RAHWAY — Dipa Patel was leading a full life. She was active, working six days a week on a full-time basis. She went out to dinner with friends, worked out at the gym and participated in Zomba classes.
Then, in March 2025, she fell from the top of the stairs down to the bottom. And her life changed.
“I never thought I’d be dealing with this,” said Patel. “I hit my head really badly.”
The 47-year-old occupational therapist from Rahway developed severe post-concussion symptoms including vision and balance problems, speech difficulties and sensory sensitivities that left her unable to work, drive or tolerate screens.
She couldn’t drive. She had to be in a dark, quiet room. She was going to therapy, but said she couldn’t handle it fully. “I couldn’t do life,” she said. “I had to scale back. I didn’t work for nearly two months.”
Patel began rehabilitation at Kessler Institute, where she used interactive BITS technology to rebuild her vision, cognitive and motor skills. With consistent therapy, she was able to return to work and do everyday activities. “Going to Kessler, working with occupational therapy, using the BITS machine, which is amazing… My eyes are not working properly yet. I didn’t have vision issues before but, in order for my eyes to function properly, I need glasses. I have to go to vision therapy.”
In addition to vision therapy, Patel is still going to occupational therapy and acupuncture. “Once you mess up your brain, other things happen with a brain injury,” she said.
Now Patel is on the better end of it, but not quite at a full recovery. “Closer to being normal,” she said. “Only recently getting back to life.”
If she works six days a week, she needs a full day of rest on a Sunday. “I’m in a better place now,” she said. “I don’t go to a lot of events. I don’t want a setback. I’m doing my best, moving forward. I’m still not where I want to be, considering where I was before. A brain injury takes so much time. Will I ever see normalcy again?”
Patel remains positive and said, “I count my blessings. I’m grateful I didn’t break my neck. It was like someone pushed me down the stairs. Lucky for me, I didn’t break my neck. I didn’t fall – I flew! Even a year later, I can still feel it.”
Her advice to prevent falls is to “slow down on the stairs.” She said, “It wasn’t even that I was going fast, I just lost my balance and went flying down the stairs. Listen to your body. When your body feels not well, listen to it. I am an example of a therapist who needs therapy.”
Photo Courtesy of Dipa Patel
