11/19/2025
From a ribbon-cutting and grand opening to our first anniversary, our first patient at Mercy Health — Rehabilitation Hospital, Mark Kovac, shares his journey.
Mark has always been a very active person. He and Lisa have worked out regularly all of their lives. So, when Mark experienced an unfortunate accident, it significantly altered their routine. Mark initially experienced a neck injury from a fall, resulting in an incomplete spinal cord injury. Losing use of functions that we all take for granted each day. Mark is a fighter, and he and Lisa have maintained positive attitudes toward the future, as well as asking for many healing prayers.
Mark was in various therapy programs throughout his recovery, his first and most important one being at Mercy Health — St. Elizabeth's. The new rehabilitation hospital had the opportunity to accept 20 new patients to pass an audit and receive licensure. The clinical team was familiar with Mark and his rehabilitation journey, and they recommended him as our first patient at Mercy Health — Rehabilitation Hospital.
Mark and Lisa arrived on the morning of November 19, 2024, and Mark was able to cut the grand opening ribbon, marking the beginning of what would become a valuable resource with positive outcomes for the community.
On his first day in the gym, Mark commented that all the state-of-the-art equipment would have helped him make gains faster if it had been available to him at the beginning of his therapy journey. Mark was able to utilize the equipment to progress his recovery, and the new equipment revealed some deficits he had not been aware of. Renee, in physical therapy, was able to work with Mark on depth perception needs, thanks to the sensory station. The equipment measures 10 different visual and sensorimotor skills. He also utilized the robotic arm to help improve his finger dexterity and strength, as well as to work on obstacle course exercises to enhance his ambulation skills. Additionally, he was given new exercises to take home and continue working on to make further progress. The staff educated him on how to make compromises and achieve his goals through alternative paths. Mark was able to utilize the rehab admission opportunity to develop his abilities further and make progress on his recovery during his brief stay at our brand-new hospital.
Mark is very active and has his high school football coach right by his side, working out with him most Saturdays for three hours at a time while Mark continues to recuperate. Mark and Lisa also exercise four times per week, keeping them very active and ready to overcome the next hurdle. Through his regimen over the past year, Mark has been able to add more muscle mass, increase his daily stamina and continue to refine his expectations to meet his personal goals, all while maintaining his positive results.
Lisa and Mark are a team that can tackle any obstacle together and keep moving forward. They have been blessed with three children, whom they are very close to and cherish the family time they spend together. Mark enjoys spending time with his family, including his adult children, as well as friends, new and old, a good meal and watching the Steelers play. He can now use his riding lawn mower, operate a car and complete routine daily tasks. He has since returned to his full-time job as an insurance adjuster, a position he has held for 31 years.
Mark says each time he goes up the steps, he hears our Director of Therapy Service, Dan Dray’s voice in his head,” Extend your leg all the way up before you attempt to take the next step”. Mark has made many friends along his recovery journey, and with the support of those friends, he has made incredible progress.
Recovery is a mindset and hard work, but the rewards are worth the effort to get back to the life you want to live.
Mark said he would recommend anyone needing rehabilitation to choose Mercy Health — Rehabilitation Hospital for the care, resources and professional guidance they provide to help patients return home.
