Tori's Story

“I never expected to be on the receiving end of care to get my life back.”- Tori Robinson

“Working as a Patient Care Associate for three years at the DMC Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan (RIM), I’ve seen how important therapy is. I just never expected it to be me on the receiving end of care to get my life back.

In December of 2020, 28-year-old Tori Robinson’s life changed overnight. She had a miscarriage and while trying to recover from her devastating loss, she continued to have pregnancy symptoms. She was nauseous and weak. Her symptoms continued and got even worse. She lost feeling in her hands and legs and had memory issues.

She went from being young and active to not being able to move or remember things.

“Doctors told me it was a condition called sensorimotor polyneuropathy, nerve damage making it hard to move and feel. But I never had any real answers. My hope was that therapy would help me regain my movement and memory. We knew the best place for therapy was RIM because I worked there.”

Tori says she was comfortable going to RIM because she knew the staff. She spent a month as an inpatient doing physical, speech and occupational therapy and then continued with outpatient therapy for about a year.

“Each day, they had me doing things that I was so afraid to do. But my therapists always encouraged me and I wanted to get better so I would push myself. And every day, I saw improvement! I am now walking, using my hands and I have my memory back.”

While she’s still shocked by everything she’s gone through, Tori feels very thankful and blessed to have worked and rehabbed at RIM. She says all her therapists were amazing and they knew exactly how to get her moving again. Their kindness and expertise are what’s inspiring her to further her education in the medical field.