Grateful patient’s Good Samaritan journey leads to a transformational gift

Ross and Raquel Doud moved to Spanaway, Wash., about a year ago. Both knew they were where they were supposed to be the moment a medical nightmare brought Raquel to nearby MultiCare Good Samaritan Hospital and into the orbit of its emergency department, progressive care unit (PCU) and regional rehabilitation center.

On Sept. 11, 2022, the couple was enjoying a relaxing Sunday breakfast out when Raquel started to choke. She gestured that she could still breathe, and that food wasn’t causing the issue, but she struggled to articulate her words.

“I was like, this is really weird, what’s going on?” Ross remembers. “I was looking at her face, observing her really closely. Then all of a sudden, I just saw her face kind of slide. That’s when I said, ‘We have got to go.’ It looked like a stroke to me — I didn’t say that to her, but that’s what I was thinking when I got her in the car.”

‘We knew we were in good hands’ on Dally Tower’s eighth floor

At the Good Samaritan Emergency Department, Raquel’s blood pressure was dangerously high. Staff rushed her to a room. Once stabilized, she was taken to the PCU on the eighth floor of the Dally Tower, whose expansion was made possible by community support. There, MultiCare’s value of excellence came into focus.

“Raquel’s PCU nurse could come into a completely chaotic situation, and we knew we were in good hands with a passionate professional,” Ross says. “She lowered my anxiety and stress levels by giving me the confidence that they have it under control. You could see they were the type of person that smoke and fireworks and noise can be going off, and they could see right through it, knowing what the mission is that they needed to take care of.”

For Raquel, her nurse’s kindness will never be forgotten.

“When I was still on the eighth floor, they moved me to a different room, and my former nurse still came in to check on me,” she says. “That was just amazing.”

Progress thanks to determination, hard work and a special care team

Excellence and kindness followed Raquel as she teamed up with recreation therapist Debbie Jankanish, CTRS/R, certified occupational therapist assistant Courtney Garrison and other Good Samaritan Regional Rehabilitation Center staff.

“Rehabilitation services at Good Sam is a very intensive and holistic program, which strives to not only improve function and independence with daily life skills following a stroke, but also strives to support an individual in living an active, healthy and engaged lifestyle following discharge,” Jankanish says.

As an integral part of rehabilitation and the recovery process, the Doud family received extensive stroke education. This education and other programming are funded in part by donations to Good Samaritan Foundation, which can help enhance the center’s connection to inpatients and community members.

Raquel also concentrated on rebuilding skills and finding her “new normal” with a determined mindset and realistic plan, according to Jankanish.

“When we went with Debbie to the grocery store for our first outing, that was so cool,” Raquel says. “She was giving me hints on what to expect and what to do. Debbie was amazing in preparing me for this experience, so I wasn’t overwhelmed with sensory overload.”

As Raquel tackled activities of daily living, she got to know another talented Good Samaritan therapist — Courtney Garrison.

“She’s one of the most wonderful people we’ve ever met,” Ross says. “Raquel and her made such a connection from the beginning.”

Since day one, Garrison would encourage Raquel to push herself incrementally further, coaching with humor and compassion. It was during rehabilitation that Ross witnessed major progress in Raquel’s healing.

“Raquel is an exceptionally hard worker; it didn’t matter how tired she was during the day,” Garrison shares. “She always saw the big picture, trusted her guides and prevailed through so much physical fatigue and emotions related to the acute onset of her injury. Raquel shared tears during times of happiness and frustration. We were both overjoyed with her hard-earned gains achieved during occupational therapy.”

A transformational gift honoring transformational care

Reflecting on their time at Good Samaritan Hospital, Raquel and Ross refer to the care as transformational.

“Good Samaritan showed me new ways of doing things,” Raquel explains. “Like being more open minded, listening to myself, and not being afraid of asking for help and guidance. Knowing I had support was instrumental to my recovery.”

To celebrate Raquel’s newfound “superpowers” and the one-of-a-kind Good Samaritan Regional Rehabilitation Center, Ross nominated the Good Samaritan Foundation to receive an equally transformational donation from his employer, Kimco Realty.

“Our associates can help choose the causes they believe have the most impact in the communities where we live and work,” Ross says. “I wrote the story regarding the level of care and the compassion and the transformation I saw with Raquel — from being completely paralyzed on the left side of her body to seeing that some things are going to be even better because of how hard she’s been pushing and strengthening and learning. When I was notified that our charity was selected, I literally couldn’t speak and was overwhelmed with happiness.”

Kimco’s generous $25,000 contribution will help the hospital continue to provide neurological care to many more patients in need.

“This donation was an amazing gift, and we look forward to utilizing the gift in a way that positively supports our rehab program,” Jankanish says. “Through philanthropic support from the Foundation, our program is able to grow and expand not only our cutting-edge clinical services, but also create more unique programs to meet the day-to-day needs of those recovering from an often life-changing disability, such as stroke.”

You can help increase independence, restore function when possible and prevent complications for rehabilitation patients like Raquel with your support of the Good Samaritan Foundation.