Skip to Content
800-533-8762
  • Careers
  • Newsroom
  • Health Care Professionals
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
UPMC
  • Find a Doctor
  • Services
    • Frequently Searched Services
    • Frequently Searched Services
      Allergy & Immunology Behavioral & Mental Health Cancer Ear, Nose & Throat Endocrinology Gastroenterology Heart & Vascular Imaging Neurosciences Orthopaedics
      Physical Rehabilitation Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Primary Care Senior Services Sports Medicine Telemedicine Transplant Surgery Walk-In Care Weight Management Women’s Health
      See all Services
    • Services by Region
    • Find a UPMC health care facility close to you quickly by browsing by region.
      UPMC in Western Pa. Western Pa. and New York
      UPMC in Central Pa. Central Pa.
      UPMC in North Central Pa. North Central Pa.
      UPMC in Western Md. Maryland & West Virginia
    • See All Services
  • Locations
    • Locations by Type
    • Locations by Type
      UPMC hospitals
      Hospitals
      Physical Therapy
      Physical Therapy
      Urgent care
      Walk-In Care
      UPMC Outpatient Centers
      Outpatient Centers
      UPMC Imaging Services
      Imaging
      Community Health Centers
      Community Health Centers
      See All Locations
    • Locations by Region
    • Locations by Region
      UPMC in Southwest Pa. Southwest Pa.
      UPMC in North Central Pa. North Central Pa.
      UPMC in Northwest Pa and Ny. Northwest Pa. & Western N.Y.
      UPMC in West Central Pa. West Central Pa.
      UPMC in Central Pa. Central Pa.
      UPMC in Western Md. Maryland & West Virginia
    • See All Locations
  • Patients & Visitors
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
      Patients and Visitors Resources Pay a Bill Classes & Events Medical Records Health Library Patient Information
      Patient Portals Privacy Information Shared Decision Making Traveling Patients Visitor Information
      Man uses mobile phone
      Pay a Bill
      Nurse reviews medical chart
      Request Medical Records
  • Patient Portals
  • Find Covid-19 updates
  • Schedule an appointment
  • Request medical records
  • Pay a bill
  • Learn about financial assistance
  • Find classes & events
  • Send a patient an eCard
  • Make a donation
  • Volunteer
  • Read HealthBeat blog
  • Explore UPMC Careers
Skip to Content
UPMC
  • Patient Portals
  • For Patients & Visitors
    • Find a Doctor
    • Locations
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
    • Pay a Bill
    • Services
    • More
      • Medical Records
      • Financial Assistance
      • Classes & Events
      • HealthBeat Blog
      • Health Library
  • About UPMC
    • Why UPMC
    • Facts & Stats
    • Supply Chain Management
    • Community Commitment
    • More
      • Financials
      • Support UPMC
      • UPMC Apps
      • UPMC Enterprises
      • UPMC International
  • For Health Care Professionals
    • Physician Information
    • Resources
    • Education & Training
    • Departments
    • Credentialing
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Newsroom
  • UPMC >
  • Our Services >
  • Rehabilitation >
  • ... >
  • Inpatient Rehabilitation >
  • Patient Stories >
  • Stroke Rehabilitation >
  • Steve Young
Inpatient Rehabilitation
Conditions We Treat
Our Services
Our Experts
Our Locations
Patient Stories
Brain Injury
Condition & Disease Recovery
Orthopaedic Injury
Spinal Cord Injury
Stroke Rehabilitation
Traumatic Injury Amputation
For Patients
Academic and Research Partners
Giving to the UPMC Rehabilitation Institute
To Refer Patients
Contact Us
Inpatient Rehabilitation
Conditions We Treat
Our Services
Our Experts
Our Locations
Patient Stories
Brain Injury
Condition & Disease Recovery
Orthopaedic Injury
Spinal Cord Injury
Stroke Rehabilitation
Traumatic Injury Amputation
For Patients
Academic and Research Partners
Giving to the UPMC Rehabilitation Institute
To Refer Patients
Contact Us

Chat Keywords List

  • cancel or exit: Stops your conversation
  • start over: Restarts your current scenario
  • help: Shows what this bot can do
  • terms: Shows terms of use and privacy statement
  • feedback: Give us feedback
Continue
Chat with UPMC
RESTART
MENU
CLOSE

Steve: Ischemic Stroke Rehab

The Challenge: Loss of Feeling on His Left Side

Steve Young, 59, isn't one to back down from a challenge. Since 1991, he's been making his long work commute from Weirton, W.Va., to the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System in Oakland.

With all that time on the road, Steve managed to learn Italian while listening to books on tape. This daily perseverance would prove to be good preparation for the health journey that lay ahead of him.

One Saturday in June 2014, Steve went to a home improvement store in Steubenville, Ohio. He was looking for tools so that he could surprise his newly married daughter by doing work on her house.

As he walked into the store, he heard car keys hit the ground. He looked down and realized they were his.

He bent over to pick them up but couldn’t feel them in his left hand. He kept walking but his left side was giving out.

Steve thought to himself, “This isn’t a good place to be. I think I’m having a stroke.”

The Path to the UPMC Rehabilitation Institute

A CT scan at a nearby hospital confirmed that he had, in fact, suffered an ischemic stroke.

The next day, his wife heard him slurring his speech in his hospital bed and realized he was having a second stroke.

Steve soon transferred to the UPMC Rehabilitation Institute at UPMC Mercy.

When he first arrived, he couldn’t walk and wasn’t able to stand up without falling down. It took three nurses to get him into bed.

After two weeks at the UPMC Rehabilitation Institute, physical therapists were able to get him up and walking again.

The Solution: Rehab to Retrain His Body and Mind

Physical therapists had Steve perform a range of exercises to improve his balance. He also used exercise bands to help regain strength and movement.

Once he started walking again, most of his therapy focused on improving his ability to walk.

Steve also had occupational therapy. He used a hand-operated exercise bike since he had no use of his left hand and couldn't move his fingers.

To retrain his brain to do things he could do before the stroke, he played games on the Armeo®. The Armeo is a computerized machine with a toggle stick that helps improve arm movement.

The repetitive nature of the games helped Steve reestablish nerve connections in his brain.

“The nurses, doctors, and therapists worked very well together. They created a great healing environment that you could thrive and get well in,” remembers Steve.

“The communication between all of us was very good and everyone worked together like a well-oiled machine. My care was excellent.”

The Results: Spends His Sundays With Other Stroke Victims

Steve had always lived a healthy lifestyle. He ate well and exercised regularly.

But he had a family history of high cholesterol and high blood pressure, which doctors diagnosed him with in his 20s.

Thanks in part to his experience with the UPMC Rehabilitation Institute, he wants to educate others about strokes.

He chose to volunteer at UPMC Mercy after his discharge and now spends every Sunday morning meeting with stroke patients.

“It’s easy to get depressed about your health situation when you’re in the hospital,” says Steve.

“I really enjoy meeting with current patients, telling them about my experience, listening to their concerns, and encouraging them while they recover. It’s very rewarding for me and I’m glad I can help others who are going through what I went through.”

He concludes:

“If you ever need care for a stroke — I hope you never do — go to the UPMC Rehabilitation Institute at UPMC Mercy. I consider it my home away from home.”

Learn more about inpatient rehab

To find out more about our services, contact the UPMC Rehabilitation Institute.

Or, visit the UPMC HealthBeat blog to read:

  • Inpatient Rehab Technology
  • What to Pack for Inpatient Rehabilitation
  • Identifying the Signs of Stroke

This patient's treatment and results may not be representative of all similar cases.


Read more Rehab Institute Patient Stories.

UPMC
200 Lothrop Street Pittsburgh, PA 15213

412-647-8762 800-533-8762

Patients And Visitors
  • Find a Doctor
  • Locations
  • Pay a Bill
  • Patient & Visitor Resources
  • Disabilities Resource Center
  • Services
  • Medical Records
  • No Surprises Act
  • Price Transparency
  • Financial Assistance
  • Classes & Events
  • Health Library
Health Care Professionals
  • Physician Information
  • Resources
  • Education & Training
  • Departments
  • Credentialing
Newsroom
  • Newsroom Home
  • Inside Life Changing Medicine Blog
  • News Releases
About
  • Why UPMC
  • Facts & Stats
  • Supply Chain Management
  • Community Commitment
  • Financials
  • Supporting UPMC
  • HealthBeat Blog
  • UPMC Apps
  • UPMC Enterprises
  • UPMC Health Plan
  • UPMC International
  • Nondiscrimination Policy
Life changing is...
Follow UPMC
  • Contact Us
  • Website/Email Terms of Use
  • Medical Advice Disclaimer
  • Privacy Information
  • Active Privacy Alerts
  • Sitemap
© 2025 UPMC I Affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences Supplemental content provided by Healthwise, Incorporated. To learn more, visit healthwise.org
Find Care
Providers
Video Visit
Portal Login