Thomas Bastien

Thomas Bastien has many passions in life, not the least of which are the Detroit Tigers. Naturally, Thomas enjoys going to see them play whenever possible. But Thomas has a greater love, which would prove critical as he recovered from a traumatic brain injury: his wife, Judy.

Describing himself as a “retired gardener and full-time husband,” Thomas needed his beloved wife as much as ever during this trying time. As a result of the brain injury, Thomas experienced respiratory failure and required both a ventilator to breathe and a feeding tube for nutrition.

To wean off the ventilator and regain his independence, Thomas admitted to Vibra Hospitals of Southeastern Michigan – Taylor Campus. When he arrived at Vibra, Thomas was so physically weak that he required the assistance of others for mobility and his activities of daily living. But equipped with a positive attitude and Judy cheering him on, Thomas was ready to work.

Drawing on that motivation, Thomas applied his “no-nonsense, get it done” attitude and worked hard on his recovery with his interdisciplinary care team. The results were impressive. Thomas weaned off the ventilator, shed the feeding tube, and regained his independence in self-care activities. Additionally, Thomas achieved his main goals of walking, talking, and eating again.

Thomas discharged to transitional rehabilitation to regain additional strength before making a safe return home with Judy.