AUSTIN, Texas —
An Austin man is using his experience recovering from a stroke to help others in the same position.
Phillip Engle is showing people firsthand what's possible after he was left wheelchair-bound from a stroke.
"I tell people I can do everything I could do before, I'm just not as fast," Engle said.
After going from not being able to walk to climbing a mountain in less than a year, he wants to inspire others.
Engle went to St. David's Rehabilitation Hospital at St. David's Medical Center to recover after his stroke in December 2021.
"I couldn't stand," he said. "I couldn't walk. I could barely use my right arm."
While he was there, he met another survivor in a group class who told him he had been exactly where Engle was just two weeks before.
"Here was a stroke patient that had been through almost exactly what I'd been through, and he walked out of rehabilitation," Engle said.
The man inspired him in a way he said his healthcare providers couldn't.
"Because they hadn't been through what I'd been through, and hearing from that patient, that small word of encouragement from that patient, that's what gave me the spark to really start my journey," Engle said. "I'm very passionate about doing everything I can to try to recreate that experience for someone else."
The man encouraged Engle to keep pushing to new heights in his recovery. When he first started, he had trouble with a simple ladder.
"I said, 'I can't do it.' And the therapist that was working with me said, 'No, you can't do it yet,'" Engle said.
But he kept at it and, less than a year after his stroke, he's back to climbing mountains like he did before. His first time climbing again since having the stroke was also the first time he went climbing with his children.
"It was such a sense of accomplishment for me, to be able to make that climb and do some of the things that I did before, even if I had to adapt the way I did it," he said.
One of his physical therapists, Kasey Kihlberg, said she's seen him make huge strides.
"It's a huge mental battle. You know, you have to really push yourself on the hard days," Kihlberg said.
Now, Engle wants to let others know they can follow in his footsteps. He takes part in St. David's Medical Center's Peer Mentoring program and gives presentations about his recovery.
"It's part of my therapy. It's the most important part of my therapy. It gives what happened to me purpose," Engle said.
It's something Kihlberg said other patients can benefit from.
"I can try to be as inspiring as I can, but I haven't been through that. And so, just being able to hear that someone who's been in your shoes and can talk about their journey [is important]" Kihlberg said.
Engle also created a social media site for stroke survivors to connect. It's called Yet, named after that moment where he told his therapist he couldn't do something.
When Engle had his initial stroke, he said he felt unbalanced and was having trouble speaking. Here are some other stroke warning signs to look out for, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If you are experiencing any of these things, call 911 and get help immediately.