After Stroke, Retired Doctor Turns to Groundbreaking Treatment

In his years as a pediatric oncologist, Dr. Lawrence Ettinger had made a lot of tough diagnoses. But on one of his hardest days, it was his wife who recognized the symptoms.

“We were sitting at the table here in the kitchen, and I looked over and I noticed that his face, his mouth was a little droopy and his speech was a little slurred,” recalls Alice Ettinger. “And I said, ‘You’re having a stroke.’”

Unfortunately for Ettinger, his wife was right. Like her husband, she had a history in medicine and knew the signs. She had met Lawrence as a nurse practitioner years ago in New Jersey. The two had been long since retired and were making the most of their new life in Florida, taking long trips and visiting every continent together – even Antarctica, twice. They had just come back from a vacation to Canada, where Ettinger thrilled to the sight of polar bears and beluga whales in Hudson Bay. The day after they returned, he was in the emergency room.

Winding Road To Recovery

“The day I was hospitalized I had a little bit of weakness on the right side, and the next day it was much worse. I had some movement but not a lot,” said Ettinger. “It just got worse overnight.”

My mindset was not good, that’s for sure.- Dr. Lawrence Ettinger

Ettinger was told that his stroke was brought on by hypertension, and the aftermath had left him with tissue damage throughout the right side of his body ­– his dominant side. He was devastated, and he quickly began a grueling regimen of inpatient and then outpatient rehabilitation at Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital. And while he did see some improvement at first, Ettinger’s recovery hit a plateau after three hard years. He could lift his right arm with difficulty and walk with the help of a cane, but fine motor work was out of the question.

“My mindset was not good, that’s for sure,” recalls Ettinger.

Unexpected Breakthrough

The Ettingers were willing to try anything, and in 2024 they got a new reason to hope. Early in the year, Alice Ettinger read an article about a new therapy aid called Vivistim. It was an FDA-approved implant that could be activated while the patient exercises certain muscles. The Vivistim would then stimulate the vagus nerve.

“Vagal nerve stimulation is designed to stimulate the neurons in the brain to create new connections for it to help patients rehabilitate from areas of having a stroke,” explains Dr. Julia Pfaff, a board-certified otolaryngologist head and neck surgeon with Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital.

Ettinger underwent rigorous testing to even determine whether Vivistim would be a good fit for him. He had to demonstrate a minimum amount of motor function, and his hard work in therapy up to that point paid off. Ettinger was approved and headed to Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital for implant surgery.

After the surgery, it was up to occupational therapist Kristi Richardson to guide Ettinger through a new round of targeted therapy in conjunction with Vivistim. Ettinger practiced picking up objects and lifting his arm. With every motion, the Vivistim device sends its signals through the vagus nerve, helping his brain make new connections between the thought and the movement.

It was the first time either patient or therapist had worked with the device, but slowly, they both began to see the improvement the Ettingers had been hoping for.

“[Richardson] is remarkable,” Alice Ettinger said. “Not just her personality, which is terrific, but her knowledge and her ability to be creative. … It's pretty amazing because every time we go, we can watch the light bulb go on in her when she thinks of things we can do, that she can put together to help him try to do new tasks.”

Richardson praises Ettinger’s hard work.

“He believes in it and I believe in him, and overall he’s just been a great patient. Especially to be my first one with the Vivistim,” Richardson said.

Back on the High Seas

Ettinger’s recovery journey continues. Thanks to Vivistim, Richardson’s regimen and Ettinger’s own work ethic, he can lift his right arm more easily and even grasp objects with care – a task that would have been unimaginable only last year.

“Now he can reach lights and a faucet and wash himself with both hands instead of just one,” said Alice Ettinger. “He sets the table; he loads the dishwasher.”

But Ettinger isn’t just helping out with household chores. Thanks to his newfound mobility, he and his wife are once again able to enjoy their retirement the way they used to. They’ve been making up for lost time, traveling to the Mediterranean, Italy and Greece on cruises. In December, they plan to visit Australia and New Zealand.

The Ettingers plan to enjoy the world to the fullest in between therapy sessions, though they have made one concession: No more trips to Antarctica.

“It would be a little too cold for me,” Ettinger admits.