As we drove up the little street to where Marcus Kelley lives with his aged mother, after meandering through the asphalt maze of Chicago’s West Side, we were surprised by the idyllic quiet of the alley with its old oak trees and rows of neat red-brick stone houses.

I had spoken to Kelley before our arrival in Chicago, asking whether he would be okay to sit in the wheelchair when we arrived. Even in those first few minutes of our online acquaintance, I was impressed by his personality.

Shot by a stranger and bedridden for more than four years, I would most likely be consumed by a bitter sense of injustice, seeking revenge or something similar. Marcus Kelley showed no such sign. He radiated a serene calmness and a friendliness that was immediately palpable. 

The only moment when Kelley was overcome with emotion was when he was talking about his 80-year-old mother. “She should be in her twilight years, enjoying her life, but instead, she’s spending it caring for me in ways no parent expects. It doesn’t have to be this way, and I want to change that for both of us,” Kelley said, with tears running down his cheeks. 

911

It was in February 2021, when his life changed abruptly. As a rideshare driver, he got into an argument with a 15-year-old passenger, who shot him upon exiting the car. Kelley immediately realized that he could no longer move his body, only able to use his hands, with which he dialed 911.

Emergency responders rushed him to the hospital, where doctors stopped the bleeding but not the damage caused by the bullet. He recalls the moment when a doctor asked if he could feel anything below his waist. When Marcus said no, the doctor replied, “We can’t remove the bullet. Get used to it.”

The months that followed in the hospital were just as bad. After developing a severe pressure sore, which was only brought to his attention two days before his discharge, he was sent home to treat it with only a gauze. 

Had it not been for a nurse friend, who noticed a foul smell when she visited him at home, he could have died from an infection. The friend sent Kelley to Rush, where they not only treated his wound but discovered blood clots that had gone undiagnosed.

The care he received at Rush was worlds apart from what he got in the first hospital. Now, he also receives the personalized support he needs. Among other things, Rush helped him obtain a motorized wheelchair.

“When I first entered the healthcare system after being shot, it was a cold experience. They told me, ‘Here’s a wheelchair. Get used to it.’ But with Rush, it’s been night and day. They’ve given me hope and the tools to regain some sort of freedom.”

Homecare

Luckily for Kelley, he was also included in the hospital’s homecare program, which was launched in 2018 and provides primary care services to patients who are homebound or have complex healthcare needs. 

Since its inception, RUSH@Home has served more than 200 patients, including Kelley, who has found hope of regaining a sense of independence. As part of the home-based primary care program, Kelley now receives regular visits from his care team and has an entire team at Rush providing background support to him and other program members. 

During a meeting at Rush, both medical and social care providers discussed his ongoing needs, including regular urinary tube exchanges and home health services for his mother. “The Rush program is amazing,” Kelley said. “They come out, do assessments, and help manage infections and provide care to my mother. It’s made everything so much easier for me compared to my constant trips to the hospital and especially the experience I had in the first hospital.”

Kelley feels the dedication from the team. “With Rush, it’s not just a job for them,” he said. “It feels like they genuinely want to help you. They even recommended that I switch to a motorized wheelchair because the manual one would hurt me more in the long run.”

Social responsibility

For Rush social worker Therese Byrne, her job is a life force. “I’ve been very fortunate to grow up in a family with resources, and my parents always reminded us that this was pure luck,” she said. “They taught us we have a responsibility to give back.”

While she is aware that many people in the community have a hard time getting help, she is especially proud of the work done by community health workers such as Quintonele “Q” Allen, who visits Kelley on a regular basis and has become like a friend to him. “Our patients often struggle to get their basic needs met, and the work community health workers like Q do is crucial in filling those gaps,” Byrne said.

The friendliness is genuine. When Allen arrives at Marcus Kelley’s home, they always find time for a bit of chitchat. But their key focus is on the tasks at hand and what is needed for Kelley to start getting the physiotherapy that will enable him to perform most of his daily tasks independently.

Pokémon chase

For Marcus, autonomy is the goal. He is determined to lessen the burden on his aging mother, who has become his primary caregiver. “Right now, we're on the right path with physical and occupational therapy. My main goal is to regain as much independence as possible, despite my limitations,” he said.

His sense of what can be achieved is realistic. “I just want to make the most of what I can do – whether it’s getting in and out of my chair, going to the bathroom, or brushing my teeth. Once I can handle those basics, I’ll be able to take better care of myself.”

Today, Marcus spends most of his time with his mother and has few other contacts. “Ultimately, I want to be able to get back into my chair and go out into the world without depending on someone 24/7. That’s what I’m striving for.”

In the meantime, Kelley trains his fingers and arms by playing Pokémon on his iPhone. While he is now chasing the cute monsters digitally, he hopes to one day go out and chase them outside as hundreds of thousands of Pokémon fans do all over the world. 

For him, it would be a huge step back to a halfway normal life. Considering what he had to go through, his restored freedom will be a testament to the dedication of Rush and David Ansell to doing as much as possible to help patients in need and allowing them to live the lives they deserve.