Quad City Quilter Thankful for Successful ORA Elbow Therapy Quilters have a saying, "A good friend is like a warm quilt wrapped around the heart." Just ask retired Moliner and lifelong quilter, Edith Borgel, 71, who feared she would lose her ability to stitch after shattering her elbow. "I have been quilting for more than 50 years and have quilted more than 460 quilts in my lifetime. My grandmother and mother quilted, and I began in my early '20s. I'm self-taught and it's a joyful passion to design and stitch them. I'm just constantly sewing and usually have two or three projects going at once." While many quilts are pieced together and then machine-quilted, Edith says she hand sews all her quilts, which can mean tens of thousands of stiches in her creations. It also means you are mostly likely to see Edith with a needle in her hand as she describes a typical day. "I can sew four or five hours at a time. I sew almost every day. I sew watching TV. I sewed ornaments for the kids. Sewing is my passion, and my hands are always busy!" However, like a quilt, life is a patchwork of joys and sorrows, and an accident nearly cost Edith her ability to sew and quilt. "I was standing on a stepstool hanging a clock when I lost my balance," Edith recalls. "I fell and used my right arm to brace the impact." The result was a shattered elbow. "I was very worried I would not be able to use my right arm." Edith turned to ORA Orthopedics' hand and wrist surgeon, Dr. Alan Edwards, who successfully reassembled her complex elbow fracture held together with a plate. After wearing a cast for 10 days, it was time for rehab which required dedication and persistence for both Edith and her ORA Occupational Therapist, Lindsey Gidel. "Edith had little to no mobility. She couldn't bend her arm enough to feed herself and perform other basic daily activities. "She told me she wanted to quilt again. Sewing is a fine motor skill. She couldn't bend her wrist or make a full fist due to the swelling. She couldn't grab a tool or cut long strips of material. "I told her to move that arm as often as you can." Lindsey says patients need a reason to keep motivated. "At one point she said her goal was to go out to dinner and cut a steak, and she did!" Lindsey explains occupational therapists (OT) specialize in restoring movement and function for daily life activities such as eating, lifting, and bathing. "For OT, our scope of practice is the from the shoulder down. We see the functional side of things, especially the elbow, wrist, and hand. Think about the daily activities you perform like jar twisting, dressing, any daily life movement we take for granted." She says Edith's "can-do attitude" made a big difference. "She talked a lot about quilting, and I just kept encouraging her to try, and over the last two to three months since her surgery, she has really progressed. "She can feed herself, bend her elbow, and lift more weight with the arm. And now that she can move her shoulder, her most recent goal was to rearrange her sewing room." "The rehab is worth it," adds Edith. "Lindsey is a very good therapist, and I have been glad to have her." When a quilter is grateful, chances are you may receive a very special gift in return. "She told me my hands were always cold, and then surprised me with my own quilt," smiles Lindsey. "Working with her reminds me of why I went to OT school, which was to make a difference and help people regain their passion for life." Especially when you take life one stitch at a time. Learn more and schedule your next appointment at qcora.com. Learn more and schedule your next appointment at qcora.com.