Patient Age: 61 years old
Admission Date: 03/04/21
Admitted From: NY Presbyterian
Discharged To: N/A
Length of Stay: N/A
Reason for Stay: Short term rehabilitation
How did the patient hear about The Riverside? Hospital social worker


Details of experience:
Ms. Marilyn Rojas has been a teacher’s assistant for over twenty years. She always had a passion for teaching children and helping them grow. At age 54, in 2015, she received the terrible news that she had leukemia. She began doing rounds of chemotherapy immediately and was determined to get through it. She tried to teach again, but the pain was too unbearable.

On New Year’s Eve 2020, Ms. Rojas went to the Allen Hospital in New York-Presbyterian. She was having excessive pain due to cancer. About a month into her stay, the medical team was ready to discharge her. Upon discharge, the doctors discovered that she was bleeding internally. They transferred her to another New York-Presbyterian hospital, where Marilyn was in intensive care. She spent a month in intensive care. After a month, the hospital recommended that she goes to rehab to recover and gain strength.

When Ms. Rojas was readying for discharge, she wanted to find a rehab that would help her recover quickly and be the best in the field. With the help of her son and the hospital social worker, Marilyn decided The Riverside Rehab would be the perfect place because of the oncology program we offer. When Ms. Rojas got to The Riverside, she was pleasantly surprised to find out she would be in a private room. The team from all the different departments immediately went to see her, so they could determine the best way forward for her recovery. When she came in, she was weak and was not able to walk.

After working diligently with her therapists, she is now ambulatory and able to get around on her own. It’s been nearly two months since Marilyn has been here. She says that “the entire Riverside team has been really nice and helpful.” She also added, “how attentive the medical staff has been since she arrived.” Ms. Rojas is progressing very well and will be able to discharge shortly.