Gordon Lightfoot Forums - View Single Post - Lightfoot Concert Cancelled. Sept 16, 2006.

Gitchigumee · 09-21-2006, 10:03 AM

OK as I laid down to sleep last night, I said a prayer for Gordon's health and well being. And then, because I agree that this thread has become very depressing, I decided to do something about it.

Since I have a little knowledge about strokes, I thought I'd share my experiences of the past few months.

My father, who is 12 years older than Gord, suffered a "mild" stroke on Mothers Day in May. It affected his left side. How strokes work, if it's the right side of the brain, it affects the left side of your body. And if it's the left side of the brain, it affects the right side of the body AND your speach, swallowing abilities, etc. Since Gord's right hand was affected, it was obviously the left side of his brain. Now...his speach wasn't affected at all (praise the Lord), and I can tell you from personal observation of him on Sunday night in Minneapolis, that his legs were not affected at all either. He stood during the entire concert, even though 3 of his band members were sitting. So that is GOOD NEWS!

Other than perhaps being a surgeon, I cannot imagine an occupation that would be hindered more by a stroke, than being a guitar player. Gord was able to play a little, and to my untrained eye, he appeared to still be playing more than most people (like me) would be able to do. Of course he wasn't up to his normal playing capabilities, and I think that it must be very frustrating for him--kind of like losing your eyesight if you're a painter. HOWEVER, like I said in a previous post, he was very upbeat, kept flexing his hand and saying that he felt encouraged that the feeling was going to come back.

One thing I always thought about strokes was that they were like lightening flashes, and then they were done, and maybe some of them are, but the one my dad had lasted for about 48 hours. It started with his middle finger on his left hand going numb, and then it was his hand, arm, and leg. The left side of his face did not droop, but his left eye wouldn't stop watering. Because my dad had heart surgery a few years back, he is on a blood thinner and was not a candidate for the reversal drug they sometimes give stroke victims. I suspect, because of his prior health issues, Gordon may also have NOT been a candidate for the reversal drug. What we were told with my dad is, that if you get to the Dr. w/i 3 hours of the onset of the symptoms, then they can give you a drug to reverse the effects of a stroke. But like I said, my dad was not a candidate for that and I doubt Gord was either.

The MRI my dad had, and which I believe Gord had, was to see if there had been any bleeding on the brain. In my dad's case, there was none. In Gord's case, there must not have been any either, which is VERY GOOD NEWS because that can be really, really bad.

I think it is very common for stroke victims to go through depression afterwards. What helped my dad overcome this was, when he was going through physical therapy, he saw people much younger than him that were in much worse condition. He saw how bad it could have been, and was determined to "come back" all the way. I was so proud of the way he became a role model for the other patients. Now it has been about 4 months since his stroke happened, and I would say he is about 90% back to the way he was before the stroke.

As in the case with all of us worrying about Gordon, and as was the case with my father, I found myself worrying incessantly about subsequent strokes occurring. Unfortunately, it is difficult if not impossible to predict if more strokes will occur. I finally resolved myself to the fact that if it happens, it happens, and there's nothing we can do about it. All we can do is live each day to the fullest, enjoy our time together, and hope for the best. We cannot let the situation depress us to the point where we cannot enjoy life, but instead must be thankful for the time we have together. Perhaps the most encouraging news of all with my dad, is that he has had NO SUBSEQUENT STROKES, and God willing, neither will Gord!

I think if we all knew more details about Gord, we would probably feel a bit better about this situation. Unfortunately, Gord probably doesn't know much more than we do, and besides, it is a private thing that Gord and his circle of family & friends will have to deal with. We can all pray that Gordon will return to full health and be able to continue reaching out to his "extended family" through more concerts and more songwriting for many, many years to come.

Sorry for the length. I hope it helped some of you make peace with this situation.

[ September 21, 2006, 10:18: Message edited by: Gitchigumee ]

09-21-2006, 10:03 AM	#79
Gitchigumee Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 504	OK as I laid down to sleep last night, I said a prayer for Gordon's health and well being. And then, because I agree that this thread has become very depressing, I decided to do something about it. Since I have a little knowledge about strokes, I thought I'd share my experiences of the past few months. My father, who is 12 years older than Gord, suffered a "mild" stroke on Mothers Day in May. It affected his left side. How strokes work, if it's the right side of the brain, it affects the left side of your body. And if it's the left side of the brain, it affects the right side of the body AND your speach, swallowing abilities, etc. Since Gord's right hand was affected, it was obviously the left side of his brain. Now...his speach wasn't affected at all (praise the Lord), and I can tell you from personal observation of him on Sunday night in Minneapolis, that his legs were not affected at all either. He stood during the entire concert, even though 3 of his band members were sitting. So that is GOOD NEWS! Other than perhaps being a surgeon, I cannot imagine an occupation that would be hindered more by a stroke, than being a guitar player. Gord was able to play a little, and to my untrained eye, he appeared to still be playing more than most people (like me) would be able to do. Of course he wasn't up to his normal playing capabilities, and I think that it must be very frustrating for him--kind of like losing your eyesight if you're a painter. HOWEVER, like I said in a previous post, he was very upbeat, kept flexing his hand and saying that he felt encouraged that the feeling was going to come back. One thing I always thought about strokes was that they were like lightening flashes, and then they were done, and maybe some of them are, but the one my dad had lasted for about 48 hours. It started with his middle finger on his left hand going numb, and then it was his hand, arm, and leg. The left side of his face did not droop, but his left eye wouldn't stop watering. Because my dad had heart surgery a few years back, he is on a blood thinner and was not a candidate for the reversal drug they sometimes give stroke victims. I suspect, because of his prior health issues, Gordon may also have NOT been a candidate for the reversal drug. What we were told with my dad is, that if you get to the Dr. w/i 3 hours of the onset of the symptoms, then they can give you a drug to reverse the effects of a stroke. But like I said, my dad was not a candidate for that and I doubt Gord was either. The MRI my dad had, and which I believe Gord had, was to see if there had been any bleeding on the brain. In my dad's case, there was none. In Gord's case, there must not have been any either, which is VERY GOOD NEWS because that can be really, really bad. I think it is very common for stroke victims to go through depression afterwards. What helped my dad overcome this was, when he was going through physical therapy, he saw people much younger than him that were in much worse condition. He saw how bad it could have been, and was determined to "come back" all the way. I was so proud of the way he became a role model for the other patients. Now it has been about 4 months since his stroke happened, and I would say he is about 90% back to the way he was before the stroke. As in the case with all of us worrying about Gordon, and as was the case with my father, I found myself worrying incessantly about subsequent strokes occurring. Unfortunately, it is difficult if not impossible to predict if more strokes will occur. I finally resolved myself to the fact that if it happens, it happens, and there's nothing we can do about it. All we can do is live each day to the fullest, enjoy our time together, and hope for the best. We cannot let the situation depress us to the point where we cannot enjoy life, but instead must be thankful for the time we have together. Perhaps the most encouraging news of all with my dad, is that he has had NO SUBSEQUENT STROKES, and God willing, neither will Gord! I think if we all knew more details about Gord, we would probably feel a bit better about this situation. Unfortunately, Gord probably doesn't know much more than we do, and besides, it is a private thing that Gord and his circle of family & friends will have to deal with. We can all pray that Gordon will return to full health and be able to continue reaching out to his "extended family" through more concerts and more songwriting for many, many years to come. Sorry for the length. I hope it helped some of you make peace with this situation. [ September 21, 2006, 10:18: Message edited by: Gitchigumee ] __________________ "There was a time in this fair land when the railroad did not run. When the wild majestic mountains stood alone against the sun. Long before the white man, and long before the wheel. When the green dark forest was too silent to be real."