Stroke turned dad’s world upside down

I found your two-page story on the future of stroke care in Saturday’s Herald to be bittersweet for me.

I will donate in memory of my dad, and also with the hope that the fundraising will continue to help others get the help they need to recover. My dad had a stroke Feb. 23, 2006. He got the buster drug, which I believe saved his life, but he was still left with paralysis on his dominant side.

I was fortunate to be able to spend every day of the last 10 months of his life with him. Like Rachel Skinner, my dad’s stroke turned our world upside down. I can understand the statement in the story — "Still one of the most deadly and debilitating medical crises of our time."

My dad went from being a very active man to needing assistance to get out of bed, literally, overnight. The late Dr. David Novak was exemplary in his care of my dad, but unfortunately the effects of his stroke were lasting. He didn’t want to live in a body that no longer worked for him.

Imagine going from playing tennis in the 55-Plus Games to needing help to stand up and take steps. He was scheduled to go to rehab early in the new year, when enough staff were back from holidays, but unfortunately he lost his battle on Christmas morning of 2006.

It wasn’t until his autopsy that we found out that he died from a large blood clot in one of his lungs, the result of being so sedentary because of the paralysis. I will always miss my dad and I remember him as the vibrant and strong man that he was before his stroke.

This article showed me that whether you’re 74 or 47, it can happen to you!