LINCOLN, Neb. (KMTV) -- Lee Parish began staying at the Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital in January, after suffering a stroke during surgery in September.
He lost feeling on the right side of his body, has difficulty speaking, and suffers from double vision.
Parish has spent six months away from his family in South Dakota, working to get better. He cites them as his biggest reason to recover.
"So I don't have to be in a wheelchair all the time,” said Parish, “and I can go out and do fun stuff with my kids.”
With the help of therapy, his vision has drastically improved.
Among the newer technology at Madonna is a Sanet Vision Integrator which helps redevelop hand, eye coordination and visual tracking.
"It can be frustrating, “said Kayla Hoge, an occupational therapist at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital. “It's not a quick progression for anyone.”
Hoge said the therapists like to make things fun for the patients to help ease the stress from difficult therapy sessions.
The long process has not slowed Parish's drive to recover.
"At first you're learning how to crawl, then you start to learn the walking process, and then... it turns out, you can run again,” Parish said.