Stephanie Remington's Stroke Recovery Fund
Donation protected
Our lives can change in the blink of an eye. It certainly did for Stephanie and Rob, our sister-in-law and brother. If you are reading this, please know that they need help. Anything you can offer would be appreciated, including your prayers!
It happened on the first day of August, at 2:24 p.m. Rob and Stephanie were so excited that weekend. Sunday was their eighth wedding anniversary, and they planned to go out for dinner the night before. They were in Niwot on Saturday afternoon, walking the dog, and decided to stop for coffee.
Tim saw it first. Steph was waiting in line in the coffee shop when she suddenly looked confused. Her words were garbled. Tim assisted her to sit down as Rob called out for help. They dialed 911.
Less than 30 minutes later, Steph was in the ER at Boulder Community Hospital. The doctors raced through a checklist with Rob and thereafter administered TPA (a clot-busting drug) for a presumed stroke. Her symptoms did not improve. She still seemed drowsy, was unable to speak, and had a noticeable facial droop on her right cheek. Even more concerning, she was completely paralyzed on her right side and wasn't aware that half of her body existed. She was also unable to perceive people approaching from that direction. The doctors waited a short time for improvement. They asked Rob about her risk factors. He told them that she was healthy. He told them that her parents were healthy. She’s only 41 years old. How could she be having a stroke? Growing dissatisfied with her progress, the doctors decided to have her airlifted (Flight for Life) to Swedish Medical Center in Denver, roughly 35 miles away.
Stephanie was taken into IR (interventional radiology) while the rest of us gathered in a nearby waiting room. Speaking to Bob (Steph's father), Rob discovered that Steph's paternal grandfather had died of an aneurysm at age 33. A clearer picture was coming into focus. These fears were confirmed around 5:30 p.m., when we were approached by a physician. He’d just finished the arterial catheter procedure, and discovered that Steph had suffered a carotid dissection, which caused a left MCA (middle cerebral artery) stroke. In essence, her carotid artery had a tear in the inner, muscular membrane that created a pocket. As blood filled the pocket, it formed clots which were ejected into the bloodstream. These clots went inside her brain and blocked the blood supply to most of the left hemisphere (affecting, as most strokes do, the opposite side of the body). The doctor didn't mince words about the damage he suspected, mostly in the left frontal region. An MRI confirmed the injury. It looked like a large, black oval. Broca's center (the speech region) was definitely included along the edges. Despite this, the doctors were cautiously hopeful that she would say something within 24-48 hours.
Three days passed, and Steph was still mute. She clearly wanted to say something, gesturing with her hands, but attempts only frustrated her, and she couldn't seem to write what she wanted, either. The ICU staff hadn't expected this. They were very concerned. She was allowed thickened fluids, but the speech therapists also feared that her gag reflex was impaired. Fortunately, the right side of her body was getting stronger.
August 5th delivered a breakthrough. Steph began to speak! It was an answer to prayers!! Her replies were simple. Things like: "It's a watch" and "I am Stephanie." Her right-sided weakness was also improving, though she still had to use a walker. On day six, she was able to eat solid foods without difficulty. She was able to have basic conversations. The doctors were astonished. A number of interns were even brought to her room to review her case. It was called "a miracle." Our Heavenly Father is so good!!
Despite these improvements, there are still many concerns. She still has numbness on the right side of her face, and has some drooping of her cheek. She also has a condition caused aphasia. In addition to lacking some situation awareness, she also has trouble finding the right words, or will use the wrong word in a sentence. But the words aren’t gone. In fact, her head is full of familiar words that are disconnected from their meanings, and need to be “re-linked” before they are lost. Imagine a library that’s had all the bookshelves rearranged, and lost its reference/filing system. A new type of organization must be created (using different nerve pathways) to join memories to speech. Rob has been researching this dilemma, and is working hard to engage her so he can save as much as he can.
As if this wasn’t enough, the damage to Steph’s pre-frontal cortex has also caused a condition called “abulia,” coined from the Greek word meaning: “no will.” She is able to perform tasks as instructed. She even seems aware of what other people want, and can act accordingly. The problem is that she appears to have little desire to do anything when not directly engaged. Simply put, she may not see the point. This is not a result of shock or depression. It is a phenomenon that has been witnessed countless times after a patient has been damaged in this particular area of the brain. The worst part is that there isn’t much advice/literature about how to treat this. More prayers are needed! Rob is focused on restoring as much of her memory, vocabulary and cognition as he can.
Rob has recently applied for FMLA (Family Medical Leave) and his employer approved it. Due to this leave of absence, he will not be receiving a paycheck. We know Rob and Stephanie will need to help to over these next few months with regular bills as well as the medical costs of their hospital stay. In addition to this, once Rob returns to work, additional funds might be needed to care for Stephanie, depending on the kinds of deficits that remain. It’s very difficult know how the next few months will unfold.
There is so much we are grateful for. Had Steph been asleep, or home alone when this carotid stroke happened, there is little doubt that she would be vegetative or dead. Tim acted swiftly, and Rob's medical knowledge was highly fortunate. We give praise to God for how far she has come! For the struggle that remains, we greatly appreciate any help you can give our sister Stephanie and brother Rob.
With grateful and thankful hearts....
Dave and Angie Remington (and family)
It happened on the first day of August, at 2:24 p.m. Rob and Stephanie were so excited that weekend. Sunday was their eighth wedding anniversary, and they planned to go out for dinner the night before. They were in Niwot on Saturday afternoon, walking the dog, and decided to stop for coffee.
Tim saw it first. Steph was waiting in line in the coffee shop when she suddenly looked confused. Her words were garbled. Tim assisted her to sit down as Rob called out for help. They dialed 911.
Less than 30 minutes later, Steph was in the ER at Boulder Community Hospital. The doctors raced through a checklist with Rob and thereafter administered TPA (a clot-busting drug) for a presumed stroke. Her symptoms did not improve. She still seemed drowsy, was unable to speak, and had a noticeable facial droop on her right cheek. Even more concerning, she was completely paralyzed on her right side and wasn't aware that half of her body existed. She was also unable to perceive people approaching from that direction. The doctors waited a short time for improvement. They asked Rob about her risk factors. He told them that she was healthy. He told them that her parents were healthy. She’s only 41 years old. How could she be having a stroke? Growing dissatisfied with her progress, the doctors decided to have her airlifted (Flight for Life) to Swedish Medical Center in Denver, roughly 35 miles away.
Stephanie was taken into IR (interventional radiology) while the rest of us gathered in a nearby waiting room. Speaking to Bob (Steph's father), Rob discovered that Steph's paternal grandfather had died of an aneurysm at age 33. A clearer picture was coming into focus. These fears were confirmed around 5:30 p.m., when we were approached by a physician. He’d just finished the arterial catheter procedure, and discovered that Steph had suffered a carotid dissection, which caused a left MCA (middle cerebral artery) stroke. In essence, her carotid artery had a tear in the inner, muscular membrane that created a pocket. As blood filled the pocket, it formed clots which were ejected into the bloodstream. These clots went inside her brain and blocked the blood supply to most of the left hemisphere (affecting, as most strokes do, the opposite side of the body). The doctor didn't mince words about the damage he suspected, mostly in the left frontal region. An MRI confirmed the injury. It looked like a large, black oval. Broca's center (the speech region) was definitely included along the edges. Despite this, the doctors were cautiously hopeful that she would say something within 24-48 hours.
Three days passed, and Steph was still mute. She clearly wanted to say something, gesturing with her hands, but attempts only frustrated her, and she couldn't seem to write what she wanted, either. The ICU staff hadn't expected this. They were very concerned. She was allowed thickened fluids, but the speech therapists also feared that her gag reflex was impaired. Fortunately, the right side of her body was getting stronger.
August 5th delivered a breakthrough. Steph began to speak! It was an answer to prayers!! Her replies were simple. Things like: "It's a watch" and "I am Stephanie." Her right-sided weakness was also improving, though she still had to use a walker. On day six, she was able to eat solid foods without difficulty. She was able to have basic conversations. The doctors were astonished. A number of interns were even brought to her room to review her case. It was called "a miracle." Our Heavenly Father is so good!!
Despite these improvements, there are still many concerns. She still has numbness on the right side of her face, and has some drooping of her cheek. She also has a condition caused aphasia. In addition to lacking some situation awareness, she also has trouble finding the right words, or will use the wrong word in a sentence. But the words aren’t gone. In fact, her head is full of familiar words that are disconnected from their meanings, and need to be “re-linked” before they are lost. Imagine a library that’s had all the bookshelves rearranged, and lost its reference/filing system. A new type of organization must be created (using different nerve pathways) to join memories to speech. Rob has been researching this dilemma, and is working hard to engage her so he can save as much as he can.
As if this wasn’t enough, the damage to Steph’s pre-frontal cortex has also caused a condition called “abulia,” coined from the Greek word meaning: “no will.” She is able to perform tasks as instructed. She even seems aware of what other people want, and can act accordingly. The problem is that she appears to have little desire to do anything when not directly engaged. Simply put, she may not see the point. This is not a result of shock or depression. It is a phenomenon that has been witnessed countless times after a patient has been damaged in this particular area of the brain. The worst part is that there isn’t much advice/literature about how to treat this. More prayers are needed! Rob is focused on restoring as much of her memory, vocabulary and cognition as he can.
Rob has recently applied for FMLA (Family Medical Leave) and his employer approved it. Due to this leave of absence, he will not be receiving a paycheck. We know Rob and Stephanie will need to help to over these next few months with regular bills as well as the medical costs of their hospital stay. In addition to this, once Rob returns to work, additional funds might be needed to care for Stephanie, depending on the kinds of deficits that remain. It’s very difficult know how the next few months will unfold.
There is so much we are grateful for. Had Steph been asleep, or home alone when this carotid stroke happened, there is little doubt that she would be vegetative or dead. Tim acted swiftly, and Rob's medical knowledge was highly fortunate. We give praise to God for how far she has come! For the struggle that remains, we greatly appreciate any help you can give our sister Stephanie and brother Rob.
With grateful and thankful hearts....
Dave and Angie Remington (and family)
Organizer and beneficiary
Dave and Angie Remington
Organizer
Denver, CO
David Remington
Beneficiary
