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SANDEE LINDE
couldn’t re-
spond to her husband’s question.
The Norfolk couple recently had
returned from a late afternoon outing
and were settling into their home for
the evening when she suddenly felt
ill. Instead of changing her clothes,
Sandee made her way to the living
room, where her husband asked if
everything was all right.
“I said, ‘Do you want me to call
Therapy helps stroke
K
ATHRYN
H
ARRIS
,
N
ORFOLK
D
AILY
N
EWS
Sandee Linde, of Norfolk, completes a
rehabilitation exercise with assistance
from Faith Regional occupational
therapist Stacey Janata, OTR/L.
Signs of a stroke: Time to move quickly
It might happen like this: A loved one suddenly looks confused and has trouble walking. When you ask what’s wrong,
the reply is slurred and hard to understand.
It might be a stroke—a medical emergency. Treatment can save lives and boost the chances of a successful
recovery, but it must be given within a few hours after stroke symptoms begin. Don’t waste a minute of time.
Call 911 right away if you notice stroke signs in yourself or someone else.
But you must first be able to recognize the signs; they come on suddenly and include:
•
Numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body.
•
Confusion or trouble speaking or understanding speech.
•
Trouble seeing.
•
Trouble walking, dizziness, or loss of balance or coordination.
•
Severe headache with no obvious cause.
You might be tempted to wait and see if symptoms improve—don’t take that chance. Remember, the
longer a stroke goes untreated, the greater the damage can be.
Source: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
of Faith Regional Health Services
Rehabilitation Therapies, where she
received occupational, physical and
speech therapy. “It’s just beautiful.”
Justin Young, OTD, OTR/L, direc-
tor of rehabilitation services at Faith
Regional, says the effects of Sandee’s
stroke were severe. When she left the
acute rehab unit and began doing
outpatient therapy, she was still in
the primary stages of stroke recovery,
he says.
“She had no mobility,” says Young.
“Handwriting, ne motor skills,
mobility and speech were affected. It
pretty much put her at a point where
she was dependent on others for
everything.”
But after about eight weeks of out-
patient therapy, Sandee had recovered
enough of her speaking ability to tell
Young to call her by her rst name.
Her recovery since has progressed by
leaps and bounds.
A remarkable recovery
Although she still stumbles over a
few words, Sandee speaks clearly
and well. She is able to walk with-
out assistance again and also is back
to participating in some of her
favorite activities—playing
bridge and taking trips.
911?’ She said yes,” Marlin Linde says.
“That was about all we had of her
talking for quite a while.”
On Jan. 2, 2014, Sandee was taken to
the Faith Regional Emergency Room,
where she was quickly assessed and sta-
bilized. She was unable to speak and the
left side of her body was paralyzed.
She spent several weeks of therapy
and recovery in Faith Regional’s Acute
Rehabilitation Unit. Now, a year
later, the Lindes are grateful for the
therapists who helped her through the
recovery process.
“This has been honestly the best place
I have ever been in my life,” says Sandee
8 FAITH REGIONAL
HEALTH SERVICES
Minutes matter:
If you think
someone is
having a stroke,
it’s essential
to call 911.