The first time I met my neighbour Ken he was on his daily bike ride on the dike. He had dismounted to give our puppy Rosie a biscuit.
It was Ken's exuberant laugh and enthusiasm for life that I liked right away and "Ken" became one of Rosie's first words in her limited vocabulary.
It may have been the generous cookies he handed out, but more likely she sensed this retired anaesthetist who loved to fly small planes and work a ham radio was someone special.
When I saw the ambulance pull up in front of his house on a summer day two years ago, I knew something was wrong, but not exactly how wrong. Ken had experienced a hypertensive brain stem stroke and had collapsed on his kitchen floor.
He ended up in Royal Columbian Hospital undergoing brain surgery to stop the bleed. Thanks to a highly skilled medical team, new medication to control his hypertension and two months of rehab, he was able to go home, but he was a new man.
There would be no more daily bike rides, flying or driving, it was enough for Ken to walk around the block with a walker with his devoted wife Deanna by his side. His balance is permanently affected, his memory skills have declined and he tires easily.
Like so many stroke victims, Ken has experienced depression as it's the frustration of failing at a simple task like weeding the garden that hits him the most. Life will never be the same.
With the same determination and passion that led him into a 34-year medical career, he has taken on his rehabilitation with a vengeance. He's not done it alone. Ken credits the help of the Delta Stroke Recovery Society for achieving new heights of recovery.
For $60 a year, Ken has weekly access to fitness trainers, a gym, speech pathology sessions and brain games. On Wednesdays, Ken walks around Tsawwassen Mills with fellow stroke sufferers and shares accomplishments and failures.
Society co-coordinator Dawn Sillett says they've been active in South Delta for 20 years but a lot of people aren't aware they exist. She believes, "Recovery never stops, and there is always hope for progress because the brain can repair itself with just a little effort."
Ken has some advice for stroke patients too: "Stubbornness is a good quality, so never give up. Find something you're passionate about and pursue it to the best of your ability, monitor your blood pressure under the care of a good physician and never fear failure."
He has one simple goal: to walk unaided barefoot in the sand on the beach in front of his house. I am confident Rosie will find him on the beach one day and she will be excited to see her friend.
Life has changed for Ken, but he is still the vibrant, smart, funny devoted family man he's always been, and his community is helping him recover one step at a time.
Ingrid Abbott is a freelance writer and broadcaster who encourages anyone affected by a stroke in our community to email Dawn Sillett at dsillett@dccnet.com and get busy.
