Surrounded by the Right Team

Rob “R.C.” Martin, 53, remembers that Sunday, Feb. 27, 2022, started as “a really wonderful day.” As a personal trainer, he kicked off his morning by working out with a fitness client and was looking forward to hosting extended family for dinner at his Brookfield home. But first, R.C. and his wife, Jackie, decided to take their three children to a roller rink for a family skate.

R.C., who was wearing in-line skates, recalls taking a step onto the rink toward one of his daughters. That’s his last memory of that day.

He fell backward, hitting his head. Jackie, a nurse, knew immediately that her husband’s fall was serious. She urged a rink staffer to call 911. When paramedics arrived, she insisted they take him to Froedtert Hospital, the academic medical center of the Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin health network.

Traumatic Brain Injury Affects Communication Skills

When R.C. regained consciousness, more than two days later, he was in the Froedtert Hospital Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit, receiving treatment for a traumatic brain injury.

When people fall backward and hit their head, the brain moves within the cerebrospinal fluid. It hits the front and back of the skull. When R.C. fell, the excessive brain movement damaged nerve fibers in his brain, leading to severe aphasia, a communication problem that limited his ability to understand language and express himself. 

R.C.’s doctors were hopeful the aphasia would improve with time as R.C. rested and his brain healed. Brain injuries can vary a lot from person to person. It is important to individualize treatment for each person’s needs, and to adjust the treatment plan depending on improvement or setbacks. R.C.’s care plan placed a strong emphasis on speech in particular.

Support for Family During Healing Period

At Froedtert Hospital, R.C.’s care team included Chris Clapper, BSN, RN, who works with patients with traumatic brain injuries.

“It takes a level of patience and empathy,” Clapper said. “Brain injury can impair patients’ judgment and make it hard for them to control their emotions.”

R.C. was confused and frustrated by his inability to communicate. In those situations, nurses help by reminding patients that the healing process takes time. They also reassure patients’ families, who are often distressed to see their loved one behaving differently after a brain injury.

To help R.C.’s three children understand what their dad was going through and process their emotions, they worked with child life specialists at Froedtert Hospital. These specialists offer age-appropriate support activities to children whose family member is seriously ill or injured.

R.C.’s daughters also made him a poster covered with photos of his family, friends and pets, which was placed near his bed to motivate him. He was indeed determined.

Intensive Inpatient Rehabilitation Program

A week after the injury, R.C. had improved to the point that he was walking again. However, he continued to need help for his speech challenges. He was a good candidate for inpatient rehabilitation, an intensive program that gives patients at least three hours of daily therapy to help them improve further before returning home.

R.C. was resistant, eager to get back to his family and sleep in his own bed. With Jackie’s help, R.C.'s care team convinced him that continued therapy would benefit him in the long run. He spent 10 days in inpatient rehabilitation. His next step was several outpatient therapy sessions, which helped him continue to improve. A former lead vocalist in a tribute band known as the Docksiders, R.C. sang as part of his outpatient speech therapy.

Gratitude for Care Team After Recovery

These days, R.C. is back in the thick of family life and working with personal training clients through his company, Fitness With R.C. His speech has returned to normal.

He feels deeply grateful for the compassionate care he received. With emotion in his voice, he described people like his nurse Chris as “amazing human beings.”

“I remember one time I was upset and didn’t know where I was,” R.C. said. ”Chris sat down next to me and put his arm around me, and said, ‘You’re going to be OK, man.’”

He appreciated the occupational therapist who helped him bathe when he could not do it himself and the doctors who made time even on hectic days to talk with him and offer encouragement. Around a month after he was discharged, R.C. ran into some of his doctors in an elevator at Froedtert Hospital and offered his thanks.

“I wanted them to know they are changing people’s lives for the better every single day,” he said.

While traumatic brain injury can be devastating, the right team makes an excellent recovery possible.

Froedtert & MCW experts provide care for all types of brain conditions. Visit froedtert.com/neuro.