Mason Villegas was 17 years old when he suffered a brain bleed during surgery at a Texas hospital. He woke up paralyzed on his left side with peripheral vision damage.

His healing and resilience serves as an inspiration to those striving toward their own stroke recovery.

Following his surgery, Mason was transferred to St. Luke’s Health – Brazosport Hospital, where he spent two months as an inpatient in the Rehabilitation Unit. He was understandably depressed but determined to regain movement so he could get back to school.

“At the time, I just wanted to get back to a normal life so I could enjoy my senior year,” Mason recalled.

He was in the right place. St. Luke's – Brazosport Rehabilitation Services helps patients achieve the highest level of function following a stroke, with expert care provided by physical, occupational, and speech therapy professionals, registered nurses, and exercise physiologists.

In 2024, St. Luke’s Health –Brazosport Hospital received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® - Stroke Gold Plus quality achievement award for its commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines, ultimately leading to more lives saved and reduced disability.

“I was just grateful that Rehab could get me to where I could walk again and get mobility back in my hand,” Mason said.

He finished his senior year and overcame his left-sided paralysis, able to walk unassisted at his high school graduation.

Fast forward to today – Mason is now 34 years old and a professional trainer with his own business. He is under the care of Dr. Lyndon Barnwell, neurologist at St. Luke’s Health – Brazosport Hospital.

“I want to be able to help other stroke survivors so that they can see I can relate to them and hopefully inspire them to not give up,” he said. “Stroke is something that nobody thinks they'll have, but you can overcome it.”