Determination, support and expert care at Beacon help stroke patient return to full life

Harold Reed

On what seemed like an ordinary morning, Harold Reed was tinkering in his garage at home. It felt a little warm that day, so he decided to relax for a few minutes. He headed over to the washbasin to clean up, and that’s when the unthinkable occurred.

“Something felt odd on my left side, like a mouse running up and down my side,” Harold said. “I sat in my chair, and something still didn’t feel right.”

Instinctively, he called his wife, Joyce, who happens to work at Community Hospital of Bremen. The gravity of the situation quickly became apparent when a couple of nearby nurses overheard enough of the conversation to recognize the telltale signs of a stroke.

Joyce called 9-1-1.

Their swift action in urging Joyce to call for help set into motion a chain of events that would ultimately save her husband’s life.

A scary day

By the time the ambulance arrived, Joyce had made it home and Harold was on the floor, disoriented and drifting in and out of consciousness. “During that time, I was in and out. My wife said I was talking to everybody. I don’t remember too much of that,” he said.

At Community Hospital of Bremen, Harold remembers seeing a chilling image of his brain that confirmed their worst fears: he was indeed having a stroke. “I never had any symptoms. It happened all at once,” he said. “I was too active. I didn’t think it could happen to me.”

Dr. Christopher Ketcham, Beacon Bone & Joint Specialists physiatrist and medical director of inpatient rehabilitation at Memorial Hospital of South Bend, explains how there is an unpredictable nature of strokes. “Every stroke is different,” Dr. Ketcham said. “It happens in an instant, yet people can be extremely devastated.”

After his heart rate was stabilized, Harold was transferred to the intensive care unit at Memorial Hospital of South Bend. He would spend the next two months at Memorial, including six weeks of intensive daily therapy to regain function on his stroke-affected left side.

Throughout his time at Memorial, Harold said he was in good hands. “Between the nurses and doctors, they were the best you’d ever want to know,” he said. “Everybody was so good to me.”

Determined to recover

Driven by the goal of returning to his retirement job as a groundskeeper mowing the 42-acre lawn at at Bremen Cemetery, Harold threw himself into his rehabilitation with remarkable determination.

“Every day while in Memorial Hospital’s rehab unit, I had physical, speech and occupational therapy to regain and retrain my body how to walk again and be able to function” he said, describing the experience as similar to becoming a baby and having to start life all over again. “It was overwhelming.”

Dr. Ketcham explained that after a stroke, patients often experience a roller coaster of emotions. “Recovery never happens as fast as you want it to,” he said, emphasizing the importance of tailored, ongoing therapy.

Physical therapy after a stroke helps patients regain function and teaches them how to overcome lingering disabilities such as weakness or problems with balance.

“Ideally, our goal is to get the patient home,” Dr. Ketcham said. “The first six weeks are significant, but recovery can continue for another year or year and a half. So as we follow along with them, we’re really trying to tailor the therapy.“

Harold’s journey to recovery continued closer to home after he was discharged from Memorial Hospital. He transferred to a special “swing bed” program at Community Hospital of Bremen for an extra two weeks of therapy. It allowed him the chance to continue inpatient therapy before returning home and starting outpatient therapy.

“This was so I could learn how to walk more independently and go farther with more strength. They did a fabulous job. I walked out of that place,” Harold said proudly.

Dr. Ketcham gives Harold plenty of credit.

“He was very dedicated,” Dr. Ketcham said of his patient. “Harold was very adamant on making the best recovery he could.”

Dr. Christopher Ketcham

Returning Home

At home, Harold needed some adaptations inside his house to ensure his safety while he continued to recover.

“My wife and son, they put cameras in so they could keep an eye on me while she was at work. Everybody in my family was so good to me,” he said. “When Joyce got home from work, she would take me outside so I could walk up and down the street a little bit each day.”

The Community of Bremen team would call periodically to check on him, too. After all, he and Joyce knew them well.

“They were like family,” he said. “I am so grateful for them.”

Part of the physical therapy journey is learning to use assistive equipment such as a cane, walker or wheelchair. Harold needed a little assistance getting around the house, so Beacon’s wheelchair clinic provided the help he needed.

“The doctor, physical therapist and a wheelchair specialist sit down together with the patient and talk through how he’s doing at home, what kind of help he needs and what kind of equipment he needs. This clinic is really able to pull it together for the patient,” Dr. Ketcham said, adding how this type of service is typically only available in large urban areas.

Harold’s recovery benefited from Beacon’s comprehensive, full continuum of care that started in the emergency department and ICU, moved to inpatient rehab and the swing bed program, and back home with outpatient therapy and the specialized wheelchair clinic.

Each step of the way, Harold rose to the challenge, all while being welcomed into the Beacon family with personal care and compassionate support.

Enjoying life

Today, Harold has reclaimed much of his active lifestyle. He’s back to mowing the cemetery grounds for six hours a day and even enjoying camping trips with his family.

“We have done some camping,” Harold said proudly. “Initially our family helped us get our camper to the campgrounds so we could join our son and his family. My daughter and her husband would come and bring their kids to the campground to stay a few days. Now we’re able to camp on our own.”

His journey from a devastating stroke to reclaiming his active lifestyle is a testament to Beacon’s expert medical care, the unwavering support of his wife and family, and personal determination and resilience.

“I’m feeling pretty good. I can do just about anything I want to do,” Harold said. “Like my wife says, ‘The good Lord wanted you to stick around a while!’”

Why choose Beacon Bone & Joint Specialists?

When your daily life and routines have changed because of bone, joint, muscle or tendon pain, it’s time to see the experts. Beacon Bone & Joint Specialists help you get back to doing what you love – whether that’s playing on the field, running on the weekend or heading out to the garden. Learn more here.