Wrestling for Words

Corey Dwenger came to HealthSource for therapy after a near fatal car accident last fall. A well-known and beloved local high school wrestling coach, Corey sustained a traumatic brain injury affecting the left side of his brain. He wasn’t expected to live. But he did!

“The first thing I remember when I woke up is I couldn’t talk,” Corey explains. While miraculously regaining his physical health, he was faced with the effects of a brain injury that impacts his language center for understanding and expressing communication. Corey demonstrates expressive aphasia. Despite knowing what he wants to say, his brain does not communicate smoothly to his mouth.

Corey turned to HealthSource for outpatient care because it’s close to home and offers the very care he needed, including both physical and speech therapy. HealthSource speech-language pathologists still work with Corey to help him express himself verbally. Corey believes their help has made a world of difference. And that is evident when he speaks to tell his story.

“I could do this by myself but it would be hard,” he says about regaining his speech. “I’m only 8 months since my accident. If I tried to recover on my own, I would be way behind where I am now.”

Corey’s therapy includes timed word recognition tests. A devoted father, he asks his daughters to help him practice and improve. He also uses paper and pen to write down words that won’t come out.

That drive to get better helped Corey return to a coaching role this past wrestling season. “As long as I’m living and getting better, breathing…and my kids are happy…then I’m good like that. HealthSource is the best place. I love being here. I couldn’t have done this on my own.”