It was a night that Kathy Griess will never forget. Her husband, Daniel, came home from his evening shift as a BARTA bus driver and went to sleep. When she went to wake him, his speech was incomprehensible. She called 911, and her then 74-year old husband was admitted to the hospital after suffering a massive stroke on the left side of his brain, causing mobility and vision issues.
Kathy recalls the fear and the thoughts that raced through her head as she sat next to her husband of nearly 40 years. “Could we remain in our home? I’m visually impaired, so he is my eyes,” Kathy said. “It was very traumatic. It’s just the two of us.”
During his hospital stay, Daniel met with a nurse and speech therapist with Tower Health Home, a United Way agency partner, for evaluation, and upon discharge, speech therapy continued. Krista, the speech therapist, worked with Daniel on verbal comprehension and communication strategies.
While Daniel was recovering, the couple lost a beloved dog. To fill the void, Kathy adopted a golden doodle who had been abused. About seven weeks later, she had a litter of puppies, which lifted Daniel’s spirits, as well as served as an excellent conversation piece. “Krista encouraged him to talk about them as part of the therapy sessions,” explained Kathy. “She was a Godsend.”
Daniel’s neurologist later told Kathy only about 20% of people survive the type of stroke Daniel had, and it was even more unlikely he would talk again. “I didn’t expect Daniel would come this far in 18 months; he is now able to hold casual conversations. We are indebted to Krista and the agency’s tremendous support,” says Kathy. “We think Tower Health at Home is a wonderful thing.”
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