"It's life-altering." Stroke patient shares his health-care journey to help educate others

It all started when Bill Boyd’s left arm went numb. 

On April 13, 2022, the 73-year-old was sitting at the dining room table with his wife Pat in their Oshawa home when his arm went numb and his speech became, as Pat explains, “a little funny.”

“At first I didn’t think anything of it,” Bill notes. “But then I went to stand and down I went. I broke my hip and the upper portion of my femur. And from then on, I was just floundering and feeling totally, totally helpless.”

Pat was already on the phone calling 911 as soon as Bill’s initial symptoms started. When paramedics arrived, they quickly determined that he had suffered a stroke. Bill was immediately taken to Lakeridge Health’s Oshawa Hospital.

“A stroke is a sudden loss of brain function caused by the interruption of the flow of blood to the brain, which causes the brain cells in the affected area to die due to the lack of oxygen and nutrients,” explains Amy Maebrae-Waller, Lakeridge Health’s District Stroke Coordinator and Patient Care Manager of the Stroke Prevention Clinic and the outpatient neuro program. 

Amy adds that “with a stroke ‘time is brain’ as 1.9 million brain cells die every minute after a stroke. So, calling 911 immediately – like what Pat did – is extremely important. It’s also important to know the signs of stroke, including one side of the face drooping, weakness in the arms, and slurred or jumbled speech.”

After spending the first two weeks of his treatment recuperating from surgery to repair his broken hip and femur, Bill was transferred to the Integrated Stroke Unit (ISU) for rehabilitation therapy.

Since then, Bill has made much progress and is looking forward to going home on July 5. He credits the “absolutely amazing” health-care team for their support in getting him to this point.

“From the nurses I had when I first came in, to the rehabilitation team who have been so good in helping me, you could tell that everyone has truly cared about my condition and my feelings,” Bill shares. “The staff stand behind you and encourage you and that’s so vital in your recovery.”

Connie Stamp, Patient Care Manager of the ISU, adds that “there has been excellent teamwork between the surgery and stroke teams in Bill’s care, which has made a positive impact in his recovery.”

Pat echoes these comments and points out that “even more than the care the team provides, there are many nurses who come in and just talk with him. Even nurses who are no longer on his floor will come by and say, ‘I just wanted to see how you’re doing.’ That means a lot.”

Bill adds that he is “very grateful for the support I received from the staff during a very difficult and lonely time throughout the COVID-19 restrictions when the rest of my family was not able to visit me.”

Pat also shares that “when it came time to discuss Bill going home, the team organized everything we needed for Bill’s comfort and care, as well as what I need to help care for him. They deliver care with dignity and kindness.”

As Bill reflects on his health-care journey these past months, he has a simple message for others: “If anybody ever thinks for a second that a stroke is not life altering, take it from me, it turns your life upside down.”