Occupational Therapist Helps Stroke Survivor Achieve Dream Proposal to Girlfriend
After months of occupational therapy, a stroke survivor was able to propose to his girlfriend using his affected hand.
Last August, Carl Haydel, 59, was hit by a car, which resulted in a stroke. Four months later, he began working with FOX Rehabilitation’s Amanda Cable, 29, for on-site occupational therapy at the assisted living facility The Claiborne at Baton Rouge, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. During a therapy session in early February, Haydel walked in with a smirk on his face and a “secret mission.”
Haydel and his then-girlfriend, Rachel Dingle, had “informally” discussed marriage, but he wanted to make it a “formal thing.” The pair knew each other in high school in the ’80s, but didn’t reconnect until about a year ago. Despite being together for just a few months when Haydel’s accident happened, Dingle stuck by his side and has continuously supported him. So, he wanted his proposal to her to be extra special.
“I decided to really make it special with the help of Amanda,” Haydel tells PEOPLE.