by Emily Peabody
I truly adore and appreciate all my patients! They come to us at such a hard and scary time in their lives, and really trust us enough to be vulnerable in an area many of them have never had any experience with. I have so much love and respect for them all for being willing to put themselves out there and better themselves, during a time where everything can seem so new and scary!
Today I am going to tell you about one of my patients, Radhika! Radhika grew up in India, then lived in England, for a short time before moving to the United States! She has been married to her husband for 12 and has a 5 year old son, named Daksh. She enjoys traveling, hanging out with her friends, and playing with her son.
In May 2020, Radhika noticed a lump in her breast. She saw Dr. Nanda as soon as she could, and a biopsy confirmed it was stage 3 breast cancer. She started chemo in August 2020 and had her bilateral mastectomy in January 2021. When she walked in our doors in the beginning of February 2021, she was struggling with lymphedema, webbing in her armpits, severe weakness in her arms and legs, as well as a heavy emotional burden from what she had gone through. Worst of all, Radhika’s neuropathy in her hands were so bad, she could barely hold the pen to fill out her paperwork or play with her son. She feared because of her dexterity issues, she could never return to her job as a dental hygienist.
Radhika has worked so hard during her 5 months at Maple Tree and I am so happy for her and so proud of her. She now has full range of motion back in both arms, little to no neuropathy in her hands, and has regained her full strength throughout her body. Best of all, she is back to feeling like herself and even went back to work about a month ago.
Since starting at Maple Tree, Radhika has had great improvements including:
- +11% improvement in cardiovascular endurance
- +121% improvement in muscular endurance
- +14 % improvement in muscular strength
- +110 % improvement in flexibility
Here is what Radhika said about her experience:
“First of all, I like to give big thanks! to Maple Tree and Miss Emily for understanding my problem and helping me out when I needed the most. When I started at maple tree I wasn’t able to pick up a pen for more than 30 seconds and I was so weak that it was even difficult for me to walk for more than 5 mins. Living like that made me very depressed and sad. I lost hope that my hand will never get better and I will never be able to play with my 6 years old son. Miss Emily encouraged me that we will help you to achieve your goal, she always said that “yes, you can do it.” Moreover, she was positive and encouraging and that gave me hope that I will get better and I will be able to live a healthy life again. Today, just after 5 months, I am back to work, able to hike for 2 hours, swim for a long time and best of all I can play with my son! Finally, I just want to say to all who are going through tough times in their lives. Please do not lose hope. Help is around you, be determined and say just one thing that you can do it!”
Lastly, I just want to once again thank our patients for their willingness and bravery during what they go through. Whether you come to us before, during, or after your journey, you are a rockstar and we are eternally grateful for you!!!!