In the Blink of an Eye
Posted By Kathleen David on December 31, 2012
As stated yesterday on his web log, Peter had a stroke. So we are at the beginning of what is going to be a long road. We have a diagnosis, which is a small stroke in the Pons section of his brain. Now we have to figure out where we go from here and how we get Peter back to what he was before the stroke. We know that a total recovery is slim because damage to the brain doesn’t go away but the brain can be trained to work around the damage and give Peter back what he has lost.
I am dealing with a lot of woulda, coulda, and shoulda issues right now. But we are where we are and we are working out a plan of recovery.
What happened was that we were in Disney Hollywood Studios having just had lunch at the Prime Time Café. We were walking to the front gate because we were off to Animal Kingdom to see a friend of ours perform in the Finding Nemo Show. Peter had been tired and also not sleeping well the past week or so. He had been taking naps in the afternoon to catch up on the sleep that was eluding him at night. He told me that he had blurry vision in his right eye. The way he described it to me sounded like an ocular migraine so we took him back to the Hotel and went onto Animal Kingdom. We got back and he was working on his next novel. We decided to go to dinner but he was still having a slight vision problem so I drove.
While at dinner I thought his speech was a bit slurred. He put it down to fatigue and his face always looked like that. That morning he couldn’t get his right leg to move correctly. He told us later that he had gotten up because he couldn’t sleep and tried to type and couldn’t get his hand to work correctly but he didn’t want to wake me up and alarm me. I called my mom with the laundry list of things. My mother said get him to a hospital NOW. We loaded him into the car and took him to Celebration Hospital at the recommendation of some friends.
Celebration Hospital did a great job of getting him in and starting treatment. His blood pressure was scary scary high so their first job was to get it back to closer to normal. They did some tests and a CAT scan to check for a stroke. The CAT scan didn’t show anything but they were going with their observations and the evidence that his blood work was not good and getting worse. The decision was made to transfer him down to Florida Hospital in downtown Orlando where they could do an MRI and some other tests Also Florida hospital has the best cardiac unit and they were worried that he had a heart attack or a cardiac episode (having told Peter that he might be having a cardiac episode, he put on his best comic guy voice and said, ”Worst Episode Ever.” So Ariel got to take “ride in an ambulance” off her bucket list as she went down to the hospital with Peter while I dealt with getting us out of our hotel room.
So I am betting that in this point of the narrative you, if you know our family, are asking where is Caroline while this is all going on. She was and is in Jacksonville with her sister and Peter’s eldest daughter, Shana. Currently we haven’t told her what is going on but that is going to change in the next couple of days. So she is having fun with big sister and her playmates in Jacksonville. Shana has been a rock in all this and a champ about taking care of her little sister while all this has been going on. I have been able to concentrate on Peter right now.
He went into the Florida Hospital in the Cardiac Care Unit as they try to ascertain what exactly happened. They did an MRI about midnight along with some other tests. They came to the conclusion that it was not a heart attack but a stroke and moved him to the neurology unit where he is now.
As he stated, he has lost most of the use of his right arm, his right leg is incredibly weak, the vision in his right eye is blurry, and the right side of his face is drooping slightly. But the brain is there with all its quips and quick retorts. He has had the nurses laughing a lot.
Today we figure out what the next step is and where it is going to happen. Tonight the New Year Begins and for us it is a very different beginning than we thought we were going to be having.
Thank you everyone for your good wishes, prayers and kind words. They do help. And BIG thank you to our Orlando buddies who have taken us into their houses and helped us deal with what is going on.
Continue to think good thoughts for Peter. This is not going to be easy for him or us but we will get through this together.
I am grateful that my husband is still alive.
I am very grateful for that as well!!! Kath, we’re only a couple hours’ drive away from you. If Peter or you need anything, you have all our numbers (landline and cell) and email addresses. If Peter needs someone to do typing for him, I can certainly get over there on weekends, weather permitting. Any other errands, please, please don’t hesitate to call us and we’ll do whatever we can. We love you both and want to help however you need us to.
Best wishes for a full and speedy recovery for Peter!
Peter was the first comic writer whose work I followed, one of the first I ever interviewed, and was always supportive of me as I stepped into my role at Newsarama. I’m thinking and praying for him and all of your family.
Kathleen,
My prayers and well wishes go out to you, Peter and the rest of your family. Here’s hoping for a very speedy recovery for one of my favorite writers and, from what I’ve been able to tell, a fantastic guy.
-Marc
[…] Writer Peter David’s wife Kathleen has more on the stroke he underwent while vacationing at Disney World: […]
[…] More info about Peter David's stroke. My amateur neurologist take on it is that it sounds like his cognitive capabilities won't be seriously impaired (his ability to come up with a quick pun – even a bad one – is a very good sign for his linguistic skills). He may regain the use of his right arm spontaneously, but more likely it'll take weeks or months of occupational therapy (and some physical therapy for the leg) to recover his physical abilities, and not 100%. In the Blink of an Eye | No Strings Attached […]
Sending good thoughts and prayers your way.
I’m a big fan of Peter’s work and have suffered strokes in close family in the last year so know the challenges. When you have time take a look at this, it’s a new treatment that has some very positive results in Florida. http://www.strokebreakthrough.com/videos/new-stroke-breakthrough/
Rest assured this isn’t spam, I don’t even live in the US or have anything to do with the medical industry (as a Brit with free healthcare I don’t even like typing that term) but saw it in the newspaper the other day and with two stroke victims in the family it raised a lot of interest.
All the best.
I sincerely hope everything goes for the better as soon as possible
Ma’am, I don’t believe I’ve met you, and I’ve only met Peter a couple of times, but I am a huge fan of his work (to the point that I wrote a comedy song about his Babylon 5 episode), and I think he’s just a great guy. I am thinking good thoughts for both of you, with hope taht everything works out as well as it can, as quickly as it can. Please be well.
Tom Smith
Kathleen,
Please let Peter know that Kara and I are keeping Peter in our thoughts, hoping for a best possible outcome to this situation.
// Dave
Thanks for the update Kathleen. Definitely a very scary situation.
Best wishes from me and everyone else here in Phoenix for a speedy recovery.
Lee Whiteside
Kathleen, it’s always tempting to say “if there is anything we can do_______” in these situations when, in fact, there is probably very little any of us CAN do…but if I’m wrong and there is ANYTHING that those of us who have loved and cherished your family and the nice little gathering place you’ve made for us here (I count several people I’ve met here as my dearest and most loyal friends) please let us know what that would be.
My heart goes out to you.
Kathleen,
Anything you guys need…I’m here. Of course, here is more than 1500 miles away, but still…
++rich
All good thoughts for a strong recovery. And Kath, take care of yourself. You’ll need food, sleep and whatever calm you can muster.
Marv & Noel
Thoughts and prayers with you and Peter and family, of course.
Sending good wishes for a speedy progress. Strokes are a long road, but I have at least two friends who have made a full recovery, and one friend who’s still on the road back.
May your year be as full of joy as it can be in the new circumstances.
I know I’m echoing almost everybody here, but if there’s anything I/we can do from over here in NJ, please don’t hesitate to ask. As I said on Peter’s site yesterday, my dad had a stroke a few years ago and made a full recovery (even with Parkinson’s on top of it!), so I’m holding out lots of hope here for a great recovery for Peter. Lots of love to all.
I’ve been around more that a couple people who’ve had right sided strokes: that his personality and his speech are intact, and that his leg, though week, is usable–is a pretty good sign that he’ll pull though. Hopefully, he’ll get the right medical care to help him recover and to find out the underlining causes-the eye problems could have been TIA’s (mini warning strokes.) Warm wishes and quick rehab!
Our thoughts and prayers are with you. Please thank Mr. David for all the wonderful stories he’s given us over the years. I started reading Peter David when I was 7 with Spider-Man 2099 and I just got my fiance into him with his run on Supergirl (she’s been tracking them down and only needs 6 more!). It’s wonderful to see such a supportive family by his side. Thank all of you so much for everything you’ve done and we will pray for you.
Good to hear his brain is still there. That was the first worry I had.
Mr. David is one of the first comics writers I liked and deliberately followed from project to project. Best wishes to you, to him, and to your family.
Kathleen,
Big fan of Peter’s (especially his stuff on Young Justice and more recently, X-Factor), it does not surprise me one bit to hear he is still making everyone laugh!
My grandma JUST had the exact same situation right down to the hospital worrying about it being a heart issue and it turning out to be a brain issue – I can’t imagine how you must be feeling right now, but stay strong and I’ll be praying for a quick recovery.
Thoughts and prayers go out to you and your family. Peter has been a staple in my life for years now, and I can’t imagine not reading his work for years and years to come.
I’m a fan of Peter’s work, but a bigger fan of Peter — the man is a mensch and we’re lucky to know him. All best wishes and prayers for his recovery and your family’s care.
I just realized what had happened to Peter, I felt as if was one of my uncles that got sick, I really enjoyed his work on X-Factor and the way he writes the introduction to it; it reflects a great joy for life and now I’m feeling a bit sad and got my eyes wet for him, it’s the power of touching lives from afar. I hope he fully recovers from the stroke, I don’t know how you could write this entrance after all what you and your family had just been through. It’s so nice that you keep us cool about his current condition. I send all my love to Peter and you, kathleen, and his family. I just gotta add that my english is a bit rusty but i hope you got it as I meant it.
Thanks so much for keeping us updated. It sounds like he’s getting the best possible care. I know you have to have a million things pulling you in every possible direction right now, bit please don’t forget to take care of yourself.
I’m sorry to hear about this, but glad that Peter is taking things as much in stride as is possible. Here’s to hoping that 2013 sees him completely recover with the loving support of his family and the well wishes of us in fandom!
You, Peter, and all your family are in my thoughts. Best wishes.
I second everything Bill Mulligan says above.
I’ll join the other voices in saying if there is anything needed, please don’t hesitate to post it. A lot of people feel like we are part of your family thanks to your husband and his work.
All my best wishes for your whole family. Like Bill said, if there is anything we CAN do, let us know.
[…] a stroke over the weekend. He’s recovering in the hospital, and according to his wife, Kathleen, he seems to be doing OK, aside from his right eye, arm and leg. He’s still making jokes and […]
I was going to type a message here, but I’m in a public place, and I don’t want to start crying.
Only Peter David could take something like that in a such a positive way. I’m glad. That will help a lot in the recovery. Best wishes from Spain. We are with you in Dolmen Editorial my friend
My thoughts and prayers are with you and Peter! I have been a fan of Peter’s for a very long time. He’s one of the first comic book writers I became aware of and hIs writing continues to influence my own writing aspirations. I pray for his speedy recovery.
Peter is one stubbornly determined fellow and I feel sure that he will do what’s needful to retrain his right side. Creepily enough I have a aunt who had a stroke a week previous to his. She is in her 80’s but expected to recover well. That is of course after a month or two of re-hab. Best wishes to Peter and his family as this is a real challenge to deal with.
As a old auction going con buddy, I too think of Peter as nearly family.. That’s what some people for whom you care about but see only rarely due to physical locations sometimes become. Better to be fan family than a mere acquaintance. Recover soon.
Prayers and good thoughts ascending!! With love, David and David.
I wish you and the rest of the family luck, and good health. Long time fan of Mr. David. Get better!
Kathleen, please tell Peter that his fans will have him in his thoughts constantly. At least this one will. 🙁
Wishing Peter and family all the best.
One of the legion of Peter’s fans
Kathleen,
You are a wonderful wife to PAD, I know my wife would be doing the same stuff you are. My wife and I wish him the very best. I remember the two times I met your husband at a comic signing and I was very excited. I also remember when he commented about my wedding in Disney World. My wife and I figured the stroke happened in Disney because you guys seem to be big Disney World fans too. It is a great thing that they have great hospitals there. This up coming year will be a challenge no doubt but he has the very best people around him. Please remember to take care of yourself too.
Hi Kathleen,
I’m so sorry about Peter’s stroke, but glad to hear that his spirits and wit both seem to be high. Our thoughts will be with you both in the coming days and months.
— Troy
Kathleen, so very happy to hear it was no worse. Peter is loved by so many people and will have so much good thoughts directed his way. Even those of us who know him primarily through his writings care so much. A qucik recovery to him and much strength wished to you! 🙂 mike
Kathy, most of my 33 years in nursing were spent on cardiology units and I can empathize with what you and David are facing. As such, I can also picture your husband telling a lot of tall tales to the nurses and staff! Believe me we love that kind of stuff. I am happy to hear that you all have a wonderful support system. It will be needed over the long haul. I will lift a special prayer for David’s recovery so that your special love can see many more days.
I’ve been a fan of your husband’s writing since his Star Trek: TNG Novel days. He gave me my first ‘professional’ feedback, when I participated in his Potato Moon round robin and it really meant a lot to me.
My heart goes out to all of you, and my prayers for a full and speedy recovery.
It’s better news than I expected, Kath. I’ve been worried stupid. More stupid than I already was, which takes doing. My love to my Evil Twin, and get well soon, I’ve had two other friend who had strokes and recovered, and a third who manages, but he’s in his nineties… so I have hopes that Peter will make a full recovery.
So sorry to hear this happened, but it’s good to know there are promising signs and a good, loving supportive family behind Peter. Wishing him a quick and complete recovery- Peter has legions of fans, such as myself, who are all pulling for him.
So glad it wasn’t worse. Keeping you all in our thoughts. If you need help w/ resources or Ariel needs help back at school, please give us a call.
Kath:
Glad to hear things are relatively under control… Heather’s mom went through a similar strokes earlier this year, so the only real poems of advice I can share is to make sure Peter keeps up the physical therapy that he’ll eventually go through…
Wish you guys both all the good wishes I can send – we’re all in your corner…. 🙂
John & Heather
Get better, Peter!