Once a Fulton Center Patient, Now Its Receptionist On Life's Rebound

Fulton Center's receptionist Rebecca Bogusz, 44, from Broadalbin, New York, has made an amazing life turnaround in 2024. Ms. Bogusz, a mother of a son and a daughter, and sadly a victim of domestic violence that led her to her fight with alcohol, was once a patient and resident at this Gloversville, New York, skilled nursing facility where she now works but not only loves it there but loves the care she received after a summer 2020 auto accident that put her in a coma during the heart of the Covid pandemic. She was sober then, returning late from a friend's house.

In this 2020 car accident, Ms. Bogusz suffered major head and bodily injuries due to a brain condition called Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, a serious brain condition caused by the lack of Vitamin B1. This can lead to a lack of energy supply to the brain and nervous system, leading to memory loss and problems with movement, vision, and coordination. In the very early morning of that pre-dawn accident, Rebecca did not know she had the condition until she was told later on after being treated unconsciously at St. Mary's Healthcare in Amsterdam, New York, and then transferred to the 176-bed Fulton Center in September 2020, where she finally and thankfully awoke in February 2021.

By the time she had made it to Fulton Center, Rebecca was in the acute phase of her condition known as Wernicke Encephalopathy. Physically, Rebecca suffered a bodily injury, and today, she has trouble with feeling much from her toes to her pelvis, but she gets around with a cane. She also suffers from Sjogren's Syndrome, a long-term autoimmune disorder that causes the body's immune system to attack the glands that produce moisture in the eyes, mouth, and other parts of the body. This prevents the glands from working properly and can lead to dryness in the mouth, eyes, or other tissues. According to the Mayo Clinic, the condition often accompanies other immune system disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.

Rebecca, who is also admired by her Fulton Center colleagues, loves them back and the facility's residents. This love of them and vice versa led her to her 2022 hiring at the front desk at the facility, a life-changing and empowering move she never regrets. Rebecca says that her colleagues always try to help her every day in her job when it comes to getting this, and although she appreciates the help, she says no so she can exercise her legs constantly so as not to be stagnant at her desk. It's this kind of day-to-day at her job she loves.

Her story may be tragic, but Rebecca says today,"I love the folks here, consider them as friends, and from where I came from to now, I'm blessed. I'm comfortable telling my story, and if I can change one person's life, it's truly worth it."