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Wasting no time: Stroke may slow him down but won t keep him down

Staff reporter

Most everybody knows Tom McLinden of Marion — some by name, most by sight.

Nearly any weekend until the snow flies, people see Tom and wife Audrey on their Harley Davidson motorcycle, or visit the couple at their businesses — The Powder Keg and Custom Threads, downtown Marion.

Others may be familiar with Tom as a City of Marion employee, a community volunteer, or may know him because he's lived here all of his 52 years.

Regardless of how one might know Tom, all would agree that once you've met him, you don't soon forget him.

Life for Tom and his family changed during the early morning hours of Oct. 8.

Tom awoke at 1 a.m. to use the bathroom, and thought his right arm and leg were just "asleep."

He went back to bed and awoke at 3 a.m.

"I knew then that something was wrong," said Tom.

He didn't have any pain — just a "numbness" on his right side.

"I woke up Audrey and said, 'I think I had a stroke'," Tom recalled.

At 6 a.m., the couple decided to call an ambulance.

In hindsight, Tom said they should have called an ambulance right away.

"There's a drug that can be administered within three hours of stroke symptoms," said Tom.

The drug is a clot-buster called tPA. According to the American Stroke Association, only three to five percent of those who suffer a stroke reach the hospital in time to be considered for this treatment.

"I've put a lot of people in the back of ambulances," Tom said, serving as a reserve police officer, firefighter, and community volunteer. "I never thought I'd be riding in one."

Tom was examined at St. Luke Hospital. He maintained his wry sense of humor throughout the ordeal. While at the hospital, personnel performed a CAT scan on his brain.

"They said they didn't see anything," Tom said. "And I said, 'Wait a minute. You don't see anything?'" he said, inferring there was no brain at all. Of course, medical personnel was referring to a clot or hemorrhage that might have caused the stroke or further complicate Tom's condition.

It was determined he needed to be transported by ambulance to a Wichita hospital. He arrived later that morning at Via Christi Regional Medical Center-St. Francis campus, Wichita. An MRI and further diagnosis determined a blood clot had affected the left side of his brain.

Thus began the battle back.

As a result of the stroke, Tom had limited functions of his right arm and leg, which affected his ability to walk and care for himself. To complicate matters, Tom is a diabetic with a history of kidney and vision problems.

"I was diagnosed with diabetes six or seven years ago when I had a physical as a city employee," said Tom. Since then, he tests his blood sugar several times a day, takes medications, and has to watch what he eats. His kidneys are weak and he has had laser surgery on his eyes for cataracts — all a result of diabetes.

The second week following the stroke, Tom began physical and occupational therapy at St. Luke Hospital.

"Basically, I had to reprogram myself to use the right side of my brain for the right side of my body," Tom said, since the left side of the brain normally operates the right side of the body.

He was taught how to use his right arm and leg with his left arm and leg. He learned to roll on his right side, hook his left foot behind his right leg and pull himself up to a sitting position.

Not one to feel sorry for himself or be dependent on others for basic needs, Tom was determined to recover and obtain independence as quickly as possible. He began to make incredible progress from not being able to walk without assistance, to walking with a walker, to walking with a cane.

"Mary (Maloney, physical therapist at St. Luke Hospital) insisted I use a cane for walking," Tom said. "So at my next appointment, I came walking in to the therapy room, dragging my cane behind me."

That was when Mary and others began to realize that Tom was determined to recover as quickly as possible.

Doctors at Wichita told Tom and Audrey it could take a minimum of three months before Tom could walk again. Within two weeks, Tom was walking with a walker and within a month, he was walking on his own.

A shower seat enables Tom to bathe himself. Bed railings enable Tom get in and out of bed on his own.

He was released from therapy just before Christmas. He will continue therapy at home that includes walking and other exercises to strengthen his body and mind.

Therapy also includes electrodes that are attached to his right leg to stimulate those muscles. The couple has learned the importance of attaching the electrodes to the right muscles.

"I had a hard time at first determining the locations to place those little suckers," Tom said. "I stuck them on my leg where I thought they should go and turned on the juice. I didn't feel anything so I cranked it up higher. My leg shot out. I got a real jolt."

Since that episode, a black marker is used to indicate the specific locations. After each bath, Audrey re-applies the markings.

The only time Tom's speech was affected was shortly after he came home from the hospital.

"I was trying to say something and I knew what I was saying but it just didn't come out that way," Tom said. Otherwise his speech and memory has not been affected.

A few weeks ago, Tom started part-time at the city in the water treatment plant. Within a few days, Tom asked to work full-time.

Follow-up examinations include appointments with his primary physician once every three months. Tom continues to see a urologist for his kidney ailment.

Tom's quit smoking, cut back on alcohol consumption, watches his diet, and exercises. Even though doctors have advised Tom that it could take a full year to recover, Tom is determined to be on his Harley this spring.

The family is very appreciative of the support from the community.

"People in this town are super," said Tom. "Ten people came over and split and stacked wood for us."

Sometimes people are just driving by, and stop to help.

"I was going to climb on the roof to check the flue for the stove when Dave Silhan and then Dennis Bernhardt drove by. They both stopped and offered to help me," Tom said.

Tom is most appreciative of his family. It's difficult for him to talk about the gratitude he has for his wife of more than 30 years, and their daughters.

Without saying so many words, it's clear that Audrey is proud of her husband and continues to support him in his recovery.

So, through gratitude and a few tears, the playful teasing and sense of humor continues — just the way it's supposed to be.

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