09/02/2026
Today, Bill and Janice Delsite celebrate 66 years of marriage. Bill, a former Penn State Health Rehabilitation Hospital patient, suffered a spinal cord injury at age 79, and there was a time when his family wasn’t sure the couple would see another anniversary.
In 2017, Bill fell at home. In the emergency room, he could only wiggle one toe. After surgery, he spent a month in intensive care, battling serious complications. But Bill has grit, and over the past nine years, he has continued to fight his way back from this devastating injury with the same faith, patience and determination that have always defined him.
Beside Bill every step of the way was Janice. As his caregiver, advocate and partner, this is Janice's story, too.
As Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month begins, the Delsite family is grateful for the caregivers who have been part of Bill's recovery, including the team at our rehabilitation hospital, many of whom are still here, still changing lives. Bill was a patient here twice: first for inpatient rehabilitation and later for a four-month stay in the day rehabilitation program.
The first time, the team helped him breathe on his own again, take his first sip of coffee and begin rebuilding strength in his weakened limbs. When Bill was discharged, he could stand. When he returned three months later, he could walk short distances.
An important focus in the day program was regaining fine motor skills so he could do more on his own, like hold a fork and brush his teeth. One of his family's favorite milestones came about seven months after his injury, when Bill was able to reach into a candy dish, grasp a piece of candy and bring it to his mouth. (His legendary sweet tooth made chocolate a powerful motivator in his recovery.)
At the time, Bill and Janice were staying with family, but their goal was for Bill to return home. Ten months after his injury, he did. Not long after that, his granddaughter held onto him as he gently shoveled snow from a sidewalk. It wasn't perfect, but he did it.
Today, Bill is 88 and Janice is 85. They are grateful to still have each other, to drink coffee on the porch swing, to go for ice cream and, on a good Sunday, to make it to church.
The night of Bill's injury, the surgeon told the family that recovery from a spinal cord injury is a marathon, not a sprint. That has proven true. Nearly a decade later, Bill continues to amaze those who know him with his determination and resilience.
The family shares this encouragement for anyone living with a spinal cord injury or supporting a loved one through recovery: Keep working hard. Keep trying. What you can't do today, you may be able to do tomorrow. Give yourself grace on the hard days. And while life may be different from what it once was, it can still be rich with the people and moments that matter most.
