WCPO reported that a stroke in Cincinnati this past June left nursing student Josh Hamant in a medically induced coma for three days and severely weakened the left side of his body, including causing facial drooping. His recovery has included working to regain basic movements such as walking, according to WCPO.
Before the stroke, Hamant was deep into Cincinnati State's nursing program and preparing for a career in intensive-care nursing, according to WCPO 9 Cincinnati. His recovery has unfolded alongside his effort to complete that education.
WCPO reported that the adjustment was difficult and that Hamant had to retrain his body to walk after losing so much control on one side. He has said he sees no option but to keep pushing forward, according to WCPO.
Relearning to Walk, One Rep at a Time
Central to that recovery has been the gym. Hamant trains at a Crunch Fitness location in Anderson Township with trainers Lisa Feldhaus and Dave Dickey as he works on strength and balance on his weakened side, as reported by WCPO. Dickey has emphasized the need to trust the rehabilitation process.
Cincinnati's Stroke-Care Network
The Cincinnati region includes hospitals offering different levels of emergency stroke care. According to UC Health, UC Medical Center holds The Joint Commission's highest level of stroke certification, while West Chester Hospital is certified as an Advanced Primary Stroke Center. According to TriHealth, its regional stroke program includes six accredited emergency departments across the tri-state area. Patients who need advanced care are transferred to Bethesda North Hospital or Good Samaritan Hospital.
Research published in MDPI in March 2025 examined a 12-week moderate-to-high intensity strength-training program for stroke survivors with hemiparesis, or one-sided weakness. The study provides broader rehabilitation context, but it does not establish Hamant's treatment plan or predict his recovery.
What Rehabilitation Research Shows
Current rehabilitation guidance emphasizes that repetitive practice should be tailored to a patient's abilities. According to the VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guideline for Management of Stroke Rehabilitation, some approaches use task-specific practice and frequent repetitions, while the recommendation applies only to patients with some movement in the affected limb. Together with the strength-training study cited above, the guidance supports individualized, structured rehabilitation without implying that the same regimen or outcome applies to every stroke survivor.
Back on Campus, Closer to the Finish Line
Hamant has returned to Cincinnati State, where he has now spent nearly three and a half years in the nursing program. He is set to graduate in December, and he has said he will keep fighting to finish nursing school despite everything the stroke took from him.
That determination matters because Cincinnati State's Bethesda School of Nursing is not an easy program to stay in, let alone finish while recovering from a major medical event. According to the college's own catalog guidelines, candidates must be active state-tested nurse aides or licensed practical nurses and maintain a minimum 2.75 cumulative GPA just to enter the clinical coursework sequence. The program's payoff is significant: Cincinnati State reports that Bethesda School of Nursing graduates posted a 90.6% pass rate on the NCLEX-RN exam for 2024–2025, ahead of both Ohio's 84.1% state average and the 86.7% national average, per a report from Cincinnati State.
A Rising Risk Among Younger Adults
Hamant's stroke, at an age when the condition is traditionally associated with older adults, fits a pattern researchers have been tracking nationally and locally. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in May 2024 that stroke prevalence among U.S. adults aged 18 to 44 rose by 14.6% between the 2011–2013 and 2020–2022 periods, driven partly by rising rates of high blood pressure and obesity. The broader trend has also drawn attention to stroke among younger Americans.
The CDC figures provide national context for Hamant's experience, but they do not establish the cause of his stroke or predict his recovery.
A Workforce That Needs Him
Ohio Labor Market Information maintains employment projections through 2032, including projected employment, annual openings, education requirements and median wages. Those data offer a framework for assessing the labor market Hamant may enter if he completes the program.
For now, Hamant's fight is measured in smaller victories: steps taken, strength regained, and coursework completed on a body that had to relearn how to do all of it. His stroke changed the shape of his path through nursing school, but according to his own account relayed through WCPO, it hasn't changed his determination to finish.
