Marsha Franklin
Success Story
A former academic advisor at Indiana University, 77-year-old Marsha Franklin enjoys exercising at the YMCA and volunteering at the thrift store with her friends. An avid reader, she keeps her mind sharp with crossword puzzles and Sudoku. She enjoys traveling, performing at the local theater, helping to drive her friends to appointments, and spending time with her family.
For the past six months, Marsha had not been feeling well. She experienced dizziness and visited her doctor, but he was unable to identify the cause of her symptoms.
In May, Marsha drove to her daughter Sarah’s house an hour away to attend a graduation ceremony, but didn’t feel well enough to attend once there. Sarah drove Marsha back home and called for paramedics after seeing her in pain. While in the hospital, Marsha remembers finding out she had suffered a brain bleed, causing a stroke. Marsha’s family decided that Bloomington Regional Rehabilitation Hospital (BRRH) would be the best facility for her rehabilitation. “It was the right decision,” Marsha says.
Marsha feels the staff genuinely cared about her recovery and worked as hard as she did. She never felt dismissed and always felt lifted with possibilities, which allowed her to uplift the spirits of the diner’s club attendees. “I’m grateful for Mary and Rebecca in speech therapy, who taught me strategies for doing crossword puzzles,” she says. “Charlene, Claire, David, Trevor, Kayla, Nick, Tamarah, and Jessica are a part of the collaborative group that worked together in my recovery.”
Marsha looks forward to returning to her everyday life and doing simple daily activities, such as moving around the house to turn the thermostat up or down. “I’m grateful to be alive,” she says. “Even though I’m a widow of 30 years, I’ve been fortunate throughout my life. I’ve been able to travel the world.”
Now, Marsha says, she’s ready to get back to her life.