**This is part 5 of 5 of Jake Wuersig’s story.**

Jake is a senior at Medina High School with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) in place. He is getting As and Bs and is on track to graduate in May with his class.

At the end of September, Jake posed for a series of formal senior photos, taken outdoors at a favorite place near the Wuersigs’ church by a family friend.

But he’s remained on the sidelines of other senior year rituals. For someone recovering from a traumatic brain injury, the lights, noise and crowds of the football games, school pep rallies and Homecoming dance would be too overwhelming.

With help from the high school’s transition coordinator, Jake is exploring how to return to his part-time Taco Bell job. He is also starting to think about what he wants to do after graduation. Taking a gap year and working part-time or enrolling in a community college are the most likely scenarios.

Recently Jake joined a youth group at church.

“It feels like we’re getting into a little more of a normal rhythm as a family,” says his mother Jen Wuersig.

Jen has been attending an online support group of parents of children with brain injuries. Hearing the stories of other children’s difficulties has made her even more grateful for how far Jake has come.

Jen credits Jake’s tenacity, his vast health care team and what she calls the “perfect balance of faith and science” for where her son is today.

Jake’s twice-weekly OT and speech therapy sessions after school are winding down, but he will continue in PT through the end of the year.

He’s been working hard to prepare for a series of evaluations through MetroHealth’s Drivers Rehabilitation Program, hoping to once again drive his car.

Other challenges remain, including surgery in the future to correct a cerebrospinal fluid leak in his ear.

But Jake’s personality – his humor and quirky wit and joking around, his caring for others – has remained intact.

“I love that those parts of him were not lost,” Jen says. “it’s very precious to our family.”

#storiesofhope #fabrehab #hopehealthandhumanity

**This is part 4 of 5 of Jake Wuersig’s story.**

A few days into Jake’s outpatient sessions, physical therapist Darcy Kosmerl suspected that he was suffering from nystagmus, a condition that causes the eyes to make rapid, uncontrollable movements. Jake was still dealing with dizziness, disorientation, blurred vision and feeling like he was floating or spinning – all symptoms of vertigo.

Test results confirmed that he had nystagmus, most likely due to the damage to his cerebellum and vestibular (inner ear) injury. Moving forward, Jake’s therapy sessions would be modified with this in mind.

Jake worked with speech therapist Doreen Jones on cognitive conditioning and strengthening his ability to remember new information.

“I am always amazed at the various activities they have planned for Jake and just how much they conveniently overlap to reinforce skills being worked on in the other therapies,” Jen wrote in a Facebook update post.

When Jake wasn’t at MetroHealth for his rehab, he was working on his own at home. Walks up and down the driveway and in the neighborhood (PT homework). Testing his ability to find hidden objects on an app called Scavenger Hunt, picking up dry beans between his thumb and fingers and tying shoes (OT homework); sorting recipe cards into categories and planning a dinner party menu around guests with food allergies, and cleaning and organizing tasks on an app called PlayHome (speech homework).

Jake and his family had a lot to celebrate for his 17th birthday on July 1. His balance and short-term memory had improved tremendously. The partial plaster cast put on after his second wrist surgery was removed, revealing a 6-inch incision scar on the top of his wrist and front forearm and a 3-inch incision scar on the inside of the wrist.

Guided by occupational therapist Megan Anderson, and later Tyler Bilinovic during therapy sessions at the MetroHealth Brecksville Health and Surgery Center, Jake started flexibility, range of motion and strengthening exercises to regain the use of his hand.

**Follow us tomorrow for more of Jake’s journey.**

#storiesofhope #fabrehab #hopehealthandhumanity

**This is part 3 of 5 of Jake Wuersig’s story.**

Jake arrived for his first therapy session in a reclined wheelchair, with a feeding tube in his nose and a cast on his wrist. He was nonverbal and didn’t respond to questions or directions.

MetroHealth speech therapist Michelle Stang’s initial challenge was to get Jake to communicate, even if it was just a thumbs up or thumbs down.

“I kept telling his parents, once patients make that first sound, sometimes it then comes at once,” Michelle says. “Thankfully, Jake found his voice.”

Once Jake started talking, he could finally describe some of his symptoms: double vision in his right eye, ringing in his right ear, dizziness, headaches.

Doctors readjusted his medications. Jake’s sessions with occupational therapist Laura Poling and physical therapist Megan McFarland were more productive. He started sitting upright and did hand/eye coordination and finger-strengthening exercises.

By mid-May the feeding tube was out. Jake was able to feed himself a few bites of food, including Taco Bell soft tacos.

“Teen boys eat fast,” Michelle says. “Trying to get Jake to relearn that he had to slow down and take his time with everything was a challenge.”

To help with his walking exercises, Megan let Jake push his older sister in his wheelchair when she came home from college. Music therapist Dwyer Conklyn tapped into Jake’s love of music, incorporating the use of rhythms to help Jake practice stepping and walking. Dwyer’s electric drum set also was a favorite activity.

Jake’s sister and parents rotated shifts so at least one of them was with him during the day. “They leaned into their faith and were not afraid to talk about that,” Megan McFarland says.

Jake went home on June 3 using only a walker. The wheelchair would only be used for long distances. Outpatient rehab would start on June 7.

The goodbyes to the inpatient staff were tear-filled.

“Everyone was so amazingly present with Jake," Jen Wuersig says. "They understood the TBI journey. It’s amazing to me how much they did with those six weeks.”

**Follow us tomorrow for more of Jake’s journey.**

#storiesofhope #fabrehab #hopehealthandhumanity

**This is part 2 of 5 of Jake Wuersig’s story.**

None of the Wuersigs had ever set foot inside any MetroHealth locations before March 22. But for the next 30 days Jen and Bob and their daughter Meghan would stay by Jake’s side. Jen, whose treatment for cystic fibrosis entails a lot of time spent in hospitals, quickly found out from her own doctors about MetroHealth’s stellar reputation for traumatic brain injury (TBI) treatment.

“I thought, wow – that’s something coming from a whole other hospital,” she says.
Progress was slow. After a few days, doctors surgically removed a bolt they had drilled in Jake’s head to monitor the pressure and swelling in his brain. By then, Jake had begun opening his eyes spontaneously and wiggling his toes on command. Jake was also able to begin breathing on his own again. But he was still in a semiconscious state.

Surgery to repair his broken wrist followed. A stent was placed in the carotid artery to the brain to improve blood flow and prevent complete aneurysm.

With the highs came many lows. Jake’s eyesight was a concern. Although he was learning how to swallow again, Jake still needed to be fed intravenously. And Jen and Bob witnessed several neurostorming episodes, a physical fight or flight response common in patients with a TBI. Because he could become agitated without warning, Jake remained restrained to his bed to prevent hurting himself or others.

By April 21, the day Jake was discharged from MetroHealth Medical Center, his parents had begun to see more glimpses of his personality. “Jake SMILED and LAUGHED today and it was the best thing ever!” Jennifer wrote in a Facebook post to family and friends.

Even before Jake had left the Trauma ICU, the Wuersigs had begun looking at a few options for inpatient rehabilitation for Jake when he left the hospital. They decided to stay with MetroHealth.

Their tour at the MetroHealth Rehabilitation Institute’s inpatient facility put them at ease. “We immediately felt like this is where we need to be,” Jen says.
Jake’s first therapy session would be at 9 a.m. on April 22.

**Follow us tomorrow for more of Jake’s journey.**

#storiesofhope #fabrehab #hopehealthandhumanity

**This is part 1 of 5 of Jake Wuersig’s story.**

Jacob Wuersig is a busy kid. This time last year, he was doing mixed martial arts, involved in an outdoors club at Medina High School, playing the drums, fishing, working a part-time job at Taco Bell near his home in Medina, and hanging out with a tight-knit group of friends. Jennifer Wuersig calls Jake her “tender-hearted kid,” always ready to give someone a hug or a helping hand. With her husband Bob and their older daughter Meghan, the Wuersigs are a tight family unit.

On March 22, 2022, Jake and three friends were at Whipps Ledges in the Hinckley Reservation, about 20 minutes from his house. It was a favorite spot to hike, explore and just hang out.

It was a school night. Jen, at a doctor’s appointment texted her son that dinner would be ready at 5:30.

The boys were jumping across the ledges – something they had done many times before – when Jake lost his footing while landing on the other side. He grabbed a bush for support, but it turned out to be dead. As he fell more than 20 feet to the ground, Jake hit his head on multiple rocks.

Jake’s friends immediately rushed to his side and called 911. When Hinkley EMS arrived at the scene, they dispatched Metro Life Flight, who took Jake to MetroHealth Medical Center.

The mother of one of the boys called Jen and asked, “Have you heard anything?” She told Jennifer there had been an accident.

Jen called her husband, who was still at work. Devastated, the two met at MetroHealth’s Emergency Department. Doctors told them that their son was alive but in critical condition. He had sustained a traumatic brain injury, numerous facial and skull fractures, a broken wrist on his dominant hand, a damaged carotid artery, a lacerated ear.

The Wuersigs were able to see Jake once he was stabilized and transferred to the Trauma ICU. He was unconscious and on a ventilator.

**Follow us tomorrow for more of Jake’s journey.**

#storiesofhope #fabrehab #hopehealthandhumanity

During her first pregnancy, Meaghan Musarra was diagnosed with severe preeclampsia, a sudden onset of high blood pressure in the third trimester that can affect the heart and other organs. Labor was induced at 36 weeks; baby Adalynn (Addie) was born at MetroHealth in September 2017, weighing 5 lbs. 1 oz.

Even before her second pregnancy, because of the preeclampsia and a childhood kidney disorder, Meaghan began seeing Bradley Stetzer, DO, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist who focuses on high-risk pregnancies. Starting at 20 weeks of her pregnancy, Dr. Stetzer monitored her closely with weekly imaging, tests and daily home blood pressure checks.

At 33 weeks, Meaghan’s blood pressure skyrocketed. She was admitted with severe preeclampsia and given steroids for three days to assist with fetal lung development and to reduce potential complications.

Thirty-eight hours after Dr. Stetzer induced labor, Magnolia (Maggie) was born on August 1, 2019. She was seven weeks early, weighed 4 lbs. 10 oz. and spent two weeks in the NICU.

That experience prompted Meaghan and her husband, Brandon, to help other families with babies in the NICU. They have raised money for the nonprofit organization Project NICU and MetroHealth’s NICU.

The past couple of months have kept the Musarras busy.

Addie, 5, started Pre-Kindergarten.

Maggie, 3, enrolled in preschool. She continues to go to physical and occupational therapy to improve her muscle tone.

And on October 7, James Musarra was born, weighing 6 lb. 9 oz.

Once again, Dr. Stetzer closely monitored Meaghan with the goal of avoiding a preeclampsia onset as long as possible. This time, they avoided it altogether.

Dr. Stetzer induced Meaghan’s labor at 37 weeks – the standard of care for a woman with her health history.

And the Musarras all went home together.

Helping to manage the Musarras’ anxiety and worry during her pregnancy was no small feat, Meaghan says. “Dr. Stetzer is one of the calmest people I know. He had the ability to keep us on pace and to keep everything very grounded.

“Having him in our corner has been the reason we felt confident enough to continue our family.”

#storiesofhope