Dick’s Story: Ischemic Stroke
As a firefighter who attends regular EMS drills, Dick Koeniger was well versed in the signs and symptoms of stroke. While driving home with a friend one evening last June, he suddenly noticed that his peripheral vision was slightly impaired. Odd, he thought. Was it related to the tension headaches, right behind the eyes, that […]
Jeff’s Story: Ruptured Aneurysm, Airway Reconstruction
Jeff’s remarkable story has two parts: recovery and reconstruction. He doesn’t remember the first part — the recovery from a ruptured aneurysm. But he vividly remembers the second part — the reconstruction of his airway. He is living the followup to his story now: back to work full-time as an engineer, back to volunteering at […]
John’s Story: Glioblastoma
John, a retired painter and carpenter, is a tall, solidly built man with a strong inclination toward getting things done. A former Vista volunteer who was equally comfortable running a food co-op in an underserved neighborhood or standing near the top of a tall ladder, he is a natural at lending a hand to people […]
Christine’s Story: Stroke
There was a sliver of a chance, maybe, and most likely the emergency room doctor thought there was no chance at all. Christine had arrived at the community hospital comatose, brought by her parents, who had come home after working out to find her semi-conscious on the floor. A CT scan revealed severe bleeding in […]
Doc’s Story: Metastatic Brain Tumors
First there were headaches. Bad ones. Migraines, probably. Then, one day in mid-May, 2010, his knee, foot and arm went numb on his left side. Darrell “Doc” Rodgers, the 700WLW radio personality, feared he was having a stroke. In the emergency room, doctors ordered a CT scan to zero in on what was happening in […]
Leah’s Hope Story
Leah is a college freshman who sings, dances, and plays the guitar. She is also a four-year survivor of an arteriovenous malformation (AVM). It is rare for someone Leah’s age to have had an AVM, an abnormal tangle of blood vessels in the brain or spine that can cause devastating effects if it begins to […]
Tim’s Story: Traumatic Brain Injury
This story includes a graphic description of Tim’s traumatic brain injury. If you are squeamish or faint of heart, you may wish to close this file and turn to a different story of hope. Tim was outdoors doing what he liked best, working with equipment and with his hands. It was a pleasant July […]
Matt’s Story: Head Injury
A poor decision nearly cost Matt his life. But state-of-the-art neurosurgical and neurocritical care, dedicated therapists, and family support gave him a chance to start over again. Today, in what is proving to his best decision ever, Matt is studying to become a certified occupational therapy assistant, striving to join the ranks of those who […]
Jim’s Hope Story
Eight years into his battle with Parkinson’s disease, Jim wasn’t doing well. The medications he was taking no longer kept the tremors at bay, and sometimes, while walking, he would freeze in place, unable to take another step. Jim could no longer mow his lawn, a task he had always enjoyed, and he no longer […]
Renee’s Story: Stroke
When 33-year-old high energy mother Renee Young became ill with the flu in November 2007, the last thing she expected was she was about to suffer a stroke. But that was exactly what happened. As she tried to swallow medication and couldn’t, she realized something was drastically wrong. After two missed diagnoses, she was put […]