How rehabilitation helped one woman recover

For Christina de Lemos, life revolved around family. The San Diego native cherished the everyday moments of motherhood, from making lunches to cheering at her daughters' soccer games.

Alongside her husband, Ben Fuu, she balanced a career in finance and raised their two daughters. "We were always doing something," Christina says. " We were a busy family, and we loved it."

Then, in a matter of weeks, the life she knew was turned upside down.

A painful diagnosis

Christina's health challenges began several years ago when she experienced sudden, severe abdominal pain.

"It was worse than anything I had ever felt," she says. "I've had kidney stones, and this was even more painful than that."

Doctors discovered she had diverticulitis, a condition that causes inflammation in the digestive tract. Over time, it led to recurring infections, abscesses and chronic pain that disrupted daily life.

Eventually, complications developed, including a fistula, an abnormal tunnel that forms between two parts of the body, making sitting, walking and working difficult.

After years of recurring symptoms, Christina and her doctor decided surgery was the best option. In March, surgeons removed part of her colon.

Unexpected turn

Just five days after surgery, Christina was enjoying a baseball game with her family when she suddenly developed shortness of breath and a rapidly rising fever. She was rushed to a nearby hospital, where pneumonia left her on a ventilator for three days.

When Christina awoke, she learned another serious complication had developed.

Doctors discovered multiple abdominal abscesses that required emergency surgery and an ileostomy, a procedure that redirects waste through an opening in the abdomen while the intestines heal. Waste is then collected in an ostomy bag, a pouch worn outside the body.

"I'm 41 years old, and I felt like I was dying," Christina says. "It was terrifying."

What began as a planned surgery soon became months of hospitalizations and setbacks. Christina faced painful wounds, life with an ostomy and an uncertain recovery.

"It looked like a minefield had gone off," she says. "I didn't know how to process it."

Beginning rehabilitation

After weeks in the hospital, Christina transferred to the Sharp Allison deRose Rehabilitation Center to rebuild her strength and independence. Her recovery was especially complex, according to Dr. Kimberly Davis, a physiatrist at the Sharp Allison deRose Rehabilitation Center.

"Christina came to rehabilitation after significant surgical complications, including an ileostomy, painful abdominal wounds and nutritional deficiencies," Dr. Davis says. "Those deficiencies contributed to neuropathy, causing weakness in her legs."

Through an intensive rehabilitation program, Christina worked with occupational and physical therapists to relearn daily tasks, rebuild her strength and regain mobility. Rehabilitation helped Christina overcome the effects of neuropathy.

"Her hard work and determination played a major role in her recovery," Dr. Davis says. "Through comprehensive rehabilitation, she improved her strength, mobility and confidence, allowing her to return home with greater independence."

Beyond the therapy itself, Christina says the support she received made a lasting difference.

"When you're going through something this traumatic, there are moments when you want to give up," Christina says. "My care team carried me through the hardest days."

A setback and a second chance

After nearly three weeks of rehabilitation, Christina returned home eager to resume life with her family. But her recovery was far from over.

During a family trip several weeks later, another infection led to hospitalization. After returning to San Diego, she was hospitalized again.

The neuropathy in her legs worsened, making it difficult to walk and raising fears she was losing her hard-earned progress. Once again, she returned to the Sharp Allison deRose Rehabilitation Center.

"I felt like I had graduated," she says. "The second time, I knew the routine and what to expect."

By the time she was discharged in late July, she had made remarkable progress. "I felt stronger, more independent and, for the first time, could really see the light at the end of the tunnel," she says.

Looking ahead

Today, Christina continues her recovery at home and credits her faith, husband and family for helping her persevere. "My husband has been absolutely amazing," she says. "When you say, 'in sickness and in health,' you don't really know what that means until something like this happens."

While her recovery continues, Christina is focused on reclaiming the life she loves.

"There are going to be really hard days," Christina says. "Days when you feel hopeless and exhausted. But you can't lose hope. The support you receive and the determination to keep going are what get you through."

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