CLEVELAND — More than 795,000 Americans experience a stroke each year, with nearly half of survivors living with physical disabilities. For decades, rehabilitation has been the only option for recovery, but a new FDA-approved surgical procedure is offering hope to stroke survivors who have exhausted traditional therapy options.
Tommy Fello, owner of Tommy’s restaurant in Coventry, became the first patient in Ohio to receive the vagus nerve stimulator (VNS) implant at Cleveland Clinic after suffering a stroke on Christmas Day 2023. The stroke caused the left side of his body to be paralyzed, forcing him to rely on his family and 65 employees to keep his 53-year-old restaurant running.
“I was scared out of my mind,” Fello said, describing the moment he realized he couldn’t move his left arm or leg. “When you have a business, you have a responsibility to all these people that work for you.”…