Where Compassion Meets Care: Janet’s Story  

In 2013, after three days with the flu, Janet’s health suddenly took a turn for the worse. 

Putting on her shoes, a task that normally took seconds, now took nearly fifteen minutes and even simple movements became a challenge for her.   

Her husband, Christopher, rushed her to the doctor. From there, things escalated, and she was sent straight to the Charlton Memorial Hospital Emergency Department. By the time they arrived Janet had lost all mobility; she could only move her head, but the rest of her body was unresponsive. The doctors moved quickly, performing brain scans, blood tests, and other diagnostic tests to find some answers. 

“It was frightening, and I was terrified,” Janet said. “One minute I’m fine, and the next I can’t even move. I couldn’t perform the simplest tasks! My faith was all I had so I surrendered myself to God for His help and I felt at total peace. I was in the best hospital with the best doctors and their team. I trusted them.” 

Janet was then admitted to the hospital where she spent seven days in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Her treatment included an intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) drip and slowly her feeling and mobility returned.  

“That first moment when I felt something, it felt like hope,” she recalled.  

After she was discharged, Janet began physical therapy at home. But ten weeks later the weakness returned. The neurologist and her care team never gave up and she was soon diagnosed with Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP), a rare lifelong neurological disorder. With this diagnosis, her doctors developed a treatment plan which included intense physical therapy to rebuild and maintain strength paired with regular infusion treatments at the Southcoast Health Infusion Center at St. Luke’s Hospital.  

For Janet, living with CIDP means receiving treatment every two weeks for the rest of her life, and through it all, she has found strength in unexpected places. Her faith has been a constant source of comfort, and she found tremendous support in the care she receives from the St. Luke’s Hospital Infusion Team. 

At her visits, she draws strength from observing her team working seamlessly together. She could tell that they always go above and beyond for their patients and each other.   

“They’ve got something really special here,” she said. “The nurses here are absolutely incredible. I’m so blessed. Having a team that truly cares as deeply as they do is a gift. They don’t treat their work as a job they treat it like a calling.”