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.
Poems of advice? Lyrical, but the stupid autocorrect intervened on “piece”… 🙂
Please convey my best wishes for a swift recovery to Mr. David.
Another fan and well-wisher here. Well done on being aware of the ongoing symptoms and making sure he got to hospital when he needed to get there. We don’t need to lose the gift of Peter’s writing yet. Please keep us updated, Kath, and make sure you stay rested up as well.
{{{{HUGS}}} to all.
Just heard the news.
PAD, know that our family will keep you and your family in our prayers!
I am a brazilian who loves Peter David’s work. I think he is one of the best writters we have in comic industry and I haven’t missed one single edition of X-Factor since the beginning.
I would like to wish him, to you Katheleen and to the girls my most sincerely feelings. I’ve never meet Peter, but his stories are a big part in my life and in who I am.
Best wishes, in the name of all Peter David’s brazillian fans.
I’m a longtime fan of Peter’s work, and I wish him and your entire family all the best. I’ll be thinking of him and hoping me makes a quick and full recovery. Take care.
-David C.
Best wishes to Peter and to the rest of the family. We hope and pray for a full and speedy recovery!
[…] In the Blink of an Eye | No Strings Attached 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 […]
Not to sound trite, but it could be worse. It’s good to hear that little seems wrong with Peter’s cognitive functions at this point, just motor skills. Hopefully physical therapy can fix much of that. I know the Baltimore fandom community is pulling for him, and I hope you all will be well enough to travel down to Shore Leave this year, if not Farpoint.
[…] Kathleen David’s Blog […]
Thoughts and prayers out to Peter and you!
Hi
An elderly neighbour of mine suffered what sounds like a similar stroke to Peter just over a year ago, but he also lost speech. A couple of days ago I was chatting to him as he walked his dog.
It takes a while and determination, but it can be done. I truly hope Peter does as well.
Best wishes for a speedy recovery Peter – I hope 2013 is better for you all.
Ian
Peter’s writing has been a big part of my life, and the one time I was lucky enough to meet him he was a real nice guy.
He seems very lucky to have a wife like you – best wishes out of Ontario, Canada.
Best wishes on his recovery!
The good news is that he is alive, thinking and communicating. He ought to be able to recover most of his movement. It’s definitely gonna affect his typing speed, and the speech issues precludes the use of voice recognition software for the time being. On the other hand, accessibility is built into the operating systems, so he will still be able to work.
Don’t let him work for a while, then set a timer – when the time’s up, work is over for the day. Start with 30 minutes, more if he can handle it, then increase by 2 minutes a day as long as he’s OK. This will let him work (because he’ll probably die if he doesn’t- his brain will explode if he can’t relieve the load), but also ensure he has time for therapy and family but also manages to make a living. Things could have been far, far worse, but if he does nothing OR taxes himself repeatedly, it will be.
I’ve met him at least a half-dozen times. Got a bunch of autographs and a stack of books waiting to be autographed. Plus, I’ve caught him at the right time to have a couple of good private conversations. He assisted me in the transition from fanboy to fan.I don’t agree with a lot of his politics, but he is an inspiration to writers everywhere. I still miss the ponytail.
I was a fan if Peter’s work before I was fully aware that people wrote comics. Best wishes for a safe recovery and thank you for the many years of hard work in the past and yet to come.
God bless you, Mr. David, and may you have a speedy recovery.
[…] writer of Peter David having a stroke. Kathleen (Peter’s wife) posted an update on her blog earlier […]
I am a 44-year old stroke survivor. Mine was a right temporal, so left side and speech were affected.
Please know that it’s a Hëll of a lot of work for not only him but for the entire team. Emotions are affected any time there’s a brain trauma, and sometimes it isn’t until a bit after the fact that you start to see the frustration and anger. For me, the memory issues and speech problems made me angrier than anything else.
Having said that–you can thrive afterwards. I am in far better health now than I was when I stroked out. I worked PT until I got back all I lost and even a bit more. Keep asking questions until you get real answers, and call in favors from the medical fans if you can.
Your husband’s work has brought me so much joy… I hope and wish for nothing but the best of results for you and him.
Here’s hoping that Peter bounces back from this “worst episode ever” and gets back to his regularly scheduled program. Best wishes to you, Kath, and your family. You have the support of an entire community.
I’m only a fan of Peter for only a few years. I’m happy to hear he his mind is working well at least. I pray for his health.
Having read X factor for the last two years I know a little of his daughters, with you, his wife, included I know he has many he loves and love him. I think that’s very important in a recovery process.
Best wishes from another Farpoint friend. You and the family are in my thoughts and prayers. Hang in there!
I am a 38 year old stroke survivor. I had it about six years ago. It was a small stroke, but it took me about a year before I was able to “work around it”, as you said. Understand that he will be going through some frustration in the meantime.
Praying for as quick a recovery as possible.
Wishing Peter a speedy recovery and wishing you all strength and positive vibes.
My best wishes for Peter’s recovery.
God bless you both, Kathleen. Praying for a quick recovery and strength during this trial.
Prayers for a full and fast recovery to you and yours, Mrs. David.
Prayers and blessings for healing and a quick recovery! Looking forward to hearing YOUR words, Mr. David, after you’re past this!
All the {{{healing vibes}}} I can muster!
The brain is more resilient than people used to think. Peter has the spirit and the courage to get through this. My thoughts are with him.
Wishing Peter a very healthy recovery! Best wishes to your family in 2013.
just another huge fan of PAD hoping for the best for him and the rest of your family
Hang in there, Peter. Docs do a lot better with strokes than 10 years ago
I am a big fan of Peter’s and once had the honor of sitting on a panel with him at Tropicon in South Florida. I am also a stroke survivor. I suffered and still do suffer from ocular migraines and out of the blue on 12/21/2000, I had a stroke. The week before I lost the vision in my left eye but it was blown off as another migraine. It wasn’t -sure it was a warning. Anyway I don’t want to go on about me but I do want to offer my help and encouragement any way I can. It took months of physical therapy, years if emotional therapy, and I still take blood thinners and see a neurologist on a regular basis. I understand the frustration Peter will feel when he wants to do things he used to do with ease. I had to relearn how to tie shoes and cut food and type….I still have some residual weakness but I made it back and Peter will too. Don’t let him give up. Understand his anger ans frustration. Email me if there is anything at all that I can do.
Euterpe and Jeff C – we were all so young. I was 38 at the time and mine wss a right parietal. We should form a cheerleading club for Peter!
All of our thoughts and prayers go out to Peter and to his family.
he is in my prayers for a speedy recovery.
Here’s rooting for you and Peter to get through this!
Best wishes for a speedy recovery.
I wish Peter as complete and speedy recovery as possible and my best wishes to all of you.
i will continue to hope and wish and pray for a speedy recovery for peter. being another long time fan of his work. though peter should expect at times some frustration trying to get back to pre stroke health since it will take time and a lot of work to heal . a swift recovery for peter.
Kathleen,
Please tell Peter he and his entire family are indeed in my thoughts. I am wishing as full and speedy a recovery as possible – and a happy and HEALTHY 2013.
Love and best regards – Barney Dannelke
Barbara and I wish you and Peter only the best, and hope that he will have a speedy recovery.
For what it’s worth: several of my relatives have had strokes, and it’s not true that he can never be back to what he was. As a number of other people have noted here, there will be a heartbreaking amount of work and a lot of frustration involved, but the brain CAN heal, actually. If you need a bit of “light” (hah!) reading, you might try Norman Doidge’s “The Brain That Changes Itself” — it’s not self-help, it’s actually a series of essays on medical issues and medical history and how people have started becoming aware of the brain’s plasticity and regenerative power. You can glean some ideas from it for cognitive exercises that help, too.
In other words, don’t give up. There’s plenty chance of improvement.
Kathleen, prayers and all good thoughts headed your way for you, Peter and your family and friends as you deal with this life roll.
Take care,
Karen Fonville
Thoughts & prayers from my family to yours. Mr. David’s writings were an outlet to the hëll childhood I had. If not for the universes he created in my mind, I may not have made it. The Hulk, Aquaman, Spiderman 2099, X-Factor.. I could go on. And as a father myself, I pass that love onto my boys. My oldest already loves Mr David’s Hulk & even reconized the ending of #467 in the Avengers movie & both have already went through two copies of Spiderman 2099 TPB. Best wishes.
All the best to Peter and the family all the way from Portugal. I hope than soon all will be well again.
If I were a religious man, I’d send all of you my prayers. But instead, all I can do is offer you and your family the warmest of wishes for a speedy recovery.
I’ve been a fan of Peter’s since Strike Zone in 1989. I met him once that year and again in ’93. He’s always been a class act. Please pass along my wishes for his speedy recovery.
Peter is one of the all-time greatest. I wish him a quick recovery.
I’m a longtime reader of Peter’s work – several deades – and occasional reader of his blog. I hope he makes a full and speedy recovery.