Craig Horton

Craig and Angela Horton have lived in Fort Collins for the last 50 years and have been married for the last 27. Craig is semi-retired, working as a consultant. The couple spends their free time traveling, doing yard work, walking, and going to the mountains, where they have a cabin. They also enjoy spending time with their two adult children.

Sitting in his front yard one day, Craig started to feel like his left fingers weren’t working. Angela knew the acronym FAST, used to remember the signs of a stroke: facial drooping, arm weakness, speech difficulty, and time). She immediately got Craig to the acute care hospital, where doctors confirmed that Craig had a hemorrhagic stroke and performed a craniotomy.

To regain his function and independence following his stroke, Craig transferred to Northern Colorado Rehabilitation Hospital. His mother had been at NCRH years ago and received great care, so he knew it was a good decision.

“It’s been wonderful, remarkable care!” Craig stated. “I love the personalized care the most. The nurses and PCTs know my story and care about my family members. I remember Alicia, the admission nurse, the first day I was here and the amount of time she gave my wife. It was amazing.”

“The therapy was incredible,” he continued. “Once I had my initial assessments, they got me going with intense therapy to reach my goal of walking. They used all kinds of equipment that helped me reach this goal, including the LiteGait system (a postural control device that creates a fall-free environment for the proper upright practice of walking and standing), parallel bars, a platform FWW and now a hemi walker.”

Craig also noted how important it was that Northern Colorado Rehabilitation Hospital had a nationally-recognized stroke program.

“It was great to be in experienced hands, knowing all the team had taken care of lots of stroke patients and are Joint Commission certified [for stroke].”

Craig and Angela appreciated that the therapy team performed a home assessment to determine his needs at home, which included a portable ramp and grab bars. This evalutation enabled the family to have everything installed before Craig’s return home.

“Best part of all, I made so many friends during my rehab stay!” Craig concluded with a smile.

After a long road to recovery, Craig returned home ecstatic to see his dogs, sleep in his own bed, and eat his wife’s delicious home-cooked meals!