A life reset: Documenting a single day in the life of a stroke survivor (my stepfather)
It is an unfortunate truth: The world is filled with far too many fatherless sons and daughters.
I joined this litany of lonely voices at an early age. And although I eventually had a stepfather, it only took a few decades before I became fatherless once again.
Everything our family knew changed suddenly about six-months ago. My stepfather’s unexpected stroke, early one Saturday morning, ended the peace and stability we’d created.
There were two strokes. Each one obliterated parts of his left brain — the analytical center. His eight-minute ambulance ride was followed by 11-days on life support within the intensive care unit.
As he faded in and out of life, numerous transient ischemic attacks (mini-strokes) terrorized his frontal lobe — eliminating most of his cognitive function.
“If he survives, there’s no telling what he will remember, and it is unlikely he will be able to lead a normal life moving forward,” was the doctors’ constant reminder.
Yet despite such a bleak prognosis, he survived.
A discharge from the ICU was followed by a two-month stint at stroke rehabilitation. He couldn’t remember our names or faces. A lifetime of memories erased…
