By, Allison R. Weder
“Phoenix has given me much more than my voice.” – Darnelle, Cornersburg, OH Patient
Darnelle Clark’s health journey has been a long one. She first experienced COVID in 2020, but the second bout brought more serious complications. Fluid built up around her lungs, and she struggled to move enough air through her vocal cords. Over time, she lost the ability to speak and developed swallowing difficulties that affected her nutrition and day-to-day life. Darnelle looks back on the long road that led to a solution. “After multiple appointments, going to ENTs, pulmonary specialists, and a plethora of other specialists, it was finally recommended that we give speech therapy a try even after multiple procedures.”
Darnelle discovered Phoenix Physical Therapy – Cornersburg in Youngstown, Ohio. She describes Phoenix PT and Speech Therapist, Kim Kivlighan, MS, CC/SLP as a blessing in disguise because the location she initially expected to attend did not offer speech-language pathology services. What first felt like disappointment became the doorway to the care she needed.
Darnelle remembers the first appointment with Kim. “I was su
rprised by her knowledge and her thoroughness of explaining the ins and outs of why I was there, what we would be working on, why we would be working on certain things. She made sure that all my questions were answered.” Kim also reviewed her history, listened to Darnelle’s perspective, established a baseline, and helped her understand that her progress should not be measured against a typical patient or anyone else’s journey.
The therapy sessions that followed were highly personalized because Darnelle’s breathing challenges affected what she could safely do. Kim included manual work and massage around the neck to loosen muscles and tissue connected to the vocal cords. She asked Darnelle to perform breathing exercises to improve air movement and control. She worked on humming, raspberries, tongue twisters, phrasing and sentence work, head and neck exercises, and blowing bubbles through a straw.
Progress did not always look like a dramatic return of Darnelle’s voice. Darnelle is quick to point out that many victories were small, measurable, and meaningful inside the therapy room. “On the outside, it would seem that I’m not making progress because someone would just be looking to hear my voice. But Kim and I would know what progress would look like each day. We know the number of reps I was able to do, or I would always give her an honest scale and how I would be feeling after every exercise.” Kim even helped Darnelle see progress before Darnelle could recognize it herself. When Darnelle became discouraged or wanted to push too hard, Kim used concrete data and reminders from previous sessions to show her how far she had come. “She always had to remind me that I was a champion every single day, just showing up. She reminded me showing up says a lot about you and a lot of people wouldn’t keep coming back after the things that I was going through.”
Kim was not the only person Darnelle encountered during her time at Phoenix PT-Cornersburg. “The front desk staff is extremely friendly, and anytime we wanted to schedule, they got me in right away. Even when I needed to cancel, they were always willing to accommodate us. And I also love too, that they gave printouts, and they made sure that we were on top of it. I love too, that you also got a text message to confirm your appointment.”
Darnelle would encourage future patients to keep an open mind, take the first step through the door, and give therapy a chance. “Show yourself grace and understanding. Healing will not be linear. Sometimes you take a couple steps forward and then you might hit a hurdle or a plateau and then it seems like all your efforts are in vain but that’s not true.” Her best advice? “Compare yourself to yourself. Compare yourself to where you were yesterday.”
Darnelle and Kim worked together for 16 months. During that time, Darnelle found more than treatment for her voice. She found a clinician who believed in her, adjusted therapy to her complex needs, and helped her connect recovery to the future she was fighting for. “I just think that she’s so phenomenal in what she does. She really is an asset to this field and again she’s just more than just a speech and language pathologist. She’s been a motivator, a cheerleader, a support system, a safe place.”
Regaining her voice mattered because it is tied to her latest goal. “I am enrolled in a clinical mental health program and so my goal is to be a mental health clinician. I would love to serve the community, and I would love to be an advocate, educator and supporter for those who are going through a rough journey. I just think it’s full circle, and hopefully I can help those hold on to hope where they’re not able to hold on to hope for themselves.” Kim is proud of what they accomplished as a team. “Watching (Darnelle) overcome such significant challenges and regain her independence has been incredibly rewarding! Her determination, combined with the impact of speech therapy, has truly changed the course of her life!”