Stroke at 37, help Warren heal and recover

In August Warren Smith was living life normally in Winnipeg, feeling fine, and playing his favourite sport baseball. He was just getting ready to head back to work as an EA with the start with the start of the school year. The next thing he knew he started suffering strange symptoms and life turned upside down.

 

Going to bed one evening he started feeling dizzy and like he was losing equilibrium and he fell down. The next morning he fell again, all of a sudden he started losing feeling and movement in his hand. He fell again later in the day but tried to push himself up and couldn't get up, he had completely lost strength and mobility in his arms. He knew something was wrong. Friends took him to the Grace hospital on August 23rd they did an EKG and sent him home telling him he had just had a panic attack. For the next few days he was still experiencing bouts of paralysis, tightness of breath, headaches, equilibrium issues and struggling to walk. Symptoms worsened by the 28th of August and he had to be taken to the hospital again. Going into the hospital he fell and was taken into emergency and was taken for a CT and told he had in fact suffered a stroke at 37 years old.

 

He was then transported to HSC to emergency where he stayed from the 28th- 30th. He was then put into isolation for 5 days being tested for Tuberculosis. During this time he was not allowed to leave the room, to see any visitors, had no proper bathroom or shower, and was left alone except for nursing staff and doctors.

The experience during this time was dirty, traumatic and poorly responsive.

 

After getting negative tests for TB and considered not infectious he was finally moved from isolation to a ward room. The next 2 weeks he was put through a gambit of tests and was consulted by a number of doctors. Tests included CT's of his abdomen chest and lymph nodes, MRI's of his brain kidneys and spine, 3 Spinal punctures, a bone marrow biopsy, bronchial biopsy.

 

He's currently waiting to see a neurosurgeon consult to decide whether to do a brain biopsy on a nodule that was seen from scans and said to have caused the stroke.

 

Doctors still have no diagnosis for Warren. He's finally been discharged to outpatient care after demanding to be released because we felt the stress and mental anguish of being in the hospital was deteriorating his health further. 

 

Any donations would be so greatly appreciated! Although he still has no solid diagnosis or treatment plan, his recovery process will include, physiotherapy to help with loss of mobility and dexterity from the stroke,

and he may still have to have surgery on his brain.

 

Your donations will help him with all costs associated to healing and recovering from this unexpected, unknown illness/disease he is suffering from including, loss of income, transit to and from appointments (unable to drive) ongoing testing and procedures, naturopathic and alternative medicines and modalities he'll be focusing on to start the healing process.

 

The effects of this stroke have been very devastating for Warren mentally and emotionally. As an avid musician and song writer his goals for recovery are to be able to play guitar again, sing and write music and of course play ball again. Warren works as an educational assistant helping kids with disabilities and challenges at an elementary school in Winnipeg. He's also looking forward to being able to go back to working with the kids after he has healed. 

 

We are hoping for a full recovery for Warren so that he can get back to doing what he loves and we are fighting hard for his health and well being. On behalf of Warren and his whole community we thank you for your support!!