cIt\u2019s been a huge benefit for both of us,\u201d Phil says. \u201cIt allows me to do things like change the channel or lower the volume on the TV right now while I still struggle with the remote.\u201dSlow and Steady ProgressPhil still goes to outpatient physical and occupational therapy several times a week. He\u2019s working on walking again and can now hold up about 90% of his body weight. He\u2019s also learning to use a modified walker and improve his grip.Through everything, Loretta says Phil has stayed positive.Recovery hasn\u2019t been easy. Phil loved playing golf, staying active, and taking long evening walks. Now that he\u2019s retired, life looks very different from what he imagined.\u201cIt happened so suddenly,\u201d he says. “Initially, you are kind of numb to what\u2019s going on, and then gradually you realize I\u2019m making progress, but I didn\u2019t realize how incredibly slow that progress is.”Not knowing what\u2019s ahead is hard, too.\u201cIf you break your arm, you know you\u2019ll go through some rehab and be just fine with some menial limitation,\u201d he says. \u201cWith this injury, you don\u2019t know what the future holds.\u201dPhil is thankful Loretta has been by his side the whole way. She feels the same.\u201cI\u2019m just glad he\u2019s still here with us. That day, I just didn\u2019t know where things would end up,\u201d she says. \u201cWe are lucky to have each other.\u201dSources"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2025","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2025\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"06","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2025\/\/06\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Phil’s Story: Specialized Rehabilitation After Spinal Cord Injury","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2025\/06\/phils-sci-inpatient-rehab-patient\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]