Nashauna Drummond, Staff Reporter
Franklyn Hussey, who suffered a stroke, winces as he does side raises to strengthen the right side of his body. - RICARDO MAKYN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
HE WAS young, vibrant and about to start the life he had always dreamed of. A final year marketing student at the University of Technology (UTech). Franklyn Hussey's plans were derailed when, in the summer of 2002, he suffered a stroke. The entire right side of his body was paralysed.
He was 29.
"I have to do it all over again," said Hussey, now 32, about simple motor functions such as walking, writing and speaking.
His mother, Lorraine Hussey, said she had the shock of her life the morning she realised what had happened to her son.
At first she thought he was sleeping and so, after calling out to him she went next door. On her return, he was still in bed.
"I thought he was sleeping," she said, adding that she went in the room and nudged him. He turned, looked at her and rolled off the bed. That was when she realised that something was wrong.
"I couldn't believe what I saw. I was going crazy. I was shocked, didn't know what was happening."
Hussey had suffered a Thrombotic stroke. The left cerebral hemisphere of his brain, which controls movement of the right side of the body, was damaged. Depending on the severity, a stroke affecting the left cerebral hemisphere may result in impairment of the right side of the body, including loss of motor skills, speech and memory.
He returned home after two weeks in the hospital but it was months before he was able to move or speak.
"Couldn't talk, couldn't laugh," he said in an interview last week. As if to show how far he had come, he smiled.
His mother added that his recovery was due to his determination to just get up out of bed and try to walk. "He didn't even use the wheelchair. His first words were, 'Mummy I love you'."
Hussey, who had plans to be a marketing manager, said he misses school "All gone down the drain. Can't get back those years moving up and down," he said.
STROKE UNUSUAL FOR THE YOUNG, BUT NOT UNHEARD OF
Dr. Omar Francis, Medical Officer at the Linstead Hospital in St. Catherine, said the major forms of stroke are haemorrhagic (ruptured blood vessel) or Thrombotic (blood clot). This deprives the brain of oxygen, resulting in the brain cells being damaged.
Dr. Francis added that it was unusual but not impossible for someone as young as Hussey to have a stroke. He noted, however, that young stroke victims would be prone to the condition, including those with rheumatic heart disease, infected endocarditis (infection of the heart) connective tissue disease (such as lupus or vasculitis), IV drug abusers, aneurysm (deformity of blood vessels), tumour, sickle cell disease and infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS.
ONE ON ONE RECOVERY
To improve the mobility in his right side, three months ago Hussey turned to Nicholas Pitt, a personal trainer at One on One Fitness Studio on Waterloo Road, St. Andrew.
Pitt said Hussey has made remarkable improvements. Hussey now walks by lifting his right leg instead of dragging it and is now able to extend his right hand completely over his head.
He encourages Hussey (who has become accustomed to doing everything with his left hand) to use his right hand, even for simple functions such as drinking a cup of water. He also said he had to work on Hussey's co-ordination - moving an object from his left hand to his right. Pitt added that physical therapy will always be a part of Hussey's life..
Hussey is now able to do all the exercises that he performed (except squats) before the stroke. However, he has to decrease the weights. Prior to his stroke Hussey was able to bench press 175 pounds, now he does between 45 and 65 pounds.
Hussey now works as a cashier in his father's auto supplies business in Portmore, St. Catherine. His mother said this has helped him tremendously, allowing him to improve his motor functions and improve his speech.
"Sometimes he talks about it and says, 'if I wasn't' like this what I would have achieved. Is it ever going to be better'?" At first there was a lot he couldn't remember but things are coming back," she added.
Dr. Francis said there will never be full recovery because of the amount of brain damage but motivation plays an important role in the recovery process.
MORE ABOUT STROKE
Men are at a slightly higher risk of suffering a stroke than women.
Direct causes of stroke are Athero Thrombotic emolic (clot form in blood vessel breaks), embolic from the heart (clot in the heart), haemorrhagic stroke (ruptured blood vessel in the brain), or vasculitius inflammation of the blood vessel (clot or rupture),
Risk factors include hypertension, smoking, diabetes, heart disease, obesity, excessive alcohol intake, steroids, high cholesterol, previous stroke, IV drug abuse, and infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS.
