Sahils Post-Stroke Road to Recovery

On Sunday August 26th Sahil woke up paralyzed and unable to move or speak after having a severe stroke. Fortunately, his wife was in the right place at the right time and called an ambulance. After being admitted into the hospital, Sahil was immediately placed on respiratory support. That night, he underwent emergency surgery to remove a clot blocking blood flow in a major artery of the brain. Due to the location of the stroke, Sahil currently has no control of his legs and arms, no facial expressions, has difficulty breathing and swallowing and has limited movement of his eyes. Due to the extent of his condition and to allow recovery he is currently placed under a medically induced coma. Sahil has undergone an additional tracheostomy and PEG (percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy) to help him breath and also to provide feeding.

Sahil has made tremendous progress over the first few days following surgery and is currently stable. He is slowly regaining his ability to move his fingers, shows responsiveness to sound and touch when he is conscious and is able to communicate with eye movements.

His wife, children, and parents (who flew in from Canada) remain by his side. Although we don’t yet know the full extent of his injury post-stroke, we know that he has a long road to recovery ahead of him. But if there’s anything he has going for him, it’s that he’s young and he’s stubborn.

Sahil has lived and worked in the Dominican Republic for 5 years, and while he is still a Canadian citizen, his health coverage is invalid until he remains in the country for a minimum of 3 months.

 As the sole provider for his family in the Dominican, and a support system for his family in Canada, Sahil has done a lot for his loved ones in his short thirty-one years. Now he needs our help to bring him home so he can get the specialized care he needs. The Dominican Republic simply doesn’t have the resources to care for him the way he needs to be cared for (a sentiment that was shared by his current health care provider)

We are asking for your help so we can help Sahil in the following ways until his health coverage is reactivated:
 
- Hospital stays (the cost of a bed in a hospital which amounts to $3,100+ per night)
 
- Nursing resources to providebed-side support (sanitary care, prevention of bed sores, monitoring of vitals)
 
- Specialized rehab to help him regain motor ability (the ability to speak, use his hands, walk)  
 
Sahil’s unexpected stroke has left our family in shock and total dismay. We never thought this could happen to someone so suddenly, and at such a young age. On behalf of my brother and my family, I’d like to thank you for your support, from the bottom of my heart.


Sincerely,
 

Sejal Mistry