Update on Dad's stroke recovery

Dad has been in Placencia since April 11th after being discharged from the hospital in Belize City. He has two caregivers with him at all times. He still has a clot in his brain and has to be cautious with trying to do any “physical” physical therapy, so in the meantime time he has been receiving Anodyne and EMS therapy.

He has paralysis on his entire left side but recently he has been able to wiggle his big toe and thumb. Due to limited movement his right side was losing muscle and strength but the right side is now getting stronger and his left side is starting to play catch up. His pneumonia is better. His blood pressure and pulse have returned to normal and he is no longer taking medication for it. He still has trouble with talking while lying down and tires quite quickly when speaking. He has been sleeping a lot while his brain has been working hard on repairing itself.

He will have follow up scans and doctors’ visits in the upcoming weeks and months.

The road to recovery is long, but he is willing and determined. To support his recovery and help him regain some independence, he urgently needs specialist equipment. A sit-to-stand lift device will allow him to transition from bed to wheelchair safely and with dignity - at the moment, this relies on physically demanding manual handling, which is both exhausting and painful. He needs to conserve his strength to focus on his physiotherapy, but the reality is that his ongoing care - including physiotherapy and essential medical support - will come at a significant and continuing cost.

He is also in need of an adjustable bed to help him sit up and lie down more comfortably. Currently, this too requires manual handling, which is often too much for him to endure, leaving him spending long periods confined to lying down. Photos are attached at the top of the page of the kind of equipment he requires.

We desperately want to support Dad in regaining his strength and aiding his recovery.

Thank you to everyone who has donated which helped to pay towards his medical expenses incurred in hospital. Sadly the expenses won't end there, any further donations which are gratefully received will go towards the cost of equipment and ongoing care to support his recovery.

Dad would also like to thank everyone for their kind messages. He has read them all but unfortunately is unable to respond right now. He appreciates all your love and support.