Doug Rose's Recovery

On November 11, 2016, my dad, Doug Rose, called me to drive him to the hospital. Through a scared and slurred voice, he told me that he did not know what was happening to him but that his right arm and leg were very weak. In the emergency room, he was assessed for a stroke while his symptoms slowly dissipated. The cause of these symptoms was blamed on his extremely high blood pressure and he was kept overnight to manage it. However, when he woke up the next morning, he was paralyzed on his right side and spoke with a slur so thick that you could not understand him. Then, after 3 CT scans, an MRI, an EKG, an echocardiogram, and an ultrasound of his carotid arteries and of his kidneys, it was clear that he had had a stroke.

After 5 days in the Critical Care Unit, he has been relocated to a rehabilitation hospital. Here, he will work on his speech, activities of daily living, and movement. The only missing piece to the recovery is coping with what has happened. Nothing can prepare someone for such a devastating incident; no matter how many times you’ve thought to yourself that you need to make lifestyle changes, there is never a day that you will understand what it would feel like to experience these consequences. Now that he has begun to modify his outlook on the situation, we can all agree that he has a guardian angel. Stokes are known to be responsible for every fifth death in the United States. Doug has been gifted the opportunity to come out of this strong and to use the rest of his long life as a second chance. Whether this be a second chance with his health or a second chance to appreciate the value of life, we are grateful. Speaking for all his loved ones, we are very thankful that he has been gifted this opportunity for recovery. As of day 7 of recovery, he can lift his right leg a few inches and he still cannot move his arm. However, he is determined to work as hard as he can at the rehabilitation hospital so that he can walk out taller than before.

A secondary concern of this incident is his living expenses. Because his insurance will only allow him 60% of his pay while he is on leave, he has brought it to my attention that he will need a minimum of $2,000 a month to allow him to pay his bills. After consulting the rehabilitation hospital, he has accepted that he cannot work for 6 months. This is $12,000. Although it is unlike him to ask for help, I suggested that we send out updates on his progress, hopefully collecting donations along the way. We appreciate any support you all can give, whether it be through donations or inspirational and uplifting messages.

Thank you all for the important role you have played in my dad’s wonderful life and I hope that you will continue to stay close while he finds his way through to the other side of this trying time.