Knapp – Here for Life

Skull fracture causes frightening TBI — but nothing scary about seamless care

May 19, 20211

As a nurse at a local hospital, Jeanne Leach has worked with families caring for loved ones with a health emergency. On a Friday night in October, while leaving their daughter’s house, her husband, Jim, walked down the front steps, tripped over a pumpkin, and fell and hit the corner of a step and was knocked unconscious.

“He lost his footing and struck his head so hard that he was bleeding through every orifice in his head,” she recalls. “There was blood everywhere. It was awful.” (more…)

One day at a time…. celebrating 50 years of Knapp Rehabilitation

July 5, 2019

It’s hard to put into words the daily life at Knapp Rehab, Hennepin Healthcare’s inpatient acute rehabilitation unit. To end up in Knapp, something pretty awful sent you there – a stroke, a traumatic brain injury, a chronic disease, an accident. (more…)

Read Sten’s Story

May 15, 2018

Think strokes just happen to seniors? Think again. A stroke was the last thing healthy Sten Anderson thought would happen to him at the young age of 24. But it did.

This May, being Stroke Awareness Month, you should be aware that a stroke can happen at any time, at any age and even to perfectly healthy people. Sten felt a major headache come on while running on his treadmill and, although there can be different signs of stroke, there are four main ones. Educate yourself because in the case of stroke – time is critical. From the onset of a stroke to the arrival at the emergency room, damage can be minimized the quicker you get there. Move F.A.S.T.

FACE – Is their face drooping? Ask them to smile to find out.
ARMS – Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
SPEECH – Ask the person to repeat a simple phrase like Mary had a little lamb. Is their speed slurred or does it sound strange?
TIME – Call 911 and note the time of the first symptom. This will help determine treatment options.

Sten was lucky, but it wasn’t without determination and lots of work. The Hennepin Stroke Center and the Knapp Rehabilitation Center were a big part of his young life. Read Sten’s story.

Read Jessie’s story

December 5, 2017

Jessie Krone, a former patient at HCMC, is incredibly thankful for both of her children. her oldest child, Logan, is a healthy happy young man in his mid-teens. Her youngest, daughter Molli, came into the world last year giving Jessie and her family quite a scare. (more…)

Read Chris’s story

November 9, 2017

Chris Leatherdale has been through a lot, but you’d never know it if you met him. Chris was taken to HCMC after suffering burns while saving his horses that were trapped in a barn fire. After spending weeks in our burn unit, he became a patient at our Miland E. Knapp Rehabilitation Center, where patients take time recovering from trauma and begin the long process of rehabilitation. (more…)