Sean Entin was a month shy of his 40th birthday, trying to get in the best shape of his life, when he suffered a ruptured carotid artery, likely during a martial arts workout.
Then during a Thanksgiving visit with friends and family, the husband and father of two young girls passed out. When he awakened 10 days later in a Santa Barbara hospital, he was bedridden, unable to speak clearly or to walk.
Today he marvels at his progress — and counts his blessings. He is among the fortunate with the means to continue his physical therapy with therapist Sylvia Pena at Providence Tarzana Medical Center, where his father, a retired surgeon, once served as chief of staff.
Now to help those less fortunate, Sean has established the Move 2improve Foundation, a nonprofit organization, to raise money for continued physical therapy for survivors of traumatic brain injuries. He and a small group of friends have identified 47 other survivors in need of therapy. They especially want to help wounded veterans who have fallen between the cracks and need continued rehab to rebuild their lives.
“These are people who have had very serious injuries and they can’t afford to go back to therapy,” he said. “And if you don’t have therapy you can’t get back to work. I am the proof of what’s possible with continued care. Just two years after a stroke that should have killed me, I’m back to work and running a foundation.”
Sean created his organization to “engage patients in cutting-edge therapies and finance rehabilitation for the underinsured. Our goal is to help them regain mobility and cognitive skills, provide support for their families and friends and make them MOVERS once again.” Information: http://move2improvefoundation.com/#.
