Just produced are 5 videos answering 5 questions about Stroke and my new website,Thriving survivor.
The Stroke
February 10th, 2001 just before 8:30 am Jim Pettitt put his last
cigarette out. Finished his donut and with coffee in hand'
walked across the street to work. As he removed his winter
coat he felt "funny" so he sat downat the receptionist desk.
Members of the staff were just saying hello when he became
a statue. Frozen, no muscle would move. Eyes wouldn't move
or blink. Thoughts raced through his head. There was no pain.
The staff called 9-1-1 and Jim was taken to the local hospital
where test results came back to confirm what he already knew.
He'd had a stroke at the age of 46, just like his father at 47.
The clot-busting drug TPa was given within the 3-hour time
limit allowed. Not long after that Jim was sitting up talking
with family and friends. A personal disaster was averted.
A few hours later Jim had his 2nd stroke. This time it was
in slow motion. Minute by minute feelings and abilities were
draining away. Speech came to a halt. A paralysis down
the left side was setting in. Communication was down to
printing with a pencil in his right hand. Jim's left-handed.
Around midnight his best friend cornered the doctor and asked
what to expect from Jim in the next couple of weeks. The doctor
told him he didn't expect the patient to live overnight.
Sometime during that night, as the last of his communicates
skills drained away, he scrawled one word. It was tiny, shaky
printing that his wife discovered in the morning.
The last four letters he'd recognize for quite so time were
" Help".
Over the next 3 days the depression was overwhelming.
Usually the thought would be to ask "Why Me?" Jim never
asked that question. He knew what it was and why he got it.
Strokes run in families and he was just continuing the tradition.
Having been a caregiver for his father for 23 years is all he
could think about. The thought of going through the 10 year
depression he watched his father have, sent him into a tail spin.
Life was over or was it?
Ten years after his stroke' Jim's father changed suddenly.
After all that time waiting for the White Knight of good health
\to show up, he'd had enough. Time to start exercising instead
of cultivating bed sores while watching TV. Go for walks
and meet new people to replace the friends who no longer
came calling. This change put humour back in his life.
He was reversing the damage caused by the stroke.
This is what Jim realized on the 4th day of his stroke.
It saved his life and put the smile back on his face.
The side of his face that still worked.
