I had the opportunity to interview my Sunday school teacher who has had a stroke and is disabled. Over his lifetime he has accomplished many things, including a doctorate in theology, raced airplanes and his most satisfying accomplishment, being a Grandfather.
He had his stroke in 2013 and in the same year found out he had a blood clot in his leg and his kidneys completely failed. Needless to say he has had many challenges since then. “Stroke is the 5th leading cause of death in the US, with one person dying every 4 minutes as a result. For black people, stroke is the 3rd leading cause of death. Approximately 800,000 people have a stroke each year; about one every 40 seconds. Only heart disease, cancer, chronic lower respiratory diseases and accidents are more deadly.1-3 Strokes occur due to problems with the blood supply to the brain: either the blood supply is blocked or a blood vessel within the brain ruptures, causing brain tissue to die. A stroke is a medical emergency, and treatment must be sought as quickly as possible.” (medicalnewstoday.com)
The remarkable thing that I admire the most about my teacher is that he does not get mad or upset about his condition. Sometimes he gets frustrated that he cannot do as much as he would like and cannot read like he once did. He said that “God is
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He is basically paralyzed on his left side and has to use a cane to walk. He takes no medication for his stroke, but takes kidney dialysis three times a week and other medication for his kidneys and heart. “The one good side-effect of dialysis is that it cleans your blood so that I don’t have to take insulin for diabetes. As far as the kidney disease, the damage is done and I have to do dialysis to live. I do have heart problems and am forced to take meds for that.” He feels bad most of the time. “The dialysis has the side-effect of making me extremely tired and have low energy. I feel like I have the flu on the three days a week that I have
It was the beginning of February when my grandfather was going in to receive his second knee replacement. Being his second time, we were optimistic that the surgery would go well and that he would recover without any issues. My grandfather made it through surgery and accordingly, had to stay for observation. During this time everything appeared to be normal, and knowing that my grandfather hates to be in hospitals, wouldn’t have said otherwise. When he was finally discharged, we took him home and the next day he appeared to have a stroke. The left side of his face had drooped down and he began feeling numbness and tingling on both sides of his body. We immediately rushed him to the hospital and at first it was assumed it was a stroke, but as his illness progressed it was apparent it was not. The numbness soon led to the loss of muscle control beginning at his legs and rapidly spreading up. My grandfather was able to specifically describe what he was experiencing and the doctor was able to diagnose him with Guillain- Barré syndrome.
"Sarah, we need your help in the Ukraine this summer. Can I count on you?" This question changed my life profoundly. I was asked to be a counselor on JOLT, Jewish Oversees Leadership Program, an opportunity to interact with young campers in an impoverished country and positively influence their lives. Little did I realize that this experience would impact mine so greatly.
I admire the fact that my grandfather resumed a normal life-style after being released from the hospital two years after his accident. Not only did he get married, but he raised six children.
I have experienced firsthand the trials of a teenager living with a disability. Life is difficult, but I’ve learned if you stay positive and make good choices, things will invariably get better. I also plan to be a counselor each summer at the Youth Rally camp for those with bowel and/or bladder disorders, teaching them the importance of doing what they love and not letting their disability hold them
This past week, I had the honor of being invited by one of my seminary scholarship donors. This donor was a woman, probably in her eighties, who said that should I visit her at her place, a retirement lodging, in Lake Forest. I was given a ride to the place by the Director of Stewardship who works at my seminary, called Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. To my surprise, not only this senior woman was a professional artist, her art was exhibited at the same retirement place where she lived at. She took the time to narrate each story about her paintings, with specific mention of month, year and the event related to the paintings. One of her paintings showed her father hiking up a mountain. This painting was entitled “Guide Me Up High Rock
he was injured by a car crash which resulted in a very bad condition in his leg and lung,
Stroke survivors or anyone with chronic illness and health providers remain hopeful and “realistic” by counting on each other. The patients while being realistic about the outcome of their disease, stay hopeful that each of their health care providers will give them the appropriate care and will make sure that they can live with their disease in the best way possible.
These events have strengthened me mentally, spiritually, and educationally. Regardless of what occurs in life, at work or in school, I have the ability to overcome the obstacles and the strength of mind, a compassionate heart and the knowledge to succeed in any task I undertake.
My grandfather went into the hospital with the symptoms of a stroke on Saturday, December 13, 2003. He spent the first 4 days of his stay in a coma, induced by the doctors’ misdiagnosis of his condition. My grandfather had not had a stroke, in fact he had a condition in which his liver was overloaded with toxins and was shutting down. It was a problem he’d been suffering from for quite some time; however, none of his doctors had diagnosed his symptoms correctly. The sedative they gave him upon arrival in the emergency room only worsened his condition. Upon waking up, he had to be restrained to prevent him from removing his IVs and attempting to get out of bed. He improved steadily over the next few days, and we were expecting to have him home soon. Unfortunately, he was left unrestrained one evening and was able to remove his IV, catheter, and then climb out of bed. The nurses found him on the floor of his bathroom. How long he was there, we’ll never know, because the time the nurses told us he was found, we know is not correct. He was given another dose of a sedative which caused him to be extremely disoriented the following morning, yet his old self was still shining through.
Most I’ve met throughout my career and by helping them with what at a time in their life was very difficult. I had no idea what to do for a video, since my speech is affected by my disabilities, so in a search for the answer to the topic question, I sent out a mass text message. I was overwhelmed, humbled, and the video issue solved. I will read from those whose lives I have I touched through my job as a legal assistant and radio personality.
My grandfather's stroke affected his legs and his memory, which made it difficult for him to walk. My grandfather first used a cane, but his legs became too weak, so he tried a walker, but this lasted only a month. Not only could he not walk or take care of himself, but also he began to stay up at night and fall out of bed.
I’m doing great! God is moving, and I’m loving it ! The people here are so precious, and I feel very
I completed my long term rehabilitation rotation at the Baylor Institute for Rehabilitation (BIR) in Dallas. The patient that I was assigned to accompany was a 73-year-old Caucasian male. TK was transferred on March 9, 2010 from Medical City of Dallas Hospital following his craniotomy secondary to a Cerebral Vascular Accident (CVA) that occurred on February 28, 2010. He was also has a history of Hypertension (HTN). As I approached TK he was resting in bed with his head elevated watching TV. I asked the client if this would be an appropriate time to interview him. At first he was hesitant but after a few questions he became responsive during the rest of the interview process. TK was well groomed. Half of his hair had been shaved off with a c-shaped wound on his scalp. The hair he did have was brushed nicely to the side. His hygiene appearance showed he was clean shaven and wore a clean gown. When asked him if he knew why he was here at BIR and he stated because he had a stroke. During my observation it did not appear that his CVA had caused any damage to his cognitive skills however his motor skills were affected. TK has left sided weakness. I observed that it affected his muscles on his left side causing his head to turn to the right. The physical therapist (PT) would slowly turn his head and massage the contracted muscles, they would tape the muscle to prevent it from contracting for his head to stay center.
I spent most of my time in a first grade classroom. In this classroom I observed the children as well as the teacher and paraprofessional. This classroom had children with special needs and that is why there was a paraprofessional in the classroom for half the day. What I observed in this classroom was how children with special need should be handle and taught. The teachers in this room loves her job and each student in her class. While in the classroom the teacher allowed me to help with children with their work, read to them and help them with anything else that they needed. During this field experience I got to give back to not only a school, but to a community that is very near and dear to my heart. I hope that I touched each student in a special way, because the students that I got the opportunity to help learn touched my
I also had the privilege of helping with the Meals on Wheels non profit organization. My grandfather used to be a Meals on Wheels recipient and he would share with me how he enjoyed looking forward to their company and a hot meal daily. I volunteered because I wanted to give back and help someone else’s loved one in the same way. It was very rewarding delivering hot meals to people who didn’t have the means of getting one as well as being there for them to talk to. Overall, it was a very humbling experience, it made me realize just how blessed I am and how much I take for granted daily.