A Stroke of Good Luck, and Much More

A Stroke of Good Luck, and Much More

Commentary by Pete Haug

Ten days ago Jolie was making lunch in the kitchen. Then she wasn’t.

“Peter, I need you,” she said from a chair in another room. I found her slumped sideways in the recliner. “I’ve got a splitting headache behind my right eye.”

I ran next door to our daughter Linda’s house. We half carried Jolie to the car and headed for Pullman Regional Hospital emergency room. We phoned Linda’s husband, Brad, who works at the hospital. Brad met us outside the ER with a wheelchair. He had arranged everything.

A CAT scan revealed Jolie had experienced a stroke. “We have what we call ‘clot-buster’ medicine,” the doctor said, “but it has side effects, and it has to be administered within three hours after onset. You’ll have to decide.”

We were barely within the window. All three of us said, “Go for it!” The obvious effect of the stroke had been impairment of Jolie’s eyesight; she had blind spots. The intravenous medication seemed to relieve some symptoms, and vision improved partially as we waited.

However, higher-resolution scanning equipment was needed to monitor for possible brain bleeding due to that medication, so they helicoptered Jolie to Spokane’s Sacred Heart Hospital.

Enroute the nurse asked whether this was Jolie’s first helicopter flight. “Yes,” she replied.

“Mine, too,” came a voice from the dark. “That’s the pilot,” explained the nurse. A little levity goes a long way!

On Saturday, all our kids, Linda, Dan and Tom, joined me in the Intensive Care Unit to visit the patient, two at a time. All systems were go, except the eyes. They were better, but still not functioning completely. Jolie would have to see an ophthalmologist as soon as possible after release. She’ll have to wait at least three months before driving, and then only after being tested.

They moved Jolie from the ICU that evening. By noon Sunday, they released her, and we brought her home. From stroke onset to release, it had been 48 hours. As she later wrote to many friends, “The staffs of both hospitals were wonderful — as were the folks on the helicopter. Good care, and obvious caring. Dan drove me home on Sunday, and my ‘blind spots’ seem to be shrinking. Will keep you posted. Meanwhile, all prayers are very welcome.”

Follow-up and Outlook

Sunday night, I emailed Dr. Alyssa Hoehn, our ophthalmologist in Moscow, explaining the situation and requesting, if possible, that she see Jolie sometime in the upcoming week. Her early Monday email read, “I am so sorry to hear your wife had a stroke. Glad she is home and seems to be recovering well. I can absolutely see both of you this week. Let me know what day works the best for you and I will see to it that we get you in!”

On Wednesday, after a thorough examination, Dr. Hoehn said she thought Jolie had a good chance of complete recovery. On Friday, one week after her stroke, Jolie walked 2/3 of a mile on the treadmill, and on Saturday, she continued to recover nicely.

Faith and Values

SpokaneFāVS provides an outlet for a broad spectrum of diverse spiritual perspectives, religious and non-religious. This is very important for our tiny Baha’i community in the Palouse region because it allows us, as a small minority, to share ideas equally with mega-communities.

In this case, as often happens when there is a need for prayers and other support, the Baha’i community quickly shared news about Jolie’s stroke within our network of friends around the world. Some requests reached China, where we taught English for 11 years, as well as other countries. Heartfelt responses and promises of prayers have poured in, many from friends of other spiritual perspectives.

The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States, this country’s chief Baha’i administrative body, assured Jolie of prayers on her behalf. They sent a response directly to Jolie with a copy to me in case she was unable to read their letter.

This prayer by the Bab, Baha’u’llah’s forerunner, speaks simply and eloquently to our situation and seems to capture the essence of what prayer can be — acquiescence to God’s will as we understand it:

O Lord! Unto Thee I repair for refuge, and toward all Thy signs I set my heart. O Lord! Whether traveling or at home, and in my occupation or in my work, I place my whole trust in Thee. Grant me then Thy sufficing help so as to make me independent of all things, O Thou Who art unsurpassed in Thy mercy!

Bestow upon me my portion, O Lord, as Thou pleasest, and cause me to be satisfied with whatsoever Thou hast ordained for me. Thine is the absolute authority to command.