While every child is different, some may need additional help to meet developmental milestones. CentraState speech-language pathologist Danielle DaCunha, MS, CCC-SLP, and occupational therapist Diana Cruz, MS, OTR/L, CSRS, share five signs that your child may benefit from a speech or occupational therapy evaluation. They have trouble meeting developmental [...]
Shuvro Ghose felt fine after a cardiac procedure at another hospital in November 2022 – until he tried to swallow medication and began choking. An MRI of his brain revealed he had several small strokes during the procedure. Due to neurological damage from the strokes, Shuvro’s vocal cords wouldn’t move [...]
Five-year-old Mikey Mendez loves sea creatures and is obsessed with letters and numbers. His brother, Max, lives up to the term “terrible twos” by being a bit mischievous; he enjoys taking things apart and putting them back together. Their mother, Lauren, says both of her boys are very smart, [...]
Andrew Ferrara was a three-sport high school athlete when he suffered a football injury that permanently sidelined his athletic career. He herniated two discs in his back as a teen. At the time, the surgery to repair it was risky. So instead, he wore a brace to stabilize his [...]
When Ray Tipperreiter of New Egypt woke up on Superbowl Sunday to find his driveway covered in snow, he fired up the snowblower and got to work so he could relax and enjoy the game later. However, when he tried to clear a clog in the machine, he severely [...]
While on vacation at his parents’ house in Durango, Mexico in April 2020, Victor Mendoza-Gutierrez was enjoying a typical ride on his motorcycle—until the driver of a car to his left ignored a stop sign at the intersection. Victor was unable to stop in time and the car slammed [...]
Adapting to the changes in life after suffering a stroke is challenging to say the least. There are new medications, therapies, and doctors one must see, not to mention the physical and emotional needs when recovering from a stroke. But patients recovering from stroke don’t need to do it [...]
For years, Freehold resident and CentraState Associated Auxiliary member Marie Schubel dealt with stooped posture and pain due to spinal stenosis and degenerative disc disease that significantly decreased her ability to walk. “I walked hunched over and couldn’t straighten up or stand for more than 10 minutes,” explains Marie, [...]
Before Chandler, age 3, started speech and occupational therapy at CentraState’s OceanFirst Rehabilitation Center, he spoke very little and communicated primarily with pointing, despite having early intervention services. After months of intensive therapy, this now-talkative child has found his voice. Chandler suffered from recurring ear infections that made hearing, [...]
“Screamin’ Steve” Barlotta is a fixture at the Jersey Shore. As the saxophone player for the Sensational Soul Cruisers, he typically performs 200 shows a year. This spring, however, he was struggling to breathe while battling COVID-19. Following a round of antibiotics for strep throat in mid-March, Steve, 57, [...]
