Out of the Fog
One Man’s Journey from Stroke to Hope
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
"I suffered a brain stem stroke. It left me paralyzed in my arms and legs. It left me speechless. I remember pain, lots of pain. I was in pain for two years and then it let up some. Today as I write this, I still feel pain. I can feel everything; do not think I cannot. I am alive. My entire body is sensitive. My whole body hurts."
G. (George) Patrick Riggs, Pat to his family and friends, wrote those words using an Eyegaze Computer System. At that time, he was totally paralyzed, unable to move, unable to speak, unable to eat, unable to breathe on his own, and unable to swallow. All he could move were his eyes. And because he could use his eyes, he learned the operation of the Eyegaze Computer System to write about his experiences as a stroke victim. With the help of his wife, Jean, his doctors, nursing personnel and friends, he learned to communicate his love for life, his anger, his frustrations, his anxiety, his hope, his belief in his future and finally his anguish because he was trapped in a body that he couldn’t use or control. This is the story of frustration, pain, sacrifice, dedication, and an enormous amount of love that brought about some small but life-giving victories to Pat and Jean.
"I did not know if he were dying or going to live, and if he did live, I didn't know in what condition he would be in. It was absolutely frightening, absolutely devastating." Jean said later as she reflected upon her life during those first uncertain moments following Pat's stroke and his hospitalization.
"I wanted him to live, yet at the same time, I didn't want him to just lie there unable to move or speak or eat. I didn't want him to live like a vegetable. The neurologist was very patient with me and told me what a brain stem stroke was and how it effected people. He gave me some hope early on that Pat might one day be able to sit in a chair and to move some, maybe even to lift himself from a wheel chair to the commode. In other words, he might be able to come home and become somewhat independent.”
Little did she know then that this would never happen, in fact, it soon became clear that no one, not even the doctors or nurses, knew at that moment what would become of him or of her or of the family. Her anxiety was at a peak.
She considered the options she had as she learned more each day about his condition. How would she deal with it? What impact would it have upon their two children? Would he ever be healthy enough to enjoy, even a little bit, their retirement in the small West Virginia city where they lived? Would they ever be able to travel as they had dreamed?
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
When Pat Riggs suffered a brain-stem stroke, he was left paralyzed with his mental abilities and memory intact.
In the intensive care unit, Riggs and his wife, Jean, learned to communicate via a basic but effective method: blink once for no and twice for yes. They talked using this method for many weeks until a speech therapist at a nursing home found a more sophisticated method for him to express his ideas, thoughts, and feelings.
Relying on the words of Riggs and on interviews with his wife, the author shares how the couple tackled the medical malpractice that contributed to the severity of his condition as well as the emotional and psychological challenges that dominated their last four years together.
Riggs remained the strong, driven man who rose from being a low-level manager to a senior vice president of a large company on Wall Street in New York. Despite his condition, writing helped him find hope and faith as he tried to make his way Out of the Fog.
About the Author
Pamela Power has worked with many people who have had major health crises. Seeing her father suffer a stroke and watching her mother help him through it have helped her minister to those during and after an extended illness. Her own husband died after multiple strokes. She has since remarried and lives with her husband, Chas, and son, Matt. The family has recently relocated to Custer, South Dakota where she serves as Senior Pastor at Custer Lutheran Fellowship. Prior to that, she served as Associate Pastor of Congregational Life and Pastoral Care at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Bismarck, North Dakota.