Chris Puglia
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Oct 30/02) - On April 11, the lives of Robert Nelson and his partner Sharon Clarke were turned upside down.

Robert Nelson: What he needed was not available in Yellowknife. - photo courtesy of Canadian Stroke Network

It began when Nelson, then director of highways with the GNWT, was on his way home from Fort Providence and stopped in Rae to do some work on a bridge.

The truck he and a colleague were driving got stuck in the snow and the two tried to push the vehicle free. It was then that a normal day began to go awry.

While pushing the vehicle, Clarke said, Nelson experienced what he described as 30 per cent vision loss in his right eye.

Believing the sight loss was complications from an earlier eye surgery or possibly a migraine, Nelson came home to Yellowknife, took some pain killers and went to bed.

Having difficulty sleeping he tried to have a warm bath. It was then he noticed something was terribly wrong.

"His side went numb," said Clarke.

The next day, Clarke rushed to Nelson's house when she was unable to reach him on the phone.

"I expected to find him on the floor," she said.

"When I got to him he was standing at the top of the stairs, but his arms were flopped to his sides and he couldn't say anything. I wasn't thinking it was a stroke because he could still walk. I think I was in denial."

When he went to Stanton Hospital it was determined Nelson had a carotid dissection, which is a tear in the left carotid artery in the neck. That particular artery supplies the main flow of blood to the brain.

The tear blocked blood flow to the left side of Nelson's brain.

"He suffered right side paralysis. The left side of your brain is the language centre as well, so Rob lost the ability to speak," said Clarke.

Nelson suffered what is called aphasia and apraxia of speech.

"You know when you forget someone's name. You know what it is but you can't say it, well, that's constant for Rob," said Clarke.

From April 15 to 24, Nelson was at the University of Alberta Hospital and then transferred to the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital in Edmonton and was discharged in early July.

More rehab needed

Clarke said Nelson required further rehabilitation, but in-patient services are very limited for stroke victims.

"They have to dislodge some people to admit more people. It's swamped. The services are not meeting the needs," she said.

"The goal is to get a person to functional independence.

"If you can feed yourself, clothe yourself, zip up your pants you are functionally independent. What functional independence doesn't look at is quality of life."

At 45 years old, Nelson still has half his life ahead of him, Clarke said, and functional independence isn't sufficient.

Clarke went to work finding another facility for Nelson. Unfortunately, she said, what they needed was not available in Yellowknife.

According to Clarke, Nelson would have only received two hours a week of speech therapy, occupational therapy and physical therapy here.

"The other thing Yellowknife doesn't offer is private services," said Clarke.

Those circumstance led the two to the Alberta Hospital in Ponoka, which specializes in brain injuries.

"I've relocated to Ponoka because he wanted me here and the doctor thought it was a good idea," said Clarke.

The move means the couple are paying bills in Yellowknife and Ponoka.

"I used up my holiday time and my sick time for the first three months. I have very supportive co-workers and a boss to allow me to be down here and work from here," she said. Clarke works in the communications office for the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs in Yellowknife.

She does think that Nelson would be better off in Yellowknife, however.

"I think Rob has an amazing network around him in Yellowknife. That is totally therapeutic to be among peers and friends and to be at home," she said.

Since his therapy started, Clarke said, Nelson has made great progress. His speech is returning and other abilities are slowly coming back.

She has no idea how long they will be in Ponoka she said while Nelson shows progress, he will remain at the hospital.

Clarke said she tries to keep her spirits up but it is hard sometimes.

"I think I melt-down periodically," she said.

"I brought my dog down, I tried to bring a bit of home with me and that helps."

Not a lot of need

Donna Zaozirny, Stanton Hospital operations manager, said services in Yellowknife are limited for stroke victims.

"Not a lot of people have strokes up here. We definitely have stroke victims but it hasn't been identified as a high need area in the NWT.

"It is a need but there are other ones that come out as a higher priority. Our services are dependent on the need for the population," she said.