Continuity of Care Helps Woman with Spinal Cord Injury Gain Strength and Independence

Giannina Feliciano maneuvers her wheelchair across a five-inch step, back and forth, determined to soon scale two or three steps — or more — on her own. The 40-year-old works closely with her physical therapist, Sharanya Chavva, at JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute.

A medical condition caused paralysis in 2023, abruptly changing her life. Feliciano’s commitment to physical and occupational therapy drives steady progress. Today she navigates her home, does laundry, cooks, showers independently, and lives an active life. She is now taking steps with braces and a walker.

Her next goal: driving.

“I couldn’t do anything at first,” she recalls. “I didn’t want to do anything. All I could think about was, ‘Why am I here?’”

After her medical crisis, Feliciano was put into a medically induced coma and spent three months in the hospital. She then entered inpatient rehabilitation at JFK Johnson, where she began her rehabilitation under a multidisciplinary team led by Jennifer M. Chui, M.D., a physician specializing in spinal cord injury.

After discharge, Feliciano continued with both Dr. Chui and Chavva for her care — continuity she deeply values.

“They are my angels,” she says.

Dr. Chui said Feliciano, who lives in Linden, has benefited from the ZeroG system, a robotic gait trainer that provides body-weight support. Her goal is to help Feliciano recover as much function as possible.

For Feliciano, the JFK Johnson team has also supported her fiancé, Parth Patel, with family education and training.

“The team is helping her not just medically but emotionally and psychologically,” Patel said. “She is happier, and her morale is better. Everyone is helping push her in the right direction, and she is working very hard.”

Feliciano hopes to return to work and one day walk again. “I still wake up sometimes and think, ‘I can’t do it.’ But then I motivate myself. I want to stay on the road to recovery.”

Learn more about our innovations in rehabilitation care.