Silvano's Recovery Story  

In May of 2021, Silvano, a former Ironman finisher, was bicycling downhill when he swerved to avoid a car and fell. He was wearing a helmet but injured his neck resulting in an incomplete spinal cord injury at C2. Due to the neck injury he had lost all movement from the neck down, was unable to sit on his own, and experienced challenges with his breathing. Silvano was taken to a Bay-Area acute care hospital, where he had surgery followed by a 5 day stay in the ICU. He was then transferred to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center Rehabilitation (SCVMC), where he started his rehabilitation journey.

While on the Acute Rehabilitation Unit, Silvano progressed from being unable to use his hands, walk or sit up to being able to feed himself, sit at the edge of the bed by himself, and walk short distances with a walker. Initially, he used a power wheelchair to move about then gradually progressed to a manual wheelchair, and eventually to limited walking. Silvano shared "despite the intense nerve pain and the medication that would leave me drowsy and tired, I was determined to regain as much movement as I could get, so I got to work and did everything the SCVMC team would ask me to do and more. I needed to make every minute of my stay count. Little by little I started to regain movement. First the legs, then arms, hands and fingers”. He recalled the spasticity and nerve pain improved when recreational therapist, Scott Shields, helped him into the warm therapeutic pool the first time. The warm water relaxed his muscles and gave him a sense of control. Silvano also recalled looking forward to his daily visits with his Physical Medical and Rehabilitation Physician, Dr. Mian, when he was able to ask all his questions and report on his progress. He felt that his program was personalized for him and that he had an All-Star team assisting him with his recovery. He also recalled the sense of community he felt with the others who participated in Rehabilitation at the same time as him. Many of the other patients were younger than him but they all encouraged each other.

Despite his positive attitude, Silvano experienced some dark days immediately after his catastrophic injury. He was diagnosed with depression and worked closely with Dr. Mark Held, Neuropsychologist. Silvano shared that at first he was resistant to receiving help but soon realized the benefits of the psychological therapy. He learned ways to cope and limit his tendency to ruminate. He shares now, having a network of people and taking advantage of psychological help when it is offered is key to moving forward and fully embracing a positive attitude.

Dr. Mariam Mian, Chief of Spinal Cord Rehabilitation shared “Spinal Cord Injuries are life changing events, both physically and emotionally. Our team of highly trained therapists, nurses, technicians, psychologists and physicians specializing in spinal cord injury recognize this, and work hard to customize each patient experience to enhance their recovery. A favorite feature of mine is our recreational therapy program. Our therapists find adaptive ways for patients to return to their hobbies, be it painting, biking, fishing, or gardening. It’s amazing to see how independent patients like Silvano learn to become despite their impaired hand and leg function”.

After Silvano’s wife and adult daughter were trained to help him, he left acute inpatient rehabilitation to go home. His rehabilitation journey continued first with therapies in his home for three months and then outpatient   occupational therapy for two months and physical therapy for six months. When Silvano was discharged from outpatient therapies, he was able to walk independently and even run a little on the underwater treadmill in the pool. He was also able to ride his road bicycle using a land trainer that holds it stationary. Silvano also slowly regained the use of his hands and fingers through many hours of exercise. Due to his career in Technology, it was very important for him to be able to type and operate a computer. He was very happy to be able to return to full time work in February of 2022.

Now, Silvano is back to full time work and modified exercise. He rides his bicycle using the land attachment 20 miles three times per week and walks 3-5 miles every day. He jogs short distances and is still pushing himself to achieve more.

Silvano shared that the support he received from the staff at SCVMC Rehabilitation was unbelievable and that he will cherish it forever. That, combined with encouragement from his family and friends, has kept Silvano ready to seize the possibilities of every day.