Sia's story

When 53-year-old Siauli “Sia” Krog walked into her church to help teach Vacation Bible School, it felt like any other day. She loved the sound of the little kids singing, the colorful crafts and the small joy of sharing time with the youngest members of her congregation. A schoolteacher, a choir singer and a devoted aunt, Sia was used to caring for others.

But that day, something felt off. She kept dropping her papers. A headache pulsed behind her eyes. She tried to brush it off, assuming she had come down with a cold or maybe Covid.

Her husband, Michael, saw something else.

Her speech sounded different. She looked unsteady. She couldn’t stand the way she normally did. He knew it was a stroke.

Michael dialed 911 and an ambulance rushed her to Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh, where doctors ordered a head and neck CT scan. The results showed an intracranial hemorrhage — a brain bleed — the cause of her sudden weakness and confusion.

Sia didn’t understand the severity at first. “I didn’t really know how to feel,” she later said. “My sisters and husband were telling me what was happening because I didn’t know it was that bad. I just slept so much.”

What followed was a blur of ambulance rides, hospital rooms and transfers. After time in Pittsburgh, she was moved to Trinity Health Medical Center West in Steubenville, Ohio. Her condition was stable, but she was far from her old self. She couldn’t walk. She couldn’t sit up without help. She needed two people and a lift device just to get out of bed.

Michael wanted the best rehab possible. He searched, read reviews and called repeatedly. “My husband did the research and he found that the best rehab was at Cleveland Clinic in Avon,” Sia said.

He tried three separate times before finally securing her a bed at Cleveland Clinic Rehabilitation Hospital.

They rode there by ambulance, hopeful and scared, wanting answers and a plan.

Starting Over in Rehab

When Sia arrived for her first stay, she was nervous and sad. She missed her family and didn’t know what to expect. But she knew one thing.

“I wanted to walk again on my own and be home with my family,” she said

Those goals set the tone for the weeks ahead.

At the start, she could not stand without full support. Her core muscles were so weak she couldn’t sit upright for long. Her left arm had no movement, and she  could barely lift her left leg. She struggled to pay attention to things on her left side -- a common effect after a stroke --and she needed help for basic self-care tasks.

But each therapy discipline had a plan to rebuild her strength, independence and confidence.

Physical Therapy: Relearning to Stand and Walk

At first, standing felt impossible. To make it safe, therapists used a device that lifted Sia into a supported standing position, allowing her to bear weight on her legs without collapsing. She gripped the device’s handles, feeling the steady hold beneath her as her body relearned its basic mechanics.

Walking began in an overhead harness system. Suspended from above, the harness carried her full weight so her legs could practice the motions without the risk of falling. With her forearms supported on a frame, she could gradually shift weight, take steps and feel her muscles activate again.

As she progressed, the team introduced a parallel bar for Sia to hold with her stronger right arm. Standing there required control, balance and courage.

Her left leg was so weak at first that she needed electrical stimulation to activate the muscles. The gentle pulses helped “wake up” the nerves and build strength.

Over time, the changes were visible. She relied less on the overhead harness. Her steps grew steadier. The special walkers gave way to a wide-based quad cane. One day, she took several steps with it, and the room erupted in encouragement.

She remembers her milestone clearly. “The first time that I walked in the therapy gym with the bodyweight support system gave me the confidence to walk with less help,” she said.

Occupational Therapy: Regaining Independence in Daily Life

In occupational therapy, the goal was independence — bathing, dressing, moving safely at home and preparing to return to the routines she loved.

Electrical stimulation helped strengthen her left arm so she could lift her wrist and open her hand again. She practiced using adaptive tools, like a long-handled reacher and a sponge, to bathe and dress with less assistance.

One of her early challenges was visual neglect on her left side. Therapists taught her strategies to turn her head fully, scanning that side so she wouldn’t bump into objects or overlook important cues in her environment.

During her second stay at the hospital, after time in a skilled nursing facility, therapy became even more practical. She practiced getting in and out of a bathtub using a transfer bench. She walked around a simulated kitchen, using her cane to stay balanced while she moved toward the coffeemaker — a small but meaningful return to normal life.

Speech Therapy: Thinking, Planning and Speaking Clearly Again

Cognitive changes after a brain bleed can make daily life harder. In speech therapy, Sia worked on her thinking skills, such as problem solving and planning. She did deductive reasoning activities related to real situations, like managing medications or preparing lessons.

She also practiced memory, organizing her thoughts and recalling information from her other therapy sessions.

One of her biggest goals was speaking more clearly. She wanted to talk comfortably with her students, her church community and her family. Her therapist taught her a strategy that emphasized over articulation and slow speech. It helped her feel more understood in conversations.

The Emotional Journey

Rehabilitation is physical, but it’s also emotional. Sia felt that deeply.

She remembers the moment she first walked in the harness. The relief. The hope. The way her body remembered something she thought she had lost.

She also remembers the visits from her nieces, who flew from Arizona to be with her. They played music, sat by her bed and supported her through some of her hardest days. “They were here. They were present,” she said. “At times, they even played the role of my aide.”

There were small kindnesses too. When she transferred from rehab to a skilled nursing facility, one of the aides noticed she had forgotten her stuffed elephant, “Ellie.” The aide drove it to her new location herself.

“It made me feel so good,” Sia said. “It was such a relief to have my favorite stuffed animal back.”

Walking Out Stronger

By discharge, Sia had transformed.

She could walk with a cane. She could stand on her own. She could climb stairs. She could shower, dress and move around her home with far more independence. Her left arm and leg were stronger, and she could sit upright safely without support.

“It felt possible to get back to my usual self,” she said.

Her husband participated in family training, learning how to support her safely at home. They planned to continue outpatient therapy and follow an exercise routine together.

Looking Ahead

Sia couldn’t wait to return to her normal life — sipping coffee, going to church, singing again, teaching and reconnecting with her routines.

“I had a good experience here,” she said. “It gave me my function back to get back to my normal routine.”

Rehabilitation changed her in ways she didn’t expect. “It has changed me to know that even a great task can be accomplished with consistent practice,” she said.

Today, she carries that belief with her — step-by-step, steady and hopeful, rebuilding the life she loves.