SHU Student’s Stroke Recovery Story to Air on TV
Garrett Mendez’s healing journey also will be featured in Parents Magazine
Sacred Heart University student Garrett Mendez suffered a brain stem stroke days after a hockey accident more than 15 years ago. It left him unable to communicate, see or use his arms or legs. Now, Mendez, 35, is working toward his graduation from SHU.
His remarkable recovery is chronicled in an upcoming episode of a public television series, Travels & Traditions with Burt Wolf. The show will spotlight Gaylord Specialty Healthcare in Wallingford, where Mendez was treated and underwent various types of therapy.
Gaylord staff oversaw Mendez’s intensive physical, occupational and speech therapies, and he was able to walk out of the facility with a walker just eight weeks after his injury. He has returned to playing ice hockey and golf, volunteers as a peer mentor at Gaylord to support other recovering stroke patients, has worked at SHU’s physical therapy clinic, and now he is preparing to complete his degree in psychology and walk with SHU’s graduating class of May 2023.
Mendez’s athleticism and “can do” spirit, which were a significant part of his recovery, were apparent early on. At Notre Dame High School in Fairfield, he played varsity hockey and varsity lacrosse all four years he attended, including his post as team captain for the latter team.
He went on to attend Western New England College (now university) in Springfield, MA, where he continued to play hockey. In November 2005, Mendez was playing a junior hockey game at a Springfield rink and slammed headfirst into the boards. A few days later, he returned home for Thanksgiving break complaining of a headache, nausea, weak legs and numbness in his face.
His mother, Eileen Mendez, thought he had the flu. The following morning, she went to wake him but found him unresponsive. He was rushed to St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport, where an MRI confirmed a stroke. He had torn the artery in the back of his neck, which bled for six days until a clot formed. It triggered the stroke and left Mendez practically paralyzed and on a ventilator.
Mendez was in the hospital’s intensive care unit for 20 days, then transferred to Gaylord nine days before Christmas to begin rehabilitation. Upon arrival, all he could do was move his head from side to side. Two months later, he was on his way home to continue his recovery, improving even more over the next year-and-a-half through outpatient therapy, which entailed five days a week of physical, occupational, pool and speech therapy, plus support at home.
The journey back has been a long one. “Garrett now walks with a limp and wears an ankle foot support on his right leg to help with drop foot,” said Eileen Mendez. “He has functional use of his right arm and hand; however, his fine motor skill in that hand is not very good. His speech is clear, with the help of a palate-lift retainer.”
SHU has been part of Mendez’s journey for more than a decade, since he started working in the physical therapy clinic as an aide in 2011 and then enrolled as a SHU student. “The physical therapy staff was so supportive, and he is still in contact with all of them,” said Eileen Mendez. “They would walk with us to raise money for the American Heart Association and celebrate with us at our yearly cookout. A couple of his therapists still teach at SHU, and Mendez volunteers and goes into their classrooms. The accessibility office has been fantastic, providing note-takers if he needs them, tutors and just overall great support.”
Mendez said after his stroke one of his first jobs was at SHU’s William Pitt Athletic & Convocation Center in the physical therapy clinic.
“It was an amazing place to work,” Mendez said. “I developed lifelong friendships as a result of working there for five years. I’m still in contact with my former co-workers. I play golf weekly in the summer with my old boss. I also volunteered in the physical therapy classrooms for my co-workers to help the physical therapy students.”
Mendez isn’t the first in his family to attend SHU. His sister, Jenn Mendez ’05, who graduated with a degree in business, met her husband, Michael Milazzo ’06, at SHU, where he earned a degree in sport management.
“We are a SHU family,” Mendez said. “I have had an incredible experience at SHU. The University has supported me and provided me with the necessary tools such as accommodations in class so I can be successful. This has made it possible for me to work toward graduating with my degree in psychology in the winter of 2022. I will be walking with the class of 2023 in May, something my family and I are very proud of. I have always felt accepted, supported and part of the SHU community.”
Looking ahead to her son’s future, Eileen Mendez said he has the fortitude and attitude to be successful. “Garrett is one of the strongest, kindest people I know. He never looks back, never asks why. He just moves forward and tries to make the most of the situation he is in.”
The episode of Travels & Traditions with Burt Wolf that features Mendez and other Gaylord patients and staff is called “The Hospital of the Future.” It can be seen on local public television stations. It is available now for viewing at the Gaylord website. Mendez’s story also will be the focus of an upcoming Parents Magazine article.