From Crisis to Recovery

Tammy Grime's Stroke Journey: From Crisis to Recovery

How rapid medical care and therapy helped her regain independence.

Tammy Grimes opened her eyes and found herself in a hospital bed. Her husband, Marshall, sat beside her, and she struggled to remember what had happened. Slowly, fragmented memories began to return. The night before, she had gone to bed at her usual time of 9 p.m. Around 3 a.m., she woke up with pain in her left leg. Attempting to walk it off, she found she couldn’t move properly. Though she thought it was odd, she managed to fall back asleep.

That morning at 5 a.m., she hobbled to the kitchen for her coffee, and then she realized she couldn’t drink it—her lips wouldn’t move properly. Alarmed, she called for her husband, who immediately rushed her to Boone Hospital Center’s Emergency Department. As they entered, he spotted a sign listing the warning signs of a stroke. Recognizing Tammy’s symptoms, he pointed to the sign and told the front desk attendant, “She has all of these.”

Tammy was rushed into a treatment room, where doctors quickly confirmed she was experiencing a right pontine ischemic stroke. A right pontine ischemic stroke occurs when blood flow to the right side of the pons, a crucial part of the brainstem, is blocked due to a clot or narrowing of the blood vessels. Tammy was stabilized and then taken to a recovery room to receive supportive care and rehabilitation.

“I stayed in the hospital for a week, but it didn’t feel like that. Everything was such a blur. My whole left side didn’t work well. I couldn’t walk or take care of myself—it was overwhelming,” Tammy recalls.

Following her discharge, Tammy was prescribed outpatient Occupational Therapy (OT) and Physical Therapy (PT) at Boone Therapy—something she describes as a blessing.

OT and PT played a crucial role in helping Tammy regain her independence. PT focused on physical movement, helping her rebuild strength, balance, and coordination so she could walk and perform daily tasks safely. OT addressed fine motor skills and cognitive recovery, teaching her how to dress, eat, and even type again—an essential skill for her job as a paralegal. Both therapies used repetitive exercises and adaptive techniques to promote neuroplasticity, allowing her brain to rewire itself and regain lost function.

“I was devastated by how little I could take care of myself,” Tammy shares. “I have a daughter and a 4-year-old granddaughter that we are very involved with. I knew I could hardly take care of myself, much less care for my granddaughter.”

Tammy’s PT Wes Glenn says many patients can be overwhelmed by the recovery before them after a stoke. The Boone Therapy team works with patients to develop individualized plans to meet their goals.

“There are so many questions that most people have in this situation: When will I get better? What is the timeline of recovery? When can I drive again? What should I do to be safe? Is there any special equipment I need? What questions SHOULD I be asking? A physical therapist may not know everything, but they are a great resource for organizing information, reducing stress, and providing direction for patients,” Wes said.

In OT, she worked tirelessly to regain her independence. Over the course of six weeks, she progressed from struggling with basic self-care to dressing herself and even typing on a keyboard again.

“OT taught me everything I needed to get my life back,” she says.

In PT, Tammy focused on rebuilding her strength and mobility. “When I started, I was in a wheelchair. Then I moved to a walker, then a cane, and now, I can walk on my own.”

Tammy’s biggest motivation in therapy was regaining the ability to care for and play with her granddaughter. She and Wes worked hard to make that happen.

“Wes was a great motivator, listener, and really cared about me. Without his help, I do not know what I would have been able to accomplish. He is the BEST in my eyes, and I am very grateful to him,” Tammy said.

Now, after eight months of PT, Tammy has regained almost all of her abilities.

“I do my exercises at home, and I can now do almost everything I could before my stroke,” she says proudly.

Her favorite milestone? Being able to play with her granddaughter.

“We go to the park, and I can climb on the jungle gym with her. We even play horsey on the floor again!” she says with a smile.

Tammy’s journey is a testament to the power of early medical intervention, determination, and therapy in stroke recovery.

Her story serves as a reminder that, with the right support and perseverance, it is possible to regain independence and return to the activities that bring joy and purpose to life.

By Madison Loethen