Myra's Story

          In an instant my whole life came crumbling down around me. What is a brainstem stroke? What damage would it cause?

          Lisa and I were showed where to wait while they got Perry settled in ICU. We waited forever without any answers. Pat Haymond showed up to be with us, despite the trauma she was going through herself. We prayed together and I could hear the words yet felt so alone. I have never been so scared in all my life.

          The waiting room was filling up with concerned people, yet I had no answers. Finally, after what seemed like forever Perry's sister Judy and I were allowed to go in. My heart was slowly breaking seeing him lying there. By now he was struggling to breathe so hard his entire body was coming off the bed. The nurse told me that he couldn't continue to breathe like that. His oxygen levels would drop and they would put him on a vent. I was concerned, we had talked about not using life support to keep us alive. I prayed so hard that I wouldn't have to make that decision. I waited all night for them to come and ask me to sign the papers. They never came, I didn't know anymore now than I had the night before.

          Around, noon they came and got me. They were going to put him on the vent not because his level dropped, but to give his body a rest. God had answered my prayers, he breathed above the machine the whole time.

          It was later that evening by the time the doctor came in with the MRI results. He had a brainstem stroke in his Pons area. The worst type of stroke possible, he probably wouldn't live. If he did live he would never be able to move or talk. It had not affected his brain so it was OK. It had blocked the path of all the messages his brains was sending to his body. He wouldn't be able to breathe on his own, his kidneys could shut down, and his bowels would die.

          I had to tell my children, how do you do something like that? Needless to say they both fell apart. Perry was a wonderful father, a cool dad that all the other kids loved. Bekah had to be taken out of the room. Drew asked if he could be alone with his dad. He was in there forever, when he came out he said don't worry mom he'll be OK.          

          The next morning he was weaned off the vent. He was breathing on his own. I asked God to give us a miracle. To please heal him, if it be the ultimate healing then that was OK. I didn't want to lose him although, I knew he wouldn't want to live like that. He had a heavenly home waiting for him. I wanted the Lord's will. Perry had been a faithful servant of His for years and I knew He would take care of him.

          I was told he would get pneumonia, all patients with his type stroke do. Well, God took care of him and he never got it. He did have some bleeding and they couldn't find it. After tests they found it in his colon. Dr. Gaing told me he would bleed to death if they couldn't get to it. Once again God took care of him, they got to the bleeding and stopped it.

          After almost three weeks in the ICU a decision had to be made. Where was he going to go, they asked me about long-term care? NO!! I would not have it. God had brought him this far and he wouldn't let him down now. Dr. Bajoreck came into the picture; he had done some study on this and found him a pulmonary hospital in Louisville. They did therapy and it would give us a chance to see if he would recover enough for rehab.

          Well, Praise God, He took care of him and me again. Grandma Jean was there for me to stay with and take care of me. The nurses were wonderful to Perry. After much complaining and griping, they called in a neurologist named Keri Remmell from the U of L. She truly was sent from God. She wrote orders for Perry to have immediate intense therapy. Almost as soon as they started working with him he started responding. He could communicate with me with an alphabet board. He blinked once for yes, and twice for no. He started moving his forefinger on his right hand. It seemed that within days they were getting slight movement from all four limbs. They started working with him setting up. They would put him in a chair that stood him up for an hour a day. To get into rehab you had to be able to withstand 3 hours of therapy. They were wonderful and worked really hard and got him to that point. We had fought against the insurance co. for weeks to keep him out of a nursing home. God answered our prayers again. We had been accepted into HeathSouth in Huntington WV, with the help of a dear friend Homer Fowler. After six weeks in Louisville we were going close to home.

Perry made the final decision, but was still a little scared of a new therapist.

          God truly was working in our lives. HealthSouth is a wonderful facility and after four months there Perry went home. He was in an electric chair and feeding himself. We both were very nervous, but God has helped us through each day.

          PRAISE GOD!!!! He has given us a miracle. Perry is walking with help on a walker and has full use of his right arm. The left arm is moving slow, but moving. He can eat almost anything he wants. He can talk some and is improving slowly. The goal they have set for him is to walk with a walker with min. assistance by June. This week they told him he was ahead of schedule.

          Isn't God and Awesome God. In research we found out that only one in a million ever recover from this stroke. What a miracle working God we serve.