Pet Therapy Dog Helps Inspire Schoolgirl with Prosthetic Leg to Reclaim Mobility

By Tracy Simons | Silver Cross Hospital

When Mokena residents Kurt and Gia Rodrigues learned that their 8-year-old daughter, Bella, went into cardiac arrest they were speechless because days prior, she was her normal active self. Earlier that week, Bella was having cold symptoms, which worsened into a severe H1N1 flu virus causing her heart and other organs to fail.

During the next 26 days, oxygen was delivered to her blood through the use of the life-saving Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation(ECMO) machine. As the ECMO device allowed her to rest while her affected organs healed, she was listed as a Status 1 for a heart transplant. Fortunately, with the use of a stress dose steroid, her heart improved moving her to a Status 7 for a heart transplant.

However, the aggressive infection didn’t allow her right leg to regain circulation forcing doctors to remove the limb from below the right knee to the foot.

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As she faced the challenge of learning to walk again with a prosthetic leg, her progress improved as her spirits were lifted when she began receiving physical therapy using a pet therapy dog at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago at Silver Cross Hospital.

“The days I meet with my pet therapy dog, Max, are fun because we play as he helps me to walk,” said Bella Rodrigues, who has two dogs of her own at home.

“When I first started treating Bella, she was experiencing a lot of pain,” said Patty McQuinn, Pediatric Physical Therapist from the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago at Silver Cross Hospital. “Since incorporating Max in our therapy sessions, Bella’s focus has moved from her pain to interacting with Max. By throwing a ball to Max and taking him for walks, Bella began to make great gains with her mobility. She has even begun to take steps without her walker. It has been so rewarding to see how working with Max has improved Bella’s mood, cooperation and motivation.”

“We continue to be encouraged by Bella’s progress and by how Patty takes the extra time to develop different approaches to her therapy, like incorporating the pet therapy dog, Max, to ensure she gets the most out of her sessions,” stated Kurt Rodrigues, Bella’s father.

Being a therapy dog has also been a rewarding experience for Max, who is an 11-year-old golden retriever and certified pet therapy dog. “Even though Max is an older dog, he still gets excited and wiggles his tail as he interacts with patients,” said Lori Greene, owner of Max. “And it has been so wonderful to see Bella’s face light up when she works with Max. They really have a special bond.”

Reduced Stress with High Quality Care Close to Home

“When we were researching where to take Bella for physical therapy, we learned that the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC) was ranked the “#1 Rehabilitation Hospital in America” by U.S. News & World Report for over 20 years. We were ecstatic to find a RIC location with pediatric therapy so close to our home,” said Gia Rodrigues, Bella’s mother.

“It has been extremely less stressful for Bella to receive such outstanding care nearby. Instead of spending a couple hours in the car, now she can actually go back to school after her therapy and not be as tired. Plus Bella has excelled in the one-on-one, calming environment that Patty has created during their sessions.”

“By coming to Silver Cross, patients have access to specialized care plans similar to those that are offered at RIC’s downtown Chicago location,” said Valerie Paluszak, Manager of Outpatient Rehabilitation for The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago at Silver Cross Hospital. “We are fortunate to have such highly trained and experienced physical, occupational and speech therapists working at Silver Cross, who truly make patients’ treatment successful enabling them to thrive, so they can return to their daily routines.”

About the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago at Silver Cross Hospital

Silver Cross Hospital and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC)have teamed up to provide post-acute physical medicine and rehabilitation services in Will County and the southwest Chicagoland communities. The partnership provides world-class rehabilitation care for a range of conditions for patients close to home. Silver Cross is the only healthcare facility in the area with this breadth of services in partnership with RIC. Together, Silver Cross and RIC provide rehabilitation services in inpatient and outpatient care settings at four locations—at the main Hospital and the Silver Cross Professional Buildings in Homer Glen, New Lenox and West Joliet. Additionally, the RIC team provides therapy services for patients on the hospital’s medical and surgical floors. For more information about RIC at Silver Cross, call (815) 300-7110 or visit www.silvercross.org.

About Silver Cross Hospital

Silver Cross Hospital is a not-for-profit health care provider serving Will County and southwest suburban communities since 1895. Silver Cross has been recognized as a Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals National Award winner for seven consecutive years and as a Hospital of Choice by the American Alliance of Healthcare Providers. With nearly 4,000 employees, physicians and volunteers, Silver Cross operates a 296-bed acute care hospital and 5 satellite facilities providing outpatient services and physician offices. Silver Cross opened a state-of-the-art replacement hospital in 2012 at I-355 and Route 6 in New Lenox. In 2014, Silver Cross provided over $46.5 million in charity care and other community benefits. To learn more about Silver Cross Hospital or a referral to a physician on staff, visitwww.silvercross.org or call 1-888-660-HEAL (4325). Physicians on Silver Cross Hospital’s Medical Staff have expertise in their areas of practice to meet the needs of patients seeking their care. These physicians are independent practitioners on the Medical Staff and are not the agents or employees of Silver Cross Hospital. They treat patients based upon their independent medical judgment and they bill patients separately for their services.