“Hopkins is True Blue”

Outstanding care for stroke recovery inspires couple’s gift to Johns Hopkins Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

When Anthony “Tony” Roussos and his wife Laura walked through the halls of the Johns Hopkins Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Bayview Medical Center in late May, they were met with hugs, smiles, and cheers. A year earlier, Tony spent more than a month in the comprehensive inpatient rehabilitation unit as he recovered from a stroke.

“It brought back a lot of memories. They were committed to my recovery,” Tony shares, referring to his care team.

In January 2024, Tony suffered a stroke in his Anne Arundel County, Maryland, home. Once stabilized at a local hospital, he was transferred to Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center for his rehabilitation. His days at Bayview consisted of physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, recreation therapy, and rehabilitation treatments to restore his body’s mobility.

To show their gratitude, the Roussos are supporting the comprehensive inpatient rehabilitation unit at Bayview through a three-year pledge — the first gift of its kind to the program. The Roussos underscore that they want to help other patients in their recovery and the program’s ability to continue to provide high-quality patient care.

Part of the Roussos’ gift has gone toward a set of custom-built steps and fiberoptic endoscopic scopes, says Jennifer Moody, rehabilitation services manager at Bayview. She explains that the fiberoptic endoscopic scopes not only expedite the team’s ability to assess a patient’s swallowing function, but they also allow the team to provide advanced treatment approaches.

“The gift from Tony and Laura has been absolutely remarkable. We are honored,” says Moody. “We pride ourselves in our work and in the care we provide to our patients.”

Tony faced frustrations throughout his rehabilitation, but he praises his therapists for pushing him forward. Laura saw Tony’s advancements firsthand, stating he had sessions three to four hours a day, six days a week.

“As challenging as it was, the therapists made it better for him,” says Laura. “They made him laugh. They lifted his spirits.”

One of the most challenging aspects of Tony’s recovery was re-learning how to pick up items.

“It was the hardest for him,” says Laura.

“I thought, ‘How the heck can I not pick something up?”’ recalls Tony. “My care team never let up on me. Whether it was taking stuff off the table and putting it in the freezer, being on the treadmill, or walking up and down the steps, they busted my tail and motivated me.”

All that work led to the reward: “I started to feel normal,” says Tony, who then began inspiring others in the rehabilitation unit. “No matter how old you are, when you’re sick, you’re sick. Every one of those people needed motivation; encouragement goes a long way.”

Months later, Tony’s care team is still celebrating his successes. Tony’s speech language pathologist Denis Kotsoev demonstrated how the fiberoptic endoscopic scopes works and discussed the benefits of the instrument during their May visit.

“It has been a clinically fulfilling experience watching Mr. Roussos progress and succeed in therapy, seeing him come to the realization that he is the one doing all the work and holding himself accountable for his own recovery, since us therapists are only facilitators,” says Kotsoev.

The investment in care from Johns Hopkins Medicine is personal for the Roussos. They emphasize how different areas across Hopkins have touched their family members who have healed from different diagnoses — including the Wilmer Eye Institute, who saved their son’s eyesight as a young boy. It’s why they have also supported the Heart and Vascular Institute and the Kennedy Krieger Institute, which collaborates with Johns Hopkins.

“When you visit your loved ones who are sick, you’re scared to death and nervous. The doctors, nurses, and staff at Johns Hopkins calm that part of you down,” says Laura. “They put a smile on your face.”

Tony echoes the sentiment. “If I was going to get better, I knew I had to be at Bayview,” he says. “To reconnect with my therapists who helped me recover has been overwhelming and wonderful. Hopkins is true blue.”