James Hill

At 52 years old, James Hill is a retired heavy truck mechanic. He is a proud husband, father, and grandfather and loves spending time with family. He also enjoys hunting, camping, and riding his Harley Davidson.

After a perfectly normal day, James went to bed. In the middle of the night, he woke to use the restroom. When he attempted to stand, he got dizzy and light-headed. His knees buckled, and down he went. He crawled to the bathroom to figure out what was going on. His symptoms became more and more severe, and eventually, he was throwing up. Worried, he called for his wife, who quickly called 911.

When the EMTs arrived, they immediately knew that James suffered a stroke. They got him to Kaiser Permanente, where he stayed for four nights in intensive care, eight nights in total.

The stroke destroyed James left side. He had no strength, control, or stamina, and his left arm got injured. James is left-handed, and his condition prevented him from feeding himself, walking, or taking care of himself. It was evident that he would need to participate in intensive therapy.

When James first arrived at San Joaquin Valley Rehabilitation Hospital, he remembers thinking, “This isn’t going to do any good.” He quickly changed his tune once he started working with his care team.

“San Joaquin Valley Rehabilitation Hospital is the only place to go. Without them, I would not be where I am today; I wouldn’t have gotten as far as I’ve gotten and as quickly as I have,” James stated.

Though James felt limited when he first arrived, he can now walk and has nearly full function of the left side of his body. He looks forward to getting back to his old hobbies, like planning another hunting trip and riding his Harley.