My Stroke Survival, And Recovery.

On Friday, in June 2021 I suffered a “Mild” Stroke while meeting in my home with Sam Guillen, the Window Specialist from Home Depot. I was overcome by the inability to control my right hand and finally slumped over in the dining chair in which I was sitting. I share Sam’s name here because without him I would have been in a very dire, possibly

life-threatening, situation.

Fortunately, Sam immediately held me in the chair while using two cell phones - one to 911 and the other to my wife. He instinctively knew what to do. And, without panic or undue excitement. The result was the paramedics and EMTs were in my kitchen within 10 minutes.

I was in the ambulance and arrived at the Kaiser Roseville, CA Emergency Room within 25 minutes. Sam was the first of my many blessings, in this life-changing event.

The Kaiser Emergency staff began to urgently administer to me in the hallway of the ER.

I was immediately surrounded by what I recognized as the medical response team. This included the head nurse, a Neuro Physician at my shoulder conversing simultaneously with me, and another Neuro Specialist on the video monitor at the foot of my gurney. At first, and because I was fully lucid and keenly aware of my surroundings, it was hoped that Stroke experience had been a transient ischemic attack, commonly referred to as a TIA. But, I was very quickly given a CAT scan and an MRI, which found the location of the damage in my brain which I had already suffered in less than an hour. It was at that point the team judged that I be admitted to the hospital as soon as a bed could be secured. Hence, my first night at Kaiser Roseville was in an ER “room”. It was early in that first evening that I was visited by a male clinician of middle years. He was very pessimistic about my short-term and long-term future as a Stroke Survivor. I was immediately depressed and spent a sleepless night reflecting on my Stroke Recovery prospects as a Stroke Survivor.

Alone, awake, and depressed in the ER the whole night before I was admitted to the Kaiser Acute Care Unit to begin my Stroke Treatment.

Alone, awake, and depressed in the ER the whole night before I was

admitted to the Kaiser Acute Care Unit to begin my Stroke Treatment.

Early the next morning after being transferred to my regular hospital room, I was visited by a woman physician who asked the obligatory “How are you doing ?”. I shared with her my grave disappointment with the predictions of “ Dr. Doom” during his visit the night before. She very confidently said “ I don’t know who this person was, but let me tell you where you are in your stroke recovery, and what the real prospects are for what could potentially be a full, or at least nearly full stroke recovery. My hopes and aspirations were immediately inflated to a full 100%. She carefully laid out what was going to be happening almost immediately, who was going to participate in my initial medical treatment and therapies; and the beginnings of my long rehabilitation. This was my introduction to the Stroke Team approach to treatment and rehabilitation. After she left I was impressed by the attentive and compassionate attentions of my Nursing and Stroke Rehabilitation Staff. This was as reassuring as my visit by the Lady Doctor that first morning of my Stroke Recovery.

In the Kaiser Stroke / Telemetry Unit, eager to begin my Stroke Recovery.

In the Kaiser Stroke / Telemetry Unit, eager to begin my Stroke Recovery.