Daughters Support Father Through Stroke Recovery 

This Father’s Day, Teresa (T) Shubin reflects on her father’s unexpected injury and shares gratitude for his second chance at life. “My dad is not the same dad, but he’s loving and respecting who he is now,” she says. T’s father, 74-year-old David Rechnitzer, worked full-time in the medical field, loved spending time with his grandchildren, and was building his dream home. One morning in August 2023, David struggled to wake up and was incoherent. David had suffered a series of strokes overnight that put his busy life on hold.  

After spending four weeks at Texas Rehabilitation Hospital of Arlington, David came to the Centre for Neuro Skills Dallas clinic, where he was admitted into the residential inpatient program.  

“That was the first time I’d been away from him since the stroke happened. I had to put my trust into CNS, and they constantly updated us on his in-home rehabilitation progress,” said T.  

David transferred to CNS’ Fort Worth inpatient program shortly after, which was closer to T’s home. David was initially confined to a wheelchair and had limitations on the left side of his body. He also experienced cognitive deficits, such as executive dysfunction that affected his decision-making and processing skills.  

Through intensive neurorehabilitation therapy tailored to his needs, David made incredible progress learning how to walk, dress, and eat independently with standby assistance. David calls himself the “social butterfly of CNS,” and he regularly visits the Brain Injury Network of Fort Worth to meet and connect with fellow traumatic brain injury survivors. 

“CNS’ program is calculated and interdisciplinary. The progress from when he first arrived at CNS to now is night and day,” T said.  

In November, David’s dream home was completed. David moved into his new home with T’s sister and continued receiving outpatient therapy at the CNS Fort Worth clinic. Although David plans to retire, he looks forward to continuing his passion for photography, enjoying being a father and grandfather, and continuing to visit the Brain Injury Network.  

“This is not something you expect for your father, but we thank God he has another chance at life,” said T. For T, her father’s recovery has been a miracle and she is grateful to be by his side throughout this journey.