Life Almost Cut Short, a Story of Surviving and Thriving

Ms. Lisa Tonkin, who just turned 60 in October, is from Latham, New York, and a true survivor. Lisa went through a harrowing ordeal last spring but happily is now on the right road all because of her positive attitude and the physical and occupational she received at the 78-bed skilled nursing facility, Troy Center on Marvin Avenue. It was in June of this year that Lisa, a 25-year employee with Labcorp, was looking to have a knee replacement because of the discomfort and pain she was getting in her knee. When she went to see her orthopedic, she was told by him that it was imperative to see a cardiologist and have her heart checked because of the major fluid buildup he noticed.

Lisa didn't hesitate, and she made an appointment with a cardiologist. After doing a number of tests, what the cardiologist saw was alarming. He told her that she needed immediate surgery for her heart valve, called "mitral valve replacement,” because the valve wasn’t working correctly, and Lisa was diagnosed with “unspecified combined systolic congestive heart failure” and “diastolic congestive heart failure.” She quickly agreed to have the surgery and went to Albany Med to have it done.

She recovered at the hospital and was then sent home, but after a few days of feeling good, she started feeling very fatigued and had gotten a high fever. Highly worried, she returned to Albany Med, but by time, she was septic. Doctors took Lisa to emergency surgery and placed her in the ICU for days. It was touch and go at the hospital where, according to Lisa, she almost didn’t make it. The clinical staff worked with her closely, and thankfully, she recovered. Doctors found that she acquired an infection from the first surgery, which then in the second surgery, led to the whole heart valve being replaced.

Lisa had developed Acute and Subacute Infective Endocarditis. Infective Endocarditis (IE) is caused by germs, usually bacteria, that enter the bloodstream and attach to the heart valves. Acute develops suddenly and can become life-threatening within days, and sub-acute develops gradually over weeks or months. Finally, she was well enough to be discharged from the hospital but needed to start walking and moving to get better. This was when she was sent to Troy Center for Physical and Occupational Therapy to walk again. Lisa commonly sat on the recumbent bike and did a lot of walking. Getting better and thriving, she moved from a wheelchair to a walker. Additionally, she enjoyed the recreational activities, which helped her overall well-being. She did so well and was discharged home at the end of July.

“Lisa is the perfect example of a resident who wanted to get her life back on track and she is totally on the road,” said Troy Center Administrator Nancy Snyder. “She couldn’t walk when she came here, so Maureen (Lammon, Rehabilitation Director) and her team got her moving again, and Lisa has made great strides. What’s more is that she also made many friends here because of the activities we have that she took part in, I feel my staff have been key to her new outlook on life.”

Today, Lisa still wants a total left knee replacement with rods to straighten her leg so she can walk properly. This may happen in February or March, and although her road to getting better isn’t fully complete, where she went from not walking and nearly not making it out of the hospital to being functional again due to her therapy, Lisa is purely a survivor.