The past five years of Sharon Riedel's life have been a roller coaster ride of health issues. Riedel, 67, of Wisconsin Rapids, suffered a stroke about five years ago. Then, in 2001, she underwent heart bypass surgery at Saint Joseph's Hospital. Last June, 2005, she suffered a second stroke. She is diabetic, and experiences neuropathy, a nerve disorder that causes pain and numbness in her hands. She also encounters periodic tremors in her hands, which she attributes to the neuropathy and her second stroke. Still, Riedel is able to take her maladies in stride, keeping a positive outlook on her future, and enjoying time with her son, two daughters, and grandchildren. "It's a miracle I'm still here," said Riedel.

After Riedel suffered her second stroke, she spent four days at Riverview Hospital in Wisconsin Rapids, and then was transferred to Saint Joseph's Hospital in Marshfield for her stroke rehabilitation.

It was her second time in stroke rehabilitation at Saint Joseph's. Once there, she spent three weeks rehabilitating and exercising, twice a day for 45 minutes, working on regaining her balance and her ability to function with her walker. "My balance was really bad, so I used a walker. Without it, I'd just fall over," she said. "They had me walk in a certain area within rehabilitation, practicing on a mini-stairway, using one side of the rail for support, then the other side."

She was also able to rehabilitate and strengthen her hands. "Because I'm diabetic and have neuropathy in my hands, I need to exercise them. Working with the walker helped keep my strength up and helped me relearn my balance," she said.

Riedel was impressed with the attention she received during her stint in rehabilitation. "I had four people helping me and they were terrific," she said, adding, "Their attitude and sense of humor was wonderful. All of the rehabilitation specialists knew when I was having a good day or a bad day, and we laughed a lot, but we also accomplished a lot. They were always in tune with how I was feeling. They have to be very special people to do this."

One of the rehab staff members had worked with Riedel previously when Riedel had visited Saint Joseph's rehabilitation following her heart attack. "They all are good. She and I got along famously both times. They have an excellent staff," said Riedel.

These days, Riedel works with her walker and "gets around the best she can." Her son lives with her and assists her, and her daughters also look after her, but her daily routine that she follows also keeps her going. She continues to exercise at home, strengthening her arm and hand muscles by holding and lifting vegetable or soup cans. "I just had a doctor appointment today," said Riedel. "The doctor said I need to keep eating right. It's not easy, let me tell you."

According to Riedel, her three granddaughters and one grandson also keep her moving forward. She continues to count her blessings with a smile.