The first of two parts.

By Doug Clark

Assistant Editor

On the evening of Wednesday, March 4, Stephen Strickland went into the bedroom of his sons, Pate and Drew, read them a story and got them ready for sleep. A little after 6 a.m. the next morning, Stephen woke up, let the family’s two dogs out and began to get dizzy.

“It was a normal night before,” said Caroline Strickland, Stephen’s wife of almost 10 years. “He let the dogs out, then he said that he heard a loud sound in his left ear and just got dizzy.”

Caroline said Stephen managed to make it to their bathroom and called her in. “He said he couldn’t make it back to bed,” she said. “That is when I knew something was wrong. I helped him get into bed; it was obvious that he was very sick.”

Emergency services was called, and by 7 a.m., Caroline and Stephen were on their way to the hospital, their two sons left in the care of their grandparents.

“The boys (who are ages 6 and 3) didn’t know anything that was going on,” said Caroline during an interview at the young family’s Lakewood Country Club home.

“Basically, they went to bed and then woke up and we were gone, and we didn’t come home until three months later.”

Stephen, who was immediately airlifted from Cape Fear Valley Medical Center in Fayetteville to the Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, had suffered what is called a cerebellum stroke.

The cerebellum is a region of the brain that plays an important role in the integration of sensory perception, coordination and motor control.

“We were all totally shocked,” the young wife said. “Nobody saw it coming on ... it was a real shock to all of us.”

By the time he arrived in Charlotte, it was clear that Stephen was in serious trouble. Caroline bravely recalls the story of that day with vivid details. The nightmare that began with dizziness just a few hours before had quickly progressed to a point where Stephen was clinging to life.

“Stephen had no gag reflex or anything — nothing,” Caroline said. “The doctor told us that he was on death’s doorstep. When I got there, the neurologist called me on my cell phone and he said He was getting ready to talk with the surgeon to see if they can do surgery. He said if they can’t (operate), there was nothing that they could do.”

Stephen had the first surgery that removed the bone flap at the back of his skull. “That helped, but the swelling was still there,” noted Caroline.

A week later, the Sampson County native went into surgery once again, “They had to go in and remove all of the dead brain tissue, so that was another really scary time,” she said. “After the two surgeries, doctors told us that Stephen has 20 to 30 percent of his cerebellum left.”

Caroline gently caresses Stephen’s hand as she recalls the horror of those three months. He is visibly upset as she offers details of the story of her husband’s 96 days in a Charlotte hospital.

Her husband, Caroline emphasizes, doesn’t remember anything about his harrowing experience.

“The doctor’s made us very aware that losing so much of his cerebellum would be compromising,” she said. “There was a time when he was in a coma and there was several weeks when he didn’t move anything at all. That is when we wondered. There was even a time that the doctors thought that he had Locked-in Syndrome and that was really, really scary. There were several times like that throughout the stay that were very touch-and-go.”

But there were also glimmers of hope that would keep the family’s spirits up, one being the time Stephen moved his left leg.

“He had been in the bed for several week and had not moved at all,” Caroline said. “We would talk with him and hold his hands. We would see little twitches, but nothing big. I was standing at the end of the bed and I saw his left leg move, and I started screaming, ‘Stephen, do it again’ and he did it again ... after that he got stronger and stronger. That was such a relief because they thought for a while that he had Locked-in Syndrome and it was really scary to think that would be his life, our life, especially for Stephen who is the most outgoing, personable person. All he wants to do is be around people. So that was a really hard time. It was such a relief to see his leg move that first time because there was hope.”

But the road to recovery was going to be a long one.

“He actually went to rehab the first time in April and then again at the end of that same month, he went back. He was there for about a week and they took his trachea out,” Caroline said. “Within a day or two, his airway got blocked and Stephen coded, and we were back in the emergency room. He was put straight back in the hospital. He was able to go back to rehab in May, and we stayed for five weeks.”

Caroline, who slept on the waiting room floor for the first three weeks Stephen was in Charlotte, said she put on a brave face as she watched her husband struggle to regain control over his senses.

“I remember when we took him to do therapy the first time. They put him on the mat for the first time and they went to sit him up; he couldn’t do it,” she said wiping a tear from her eye, “I just ... there are not any words to describe, I was just mad and I can remember just thinking that I couldn’t believe that he would have to learn to sit and walk and talk and do all of this all over again. That was really eye-opening. I guess that is the only way you could put it.”

But the progress Stephen has made since then has been nothing short of a miracle considering where he was just months before.

Although he uses a wheelchair, the young fathr of two has regained strength in his muscles, so much so that he can help himself out of a chair and even walk down a hall using a walker with assistance.

“He has really come a long way. It was hard because he had several infections,” said Caroline. “We came home June 11, working with Home Health Care therapy. Stephen will start out-patient therapy next week. He can help a lot now, he can help getting out of the chair ... he is getting stronger every day, and he can use the walker with help. He gets very tired, but he can. He can sit up now and hold himself up. When you think about that, and how far he has come, it has just been amazing.”

Caroline said hanging on to those little blessings along the way has helped.

Among those blessing was the support of the community, something the family was well aware of while Stephen was struggling.

“That is one thing that helped us and was very comforting to us,” she said. “We were away from home, and it was such a scary time, and just knowing that everyone was here just praying for us and thinking of us 24/7 — we didn’t feel so alone. It was overwhelming, but I wasn’t surprised because that is Stephen. That is just the kind of person he is. Everybody likes him. I don’t think he has ever met a stranger. He is just the nicest person in the world, and he would do anything to help anybody. Everybody was returning that to him. It was quite a testament to who he is and what people think of him.”

Driving up to the Strickland home, there are at least a half dozen signs that read. ‘Praying for Stephen. And looking at his home, with a new addition given out of love by businesses and individuals, it is crystal clear that many people have been — and continue to be — pulling for his recovery and helping him along the way.

“A lot of those signs are still up — it is just great,” said Caroline, “That means so much. When we are driving around, Stephen can see them, and he just loves it ... Right now the boys are so young, they don’t really realize all of the support, but as they get older, they are just going to understand how special Stephen is and how much everyone came together. I think that will be really good for them because it has been hard for them.”

Caroline pauses and says, “Thank you just doesn’t seem like it’s enough ... But we want everyone to know how much it is all appreciated.”

Coming Tuesday: The rooms a community’s love built

To reach Doug Clark call 910-592-8137 ext. 123 or send e-mail to sisports@myclintonnc.com.