Real Stories Real People

Lynne Enlow

Have you ever heard of someone having a stroke in his or her sleep? Well, Lynne Enlow can testify first hand that it happens.

Before she went to bed one night in 1997, she remembers feeling weakness on her right side. Not thinking anything was wrong; she simply drifted off to sleep.

She recalls, "When I awoke, I knew something was wrong. I couldn't stand up. I managed to crawl to the downstairs, not realizing at the time that it took me about two hours." After stumbling and falling several times, she finally reached the phone to call for help only to encounter a second hurdle: she couldn't remember how to call 911.

Not giving up hope, she reached for the telephone book. Although she was experiencing vision problems as a result of the stroke, she was able to find the hospital phone number. She was able to dial the phone, but because her speech was slurred, she had difficulty making her needs known. Her call was transferred to the Emergency Department, where Ms. Enlow was able to give them the name of her street. She could not remember her full address. She was instructed to leave the door of her home open, so the ambulance could find her.

She was located and transported to Genesis Medical Center, West campus, where she remained in the intensive care unit for three days, followed by stays on the Neuroscience Unit and the Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit.

For Ms. Enlow, the most frustrating part of having a stroke was not being able to speak. During her therapy sessions she learned how to talk and read again. Her ability to walk was also affected. With therapy she was able to progress from a wheelchair to a wide-based cane, and then to a straight cane. Now, she only uses a cane if the weather is bad, or she's going for a long walk.

"Don't give up, and thank heavens for therapy," advises Ms. Enlow.

Angie Berg

Angie Berg, only 24 years old, was well aware of the signs of stroke. As a physical therapist, she had learned about stroke and had provided therapy to persons who had experienced them. But she never expected that one day she would be faced with the same challenges as the persons she had helped.

On February 15, 2001, while at work, she experienced an excruciating headache. She goes on to explain, "I was holding a pen in my left hand, but my right side felt strange. When I tried to hold the pen in my right hand, I couldn't do it. I thought to myself, I think I'm having a stroke."

Her first thoughts were to go home and go to bed, but before doing that she decided to call her parents. They urged her to go directly to the hospital. A friend drove her to Genesis Medical Center - West campus, which proved to be a very wise choice.

While in the Emergency Department, Angie was diagnosed with an AVM (arteriovenous malformation), which had not yet ruptured. Within a half-hour a second test showed the vessel had ruptured. Angie had lost consciousness. Surgery was performed immediately.

This would seem to be an extremely traumatic situation for a 24-year-old, but not for Angie Berg. She has recovered very well and has an incredibly positive attitude. Therapy has played a key role in Angie's recovery and as a physical therapist herself, she knows the benefits. While she still has a few areas to work on, such as her gait pattern, functional use of her right hand, and incidental memory, Angie is only looking forward.

Her message is simple: "You are never too young to learn the signs of stroke. It can happen to anyone. I would say to anyone who has gone through a similar situation, to keep up with therapy, not just at scheduled sessions, but at home, too. It has really helped my recovery."

Darrell DeWulf

Darrell DeWulf, a seemingly healthy farmer, was shaving while his wife, Lynet, put breakfast on the table. Suddenly, a strange confusion swept over him; something felt terribly wrong.

Inside his 58-year-old brain, a malformation of blood vessels had ballooned and suddenly ruptured - causing a hemorrhagic stroke that would force doctors to do surgery to stop the bleeding. It would leave him speechless, partially paralyzed and unable to swallow, read or run the family's 1,000-acre farm. It would steal his memories and make daily tasks like shaving a challenge.

"I could feel something wasn't right," Mr. DeWulf says of that morning in 1999.

His wife, Lynet, recalls: "He came out of the bathroom and said, 'I think I've had a stroke.' I called my son to come right over. By the time he got there, Darrell couldn't talk. Even on the way to the hospital in the ambulance, we didn't think it was a stroke."

DeWulf underwent three months of occupational, physical and speech therapy in the hospital. Then he went home to face the toughest chapter yet. The DeWulfs soon discovered that it helps to share insights with fellow survivors and rehabilitation professionals.

Mr. DeWulf likens recovering from stroke to "being born again." He had to re-learn how to talk and swallow. He can read words, but by the time he completes a sentence, he doesn't remember what he has read. He takes longer to speak, and his wife has to remind herself to be patient and "count to 10 or 20" to give him time. He has regained 95 percent use of his right leg but can not use his right arm or hand.

Despite some disappointments, he and his wife are finding new ways to enjoy life, including moving into their dream house. "They have that perseverance within them," says Alicia Owens, a social worker at Genesis. "With that, you can take disabilities and turn them into strengths."

Gracie Kelly

It was the day before her birthday, a day that she will never forget.

In 1996, Gracie Kelly was at church and just about ready to stand up and sing a duet with her husband. Before a single note came out of her mouth, she collapsed to the floor and had to be rushed by ambulance to Genesis Medical Center's West campus.

"It just snuck up on me," says Mrs. Kelly of what she remembers from that life-changing day.

In her case, there were no recognizable warning signs of the stroke, she says. The family was familiar with stroke after her husband, Robert, had suffered one in 1984.

According to the American Stroke Association, 1 out of 3 African Americans has high blood pressure and of these two out of three are over 65 years old. This important factor can increase the risk of stroke.

Mrs. Kelly underwent physical, occupational and speech therapy three times a week and had to relearn the activities of daily living.

Five years have passed, and while her left side is very weak, she is happy to be alive. Her husband is by her side, knowing first-hand the struggle she has endured.

"Stroke affects you all the way around," Mr. Kelly says. "Doctors told me that I would never walk again, but I am. Maybe not as good as before, but I'm walking. And for Gracie, I work with her all the time. And when she's tired, we rest and take a break to talk about it."