Karen Adkins

Karen Adkins was looking for a miracle.

“I made some bad choices,” Karen said, admitting to long-time use of IV drugs. Over time, the drugs took their toll on Karen’s body, and she recently experienced a loss of speech and a severe headache. She first went to Harrison County Hospital, but the hospital sent her to Norton Brownsboro Hospital for a neuro evaluation.

The evaluation revealed that Karen had a severe stroke in her left brain, along with brain compression.

Karen received treatment at Norton Brownsboro for a while, then transferred to Norton Hospital downtown. Unfortunately, her body developed an infection, and she required a craniotomy to drain a brain abscess.

“I knew at times I was so seriously ill, I may not make it,” Karen recalled. But she felt that her two close friends who have passed helped her through those precarious days.

Eventually, Karen stabilized and transferred to Southern Indiana Rehabilitation Hospital for continued therapy. She arrived at SIRH unable to walk and without the use of her arm and hand.

“The therapy and nursing teams have been wonderful,” Karen said about her time at SIRH. “I can’t believe how far they brought me.”

Karen progressed so significantly that she would walk out of the hospital upon discharge.

“My life has been changed forever,” Karen shared. “I have come too far to ever go back to the bad decisions I made in the past. It meant a lot when my surgeon told me how proud he was of the progress I’ve made.”

“I’m looking forward to all the life I have in front of me.”

Karen expressed her thanks to everyone at SIRH and emphasized she found what she was looking for.

“I had a miracle happen!”