For years, Tony managed restaurants and directed busy kitchens. "Cooking is one of my biggest passions," he shared. "My outside life could have been a mess, but in that kitchen, everything was under control, and that's my happy place."
During the summer of 2022, Tony, a chef in Los Angeles, was working his shift at a local restaurant when it suddenly became challenging to do routine tasks. His balance and coordination were affected. He tried to shrug it off and keep working, but he knew something was wrong and ultimately decided to go to the hospital.
"There's no way to plan for having a stroke, and when it happens to you, it's one of the scariest things," said Tony.
Changing his recovery trajectory
Tony was diagnosed with an ischemic stroke and spent 5 days in the hospital. Following his stroke, Tony experienced sadness and doubt. "I used to run restaurants, and I couldn't even scramble eggs," he said. He was confused and wondering what his life would be like. While in the hospital, his stroke coordinator introduced him to Kandu.
Once Tony decided to enroll with Kandu Health, he was paired with his Kandu Navigator, Occupational Therapist, Puja. Armed with her expertise in stroke recovery and case management, Puja met with him to delve into the specifics of his stroke, impairments, and goals for recovery. As he talked with Puja, connected with fellow stroke survivors, and explored Kandu's extensive resources through the Kandu app, the weight he carried started to lift. He realized he wasn't alone and felt empowered to move forward with his recovery.
Through Kandu, stroke survivors like Tony find invaluable support post-hospitalization. "I can't express enough how it's just genuine people wanting to make a difference for somebody who just went through a very traumatizing experience in life," he reflects.
Some survivors have a care partner, such as a friend or family member, to assist them after they return home. For Tony, that person was Kim, his partner in life. Care partners can be instrumental in their loved one’s rehabilitation and recovery. Often care partners are unprepared for this role and have many questions. Kandu encourages care partners to enroll and to join the community.
As Kim began utilizing Kandu's resources and meeting other care partners, she was pleasantly surprised by the sincerity of the people she encountered and is grateful for the team at Kandu.
"The main concern was if he was going to be able to be himself again, because in the beginning he was not himself. I've seen the change in him, and now he's back to the job and doing everything he used to do."
Kim, Care Partner & Kandu Participant
The road ahead
These days, Tony is back in the restaurant. He credits much of his recovery to the team at Kandu. He explains, "I tell everybody– if it wasn't for Kandu, I would not be back on my feet. I found hope again."
A year after graduating from the Kandu program, Tony reflects, "My recovery keeps progressing. It's joyful. It's a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment." He continues, "I don't know what my recovery would have looked like without Kandu. I don't want to imagine it."
Learn more about Tony's recovery journey in our patient case study:
Serving Diverse Social Determinants of Health Populations with a Remote Stroke Recovery Program
Every patient's stroke recovery journey is unique. At Kandu, we work with stroke survivors and their care partners to create a recovery roadmap tailored to each patient's physical, mental, and social needs. In this case study, we compare the support Kandu provided to two different patients and the outcomes they achieved.
