Stroke survivor arrived in a wheelchair … and danced out after treatment

Boland stroke survivor Jonathan van Wyk was Nurture Worcester’s first patient after it opened earlier this year – and the team who treated him are as thrilled as his family are to see him recover so well.

Conveniently placed for Greater Breede River Valley and Boland residents looking for intensive physical care, the Worcester facility is the newest addition to Nurture Health’s nationwide network.

The 36-bed rehabilitation hospital opened in July 2024 with Mr Van Wyk its first patient. Stroke recovery is just one of numerous acute care services Nurture Health offers across South Africa, along with injury rehab, neurology, paediatrics, orthopaedics and hospice care.

As with all hospitals in the group, Nurture Worcester believes the patient’s family is as important as the patient. Staff therefore met regularly with Mr and Mrs Van Wyk to ensure a consistently high standard of care, even after discharge.

“We were put at ease as, although my husband can be very stubborn, he soon realised everyone just wants to help,” said Mrs Van Wyk.
“We really appreciated the family meetings as we were able to see that everyone knew what they were doing, and enjoyed it.

“He quickly adapted, worked hard, and bragged about how he was being treated and the progress he was making.”

“Nurture changed our lives”

“Nurture changed our lives,” said Mrs Van Wyk. “And don’t even get me started on how neat the facility was! Everyone works together closely like one big family, even the cleaners.”

The highlight was when Mr Van Wyk was discharged, because the family from Ceres remembered “as if it was yesterday” the day their loved one arrived to start his medical treatment.

“Jonathan was in a wheelchair and it was difficult for our family to accept that he might remain in it after his stroke,” said Mrs Van Wyk.

After a thorough assessment, the Worcester healthcare specialists found weakness on the left side of Mr Van Wyk’s body, including one arm and one leg, as well as problems with thinking, and difficulty speaking.

“We will always be appreciative of Nurture Health and the work they put in to help us,” said his grateful wife.

The caring and compassionate professionals offered a comprehensive range of therapeutic treatment that included physical rehabilitation and top-notch facilities.

Positive attitude

The healthcare team also enjoyed Mr Van Wyk’s attitude saying he was optimistic and motivated to face any challenges.

After only four days, there were signs of improvement.

As he slowly started to make progress, Mr Van Wyk engaged with the Nurture Worcester Team, sharing stories about himself and his family.

Along with the hard work and consistent therapy sessions, laughs and jokes were shared. Then, when he was discharged, on 18 July, staff said they were thrilled to see him “dancing down the stairs” in celebration of the obstacles overcome.

So successful was his stroke recovery treatment that Mr Van Wyk was able to return to work only three weeks after his discharge.

The Van Wyks later returned to visit the hospital, and let everyone know that he was living a healthy and fit lifestyle.

“He is truly an inspiration to us as he was our first patient and success story,” said spokesperson for Nurture Worcester.

“Even after his return home the therapists still have regular discussions about the impact he made on shaping our experience. His story is used as motivation for patients at the beginning of their own journey.”

Just as Mr Van Wyk got his zeal back, so too did he motivate all at Nurture Worcester to deliver quality care and ensure all our patients at Nurture Health are well taken care of, now and into the future.