Pasha’s Long Road to Recovery
Donation protected
On October 1, 2019, not two weeks before his 60th birthday, our father/brother/son/grandfather/uncle/friend's life changed forever. Paul was playing racquetball with his friends after work, his usual evening activity, when he suddenly felt weakness on his right side and experienced some slurred speech. His friends rushed him to the hospital where he was told he was having a minor stroke but was going to be okay. Paul's friends left him in the hospital and everyone went to sleep feeling relieved.
On October 2, 2019 Paul woke up paralyzed and without speech. He was transferred to another hospital where he underwent emergency brain surgery to try to minimize the damage that was not caught the evening before. Unbeknownst to the doctors, the artery in his neck was damaged and bleeding into his brain all night. His 19 year old twin daughters got on planes and flew straight home from college thinking they were going to say goodbye. All the doctors could say over and over was, "It was a big bleed. The damage is extensive."
Paul sustained damage to two thirds of his left hemisphere: the part of the brain responsible for speaking, reading, writing, thinking and memory involving words. He was left with paralysis to the right side of his body and no ability to even swallow, yet with full awareness of his condition. The confusion and anger we saw in his face as he came into understanding of his new life is impossible to describe. We watched in horror as he tried to speak, to move, to do anything at all but couldn't.
As the days and weeks passed, Paul has slowly fought to regain strength. His years of dedication to his health helped him to work hard in rehab and make progress we didn't know to even hope for.
Months later, Paul is still in rehab. He is now able to walk with a cane (with some help), he is able to eat independently but he isn't able to communicate with his loved ones and requires full time care. He has no speech at all and even gestures are difficult and frustrating. Paul is working so hard to regain some normalcy but recovery from stroke is hard to predict and his future is uncertain. He is living a nightmare, fully aware of what's happened but unable to express himself. Paul has a dedicated circle of friends and a close family (he has 3 daughters, one granddaughter, a sister, nieces and a 91 year old mother) who visit regularly so that he never feels alone. He is very supported and deeply loved.
We know that life is never going to be the same for Paul, for his daughters, for any of us. What we hope is that Paul's home will still be there when he is ready to go back. We are asking for support to pay Paul's mortgage while his family figures out the next steps for Paul's future. Your donation will go only to his mortgage so that something in his life is familiar and normal when he's ready for it. Losing his home in addition to the life he knew before is too much to take.
On October 2, 2019 Paul woke up paralyzed and without speech. He was transferred to another hospital where he underwent emergency brain surgery to try to minimize the damage that was not caught the evening before. Unbeknownst to the doctors, the artery in his neck was damaged and bleeding into his brain all night. His 19 year old twin daughters got on planes and flew straight home from college thinking they were going to say goodbye. All the doctors could say over and over was, "It was a big bleed. The damage is extensive."
Paul sustained damage to two thirds of his left hemisphere: the part of the brain responsible for speaking, reading, writing, thinking and memory involving words. He was left with paralysis to the right side of his body and no ability to even swallow, yet with full awareness of his condition. The confusion and anger we saw in his face as he came into understanding of his new life is impossible to describe. We watched in horror as he tried to speak, to move, to do anything at all but couldn't.
As the days and weeks passed, Paul has slowly fought to regain strength. His years of dedication to his health helped him to work hard in rehab and make progress we didn't know to even hope for.
Months later, Paul is still in rehab. He is now able to walk with a cane (with some help), he is able to eat independently but he isn't able to communicate with his loved ones and requires full time care. He has no speech at all and even gestures are difficult and frustrating. Paul is working so hard to regain some normalcy but recovery from stroke is hard to predict and his future is uncertain. He is living a nightmare, fully aware of what's happened but unable to express himself. Paul has a dedicated circle of friends and a close family (he has 3 daughters, one granddaughter, a sister, nieces and a 91 year old mother) who visit regularly so that he never feels alone. He is very supported and deeply loved.
We know that life is never going to be the same for Paul, for his daughters, for any of us. What we hope is that Paul's home will still be there when he is ready to go back. We are asking for support to pay Paul's mortgage while his family figures out the next steps for Paul's future. Your donation will go only to his mortgage so that something in his life is familiar and normal when he's ready for it. Losing his home in addition to the life he knew before is too much to take.
Organizer
Irina Poznansky
Organizer
River Edge, NJ