Father and Son Separated by Illness Reunited by Chance at Centralia Rehab Center

For many, a story of a father and son separated by major illnesses for more than a year being reunited when sent to the same rehabilitation center might seem like an extraordinary coincidence, a happy accident. 

For Leonard Anderson, it’s more than that.

“I guess we were meant to see each other again,” he said. 

Leonard Anderson, 57, and his father Ivar Anderson, 90, were each admitted to Prestige Post-Acute and Rehabilitation Center in Centralia about 15 months apart. During that time, due to medical privacy laws, Leonard had no idea where his father was. He wasn’t even sure his father was still alive. The situation was complicated by the fact that Leonard is legally blind and was dealing with his own serious medical conditions. 

“I should have listened to Mom when she said, ‘You can’t kill a Swede,’” he said. 

Ivar Anderson was admitted to Prestige in June 2016 to recover from the amputation of his right leg.

While the hospital that did the surgery had permission to give Leonard information about his dad’s condition, when Ivar was moved to the rehab center, the hospital couldn’t give out any further information due to medical privacy laws, Leonard said. 

For more than a year, Leonard had no clue where his father was, and he didn’t know where to turn to find him. He tried calling hospitals and nursing homes, with no luck. 

“We had no idea that Leonard was looking for his dad. We didn’t really even know Leonard existed,” said Toni Goins, admissions and marketing director for Prestige Post-Acute and Rehabilitation Center. 

Leonard said this week he didn’t believe his father knew how to get in touch with him either. He also said Ivar has some memory issues related to a head injury from a bad car accident. 

“It finally got to the point Leonard was checking the obituaries,” Goins said. 

Meanwhile, Leonard had his own share of serious medical problems. He broke his ankle, and due to diabetes and other complications, the injury failed to heal properly. He got an infection that eventually resulted in the amputation of a portion of his right leg. 

“It’s been five months since I was home,” he said. 

He was admitted to Prestige in October to finish recovering from his surgery.

Then, one day, Leonard heard a familiar voice across the therapy gym. 

“I was working on the parallel bars one night,” he said “I can’t see that much. I can see things but there’s no definition. Until he spoke, and it was kind of like a slap.”

After more than a year, the father and son were reunited.

Ivar Anderson, suffering from a bad cough this week, didn’t say much, but confirmed he was “surprised” to find his son in the same rehab center. 

“I was happy,” Leonard said. “This was definitely out of the blue and sideswiped by purple.”

Goins said Prestige’s staff was caught off-guard by the unexpected meeting of father and son and had to take several steps to ensure that the reunion was welcome on all sides. When they confirmed it was, Leonard and Ivar were brought together for good. 

Until Leonard was discharged this week, they visited each other regularly in the facility, talking about their days and their recovery.

It isn’t lost on Leonard that he and his father both ended up at Prestige after partial amputations of their right legs. 

“It’s not random,” he said. 

Earlier this week, Leonard was preparing to finally go home. He’s made significant progress in the two months he’s been at Prestige. 

“Today I was walking up and down the stairs,” he said. 

The Andersons’ story has a happy ending, but Goins said the situation is also a cautionary tale about making sure your affairs, records and family contacts are in order in preparation for major medical events. 

“So many people we admit here do not have power of attorney in place,” she said. “I even advise my own family to get that POA in place.”