Lance Halstead was in a drug-induced coma for nearly two weeks following a logging accident in Tomball, Texas. On the last day of the project, a 35-foot tree kicked back, breaking bones in his face and skull and causing Lance to stumble and fall unconscious in nearby water.
After a full-frontal craniotomy and multiple operations to drain blood from his brain and rebuild his face, Lance transferred from the ICU to Nexus Specialty Hospital. Still considered medically complex, Lance received continued medical treatment and early-intervention rehabilitation. After nearly 20 days, Lance progressed enough to be transferred to Nexus Neurorecovery Center for extensive physical, occupational, vocational, and cognitive therapy and speech-language pathology.
“When I first got there, I couldn’t do anything,” explained Lance. “I had lost a lot of weight and strength, but they pushed me as hard as they could and even specialized therapy and workouts for me.”
Lance vividly remembers the time he reached the milestone of 10 pushups and rang the bell to acknowledge his accomplishment. Although he truly enjoyed physical therapy, Lance participated in other rehabilitation activities as well as group outings.
“Lance was truly motivated and driven to return to independent living,” said Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant Brandy Chastain. “He was a true inspiration to all those around him. He worked hard in all therapies to overcome obstacles.”
Discharging in early 2018, Lance moved into his own apartment and currently handles all the details — including paying rent and utilities and maintaining his place — on his own. He is even going to the local gym down the road. Lance explained, “It wasn’t until I was at home dealing with everything on a daily basis that I saw what everyone at Nexus was preparing me for.”
“Lance worked very hard in his rehabilitation to accomplish his goals,” said Director of Vocational Services Tom Owens, MS, CRC, CCM. “His return to the community and independent living is a direct result of his hard work.”
Reflecting on his experience in Nexus Health Systems’ continuum of care, Lance shared: “You can come to Nexus in any condition and they’re going to go ahead and specialize the treatment for you to optimize health and strength as much as possible. You really can come in with a serious injury and leave living a normal life.”
