Jacob’s “Not-Too-Cool” Yule: No Place Like the ER for the Holidays
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Early Christmas morning in 2023, 75-year-old Jacob Drago woke up about 5 am with a leg cramp; he got up to walk it off, lost his balance, fell and suffered a broken hip. And just like that, his happy holidays with his wife of 52 years, his three children and his three grandchildren turned into a not-so-jolly trip to the emergency room. Since moving to Ponchatoula from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, Jacob had always thought highly of North Oaks, but he never imagined that he’d be spending Christmas Day getting
to know these dedicated, selfless professionals firsthand.
“From the moment I arrived at the emergency room, I was met with compassion and expertise,” Jacob said. “Everything moved so quickly, and by 10 am I was in surgery.”
While it was not a picture-perfect Christmas, Jacob’s family managed to exchange gifts in his room following the surgery and muster up a little bit of the holiday spirit. Considering how the day had started, the outlook for recovery was positive and that’s what he focused on. With his no-time-like-the-present attitude, that same afternoon he was ready to jump right into physical therapy, saying, “When something like this happens, fight through it. Don’t give up.”
When Physical Therapist Kaelyn Storr walked into the hospital room for Jacob’s physical therapy evaluation, she could see he was ready to get up and show her what he could do.
The day after Christmas, Jacob was already home, using a walker but in good spirits. Starting outpatient physical therapy two weeks later, Physical Therapist Adam Waller with North Oaks Outpatient Rehabilitation Services, recalls that it was a pleasure to be a part of Jacob’s recovery and was impressed by his progress. Jacob had been active, exercising an hour every day prior to his fall and blessed with a can-do outlook.
During his six weeks of rehabilitation, Jacob progressed from his walker to a cane. It was a major turning point for him physically and mentally. He was beginning to feel his sense of self returning. Today, he’s shed the cane and is back to his daily exercise routine.
