Bill Hammer Stroke Recovery

Welcome to our dad’s, Bill Hammer’s, website. We are using it in order to keep updates for family and friends all in one place. We appreciate your support, words of hope, and encouragement. Thank you for visiting.

On Monday, March 12th, Dad woke up to a headache that he wrote off as a sinus headache. Tuesday morning, he went to the kitchen to have coffee with Mom. While having coffee, after spilling on himself, not understanding that his face was numb, he mumbled some nonsense. At this point Mom looked up to see the right side of Dad’s face drooping. She immediately knew something was wrong and took him to the emergency room to be evaluated. His initial CT came back negative, but an MRI confirmed Dad had a stroke in the left parietal lobe of his brain - the area that helps with speech and memory. He is currently undergoing inpatient rehab at St. Cloud Hospital. In his short stay, his speech, memory, and strength have improved tremendously. He is constantly joking with the rehab staff and everyone he meets. They’re hoping to release him after only five days of inpatient care - the minimum stay for stroke patients. He is making incredible strides in his recovery which is great news! However, he will have 3-6 months of outpatient rehab which is going to be a long road: he will not be able to drive and will have limited independence during this time.As many of you know, Dad’s dedication to his family included him being the sole financial provider. Being self-employed, he does not have access to any short or long term disability to help with the financial burden this puts on them. We are hopeful he will make a full recovery, but his future in optometry is not guaranteed at this point. We will all be adjusting to a “new normal” which will include roles being reversed: after getting settled at home, Mom will be going back to work while Dad focuses on recovery. 

We ask for your prayers during this time.This is going to be a long road for Dad and our family. He needs lots of positivity. Any support and prayers are very much appreciated.