Fred Smiley's Advice: Will, Determination and Faith can Create Miracles

The woman that I work with at the Foundation is Cathy Knox.  Our offices are adjacent, separated by a paper-thin wall with Cathy's office having the better view to the lobby of the hospital.  Our practice is to speak to one another through the wall.  One day, as I was working at my desk, oblivious to the world around me, Cathy spoke through the wall to tell me to look at the information desk. 

Volunteers staff the information desk at the hospital during weekdays.  Two volunteers work two shifts for a total of four volunteers at that position daily.  When I looked over, Lorna Smiley was at the desk accompanied by Fred, Lorna's husband.   Lorna wore the blue vest signifying volunteer Health Centre staff while Fred was fully dressed in street clothes. My eyes moistened to see him sitting there.

Fred has been a volunteer at the hospital since it opened in 2005. Normally, there would be nothing unusual about Fred and Lorna sharing their shift, helping patients find appointments or visitors find patients.  But this day was anything but normal.  Two weeks prior, Fred had suffered two strokes and the last time he was scheduled at the desk, he didn’t complete his shift.

 

Fred has in his words ‘heart skips’. He had been treated for this irregular heart beat for several years. 

 

This past January, as Lorna readied herself for bed, she heard Fred calling for help.  When she got to him, Lorna knew something was terribly wrong.  Fred’s mobility was impaired, his speech slurred and his thinking muddled.  Lorna dialed 911.  Believing the phone wasn’t working, she hung up in panic.  As she was about to search for another phone, the one in her hand began to ring.  It was ambulance dispatch calling to ask if Lorna had dialed 911.  Now alerted to the situation, the ambulance moved quickly coming to Fred’s aid.

 

At the hospital, Fred was found to have a very fast, irregular heart beat called atrial fibrillation.  He also developed a horrible headache.  The CT scan showed he was having

a stroke.  Lorna soon learned an air ambulance was bundling Fred off to Sudbury.  Stunned by the news, Lorna began to make plans.  First hotel reservations, then contact family.  Lorna called her brother Ivan.  He answered his cell, heard Lorna’s concerns and told her he would accompany her in Sudbury.  Lorna had no idea that her brother was in Toronto on his way to visit the boat show.  Ivan just turned right around to make his way home never mentioning his visit to Toronto until much later.

 

After 6 days in Sudbury, Fred’s heart was stabilized by medicines.  Still his mobility remained very limited and he returned to the West Parry Sound Health Centre rather than home.  Once at the Health Centre, staff began physio therapy followed by occupational therapy.  After going home, Fred remained an out-patient in occupational therapy.  Intrigued, I asked if I might attend a treatment session with Fred, Lorna and Joyce Hadcroft, the Health Centre’s Occupational Therapist.

 

We begin with an explanation of Fred’s stroke.  The stroke is in Fred’s occipital lobe of his brain which is the visual cortex affecting Fred’s visual field.   He has a field cut on the right side as he looks at things… half of each eye is affected.  The training is to help Fred learn to move his eyes to the right and to compensate and pick up things that are in his right visual field.  Fred’s field cut has impaired Fred’s ability to read, scan, and pick up letters and numbers. 

 

Joyce explains the remarkable progress that Fred has made.  Initially, Fred would read following sentences with his finger to track the words.  Today, I watch with wonder as Fred scans documents circling the letters that Joyce has asked him to circle, reading from line to line without either skipping words or tracking with his finger.  Joyce is impressed, Fred is determined and Lorna is relieved

 

I ask if Fred will regain his sight completely.  “There is nothing wrong with Fred’s eyes; the affected area from the stroke is in the brain.”  Joyce explains.  “The brain is a map.   Each area of the brain is responsible for a different function.  The occipital lobe is in the back.  It is responsible for making sense of the what the eye is seeing.  … visual perception, recognition.  That is what has been damaged by Fred’s stroke.  The eyes are fine.  They see what is happening in the world.  It is the message that goes back to the brain that is misinterpreted.  With the stroke, the brain tissue died but what studies show is that therapy and repetition of certain activities potentially retrain other areas of the brain to take over the function once managed by the damaged part of the brain.  Repetition is important.”

 

Joyce asks me to sit in front of Fred and hold a stick at eye level in front of him.  Fred is to remain looking at the stick.  Joyce is behind Fred with a flashlight bringing the light into his field of vision.  Fred is to tell her when he sees the light.  From this exercise, it is clear how limited Fred’s field is on the right side.  The task is to train Fred’s eyes to pick up more in the visual field and increase his ability to scan.

 

Next we walk down a hall with words taped on the walls.  Fred’s task is to walk with a normal gait and call out the words to Joyce.   They are pleased with his progress.  The next exercise looks like pure fun.  We sit down at a computer monitor and objects float across the screen.  Fred’s task is to click the mouse the moment he sees the object.  There is no hesitation, Fred reacts quickly and correctly.  Again, everyone rejoices in the gains that Fred is making.

 

For Fred and Lorna, many routines have returned to normal.  The Monday after Fred’s Friday release from the Health Centre, he and Lorna were again volunteering at the Information Desk.  Lorna was worried and her face strained.  Fred on the other hand, was just happy to be back to living life.  Their neighbours and friends have been amazing supporting the periphery of their lives as they get the centre back together again.

 

On May 31st, the Biosphere walk, run or roll, Do It For Life will leave from the New Town Beach in Parry Sound.  All the funds raised from this goal setting day of fun and exercise will remain in the community purchasing new equipment for the West Parry Sound Health Centre’s Cardiac Rehab program and Emergency.  Remaining funds will support the Foundation’s Electronic Health Records campaign.  You can help save a life locally, so join in the fun.