Regaining Independence: A Journey with Cottage Rehabilitation Hospital

“I learned I was stronger and much more capable than I ever thought.”
– Melissa Erickson, Montecito

Melissa has touched many lives over her 30-year teaching career and always enjoyed an active, healthy life.

Then in 2018, she was shocked to be diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer called metachronous osteosarcoma, which is usually found in adolescent males. She needed a hip and femur replacement that had to be custom-made for her, and her procedure was performed in Los Angeles.

However, six weeks later, Melissa experienced post-surgery complications, and her hip became dislocated.

“The pain was so intense that I don’t remember much during that time,” Melissa said. “It hurt to breathe. I was rushed to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, and Dr. William Gallivan, orthopedic surgeon, put my hip back in place. With a normal hip, it can often be popped back into place, but mine was so specialized it required surgery.”

After her stay in Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, Melissa was transferred to Cottage Rehabilitation Hospital (CRH) for further care and rehabilitative therapy.

“My team of caregivers at CRH was wonderful,” Melissa said. “They were compassionate and motivating and created a routine that was everything I needed. I think it got me out of a really serious depression.”

“The structure helped give me a sense of purpose, as if I had a job and homework,” she said. “They gave me the tools, and that was part of giving me my independence back. I learned that I was stronger and much more capable than I ever thought.”

“They had me do things that I wouldn't normally have done that were really good for me, such as joining people and being social in a dining room,” she said. “I think the social aspect is a really important piece for people on a journey like mine.”

Melissa was a patient at Cottage Rehabilitation Hospital for about six weeks and then returned home to Montecito.

“The progress I made at Cottage was amazing,” she said. “I went in on a gurney and came out walking with a cane.”