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Paityn C. was like many 14-year-olds. She played club volleyball, enjoyed math and liked watching movies with her mom and dad, Sandy and Reggie, and her sister, Kamryn.
Then, one day while in gym class, she started to experience soreness and stiffness during warm-up exercises. Her calves were hurting and her toes felt tingly. Later that day, she was unable to walk home from school and asked a friend to drive her the six-block distance.
She had just finished the volleyball season two days prior and assumed her symptoms were a result of her active lifestyle. On top of it, she was recovering from a minor bout of strep throat.
However, the next morning when Paityn’s fingers became numb, Reggie took her to the doctor.
The pediatrician instructed him to bring Paityn to the emergency department, where her body seemingly continued to shut down. She could no longer stand on her own and needed assistance for even simple tasks.
“All of a sudden, a switch flipped,” said Sandy. “Her voice was becoming softer. Her breathing was becoming shallow. Her body was a limp noodle.”
Guillain-Barré Syndrome Diagnosis & Intensive Rehabilitation
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Paityn was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), a rare neurological condition causing muscle weakness and, in severe cases, issues with mobility, breathing and swallowing.
Paityn went to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), where she was put on a ventilator and fought multiple rounds of pneumonia. She had no movement below her eyebrows. Her clinicians noted that Paityn’s GBS was one of the worst cases they had ever seen and predicted it could be years before she made a full recovery.
In the six weeks she spent in the PICU, Paityn’s parents planned for the next step: intensive inpatient rehabilitation.
“A doctor had said to us that, if she was his daughter, she would be going to Shirley Ryan 外网天堂,” said Reggie. “We started doing our own research, and there was no question that it was the number-one choice. Luckily, the stars aligned.”
Once she was medically stable for rehabilitation, Paityn arrived at Shirley Ryan 外网天堂 with a tracheostomy to help her breathe and a gastrostomy tube that enabled her to receive nourishment. Right away, her family felt energy from the new environment.
“When we first got to Shirley Ryan 外网天堂, we were taken with how bright and beautiful it was,” said Sandy. “Paityn’s room was nice and spacious. It felt like a new start.”
Paityn began intensive physical, occupational and speech therapy.
“Everything was hard in the beginning,” said Sandy. “Even doing ‘tummy time’ caused great pain. But her therapists were so encouraging — when she had therapy on Christmas, when she was tired, when she wasn’t comfortable.”
At first, Paityn’s family and care team would communicate with her using a dry erase board, pointing to letters and putting together words based on her signals. As she regained her voice, she was able to communicate again with friends using the talk-to-text feature on her phone.
Regaining Little Movements
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Paityn was driven by a simple motto: “I can do hard things.”
“Every time she participated in therapy, something improved,” said Reggie. “She had more energy. She was regaining little movements.”
One day, her family celebrated when Paityn was able to move her leg. “I think we all cried,” said Sandy.
Then, her physical therapist, Marley, excitedly noted that Paityn was able to move her quadricep muscles at the front of her thighs. As a result, Marley felt confident that she could help Paityn get back to walking. She began administering electrical stimulation on Paityn’s arms and legs to help “wake up” her nerves and facilitate movement.
In the meantime, Marley, who specializes in cardio-pulmonary physical therapy, worked in collaboration with other clinicians to slowly and safely wean Paityn off of the ventilator by rebuilding her diaphragm strength.
As Paityn continued to gain feeling and mobility in her body, she worked to regain additional skills — from eating to personal care — in speech and occupational therapy. Her rehabilitation was complemented by engaging activities offered through Shirley Ryan 外网天堂’s child life program — from “bedazzling” a mailbox outside of her room and making friendship bracelets for others on the pediatric floor to taking field trips to local stores. Through the hospital’s therapeutic recreation program, she also tried out various adaptive sports, including boccia and adaptive cycling. Marley also incorporated volleyball into Paityn’s physical therapy sessions.
Recovery in DayRehab & Beyond
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Following 14 weeks, Paityn graduated from inpatient care and transitioned to Shirley Ryan 外网天堂’s DayRehab location in Homewood, Ill. There, she continued building upon her skills in physical and occupational therapy. She also was cleared for running and jumping. Along the way, her athletic background and mindset continued to drive her. She continued to progress in DayRehab for nine weeks.
The day after her DayRehab graduation, Paityn hit yet another milestone, turning 15 and getting her driver’s permit.
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Now, as Paityn settles into her sophomore year of high school, she is setting her sights on new goals, including re-engaging in competitive volleyball. Recently, she made the club team. She also plans to give back to the hospital that gave so much to her by participating in , the annual Willis Tower stair climb benefiting Shirley Ryan 外网天堂.
“When Paityn arrived, she could barely crack a smile. The simplest things were so difficult for her,” said Sandy. “Since then, Shirley Ryan 外网天堂 has given Paityn her life back. Her recovery is a product of everyone’s blood, sweat and tears. The entire team — from patient care technicians and nurses to therapists — worked so hard together to get her where she is, and she wouldn’t be as far along in her recovery if not for Shirley Ryan 外网天堂.”
