On March 29, 2018, Larry Powell was out for dinner with his wife, Carol. It was a normal, enjoyable evening – nothing seemed out of order or different. All of a sudden, he knew something was not quite right. He looked to his wife and said, “I don’t think I’m okay,” and then collapsed.
Larry had been having headaches the months leading up to this incident, but after a few visits with his doctor, he brushed them off. Aside from that, he was a perfectly healthy 66-year-old man.
Carol immediately called 9-1-1 and Larry was rushed to Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare (TMH). Knowing the experts there would be able to take care of him, Carol met with Narlin Beaty, MD, a neurosurgeon at TMH and Tallahassee Neurological Clinic. Upon examination, Dr. Beaty diagnosed Larry with a large subarachnoid hemorrhage. A subarachnoid hemorrhage is a life-threatening stroke, caused by a ruptured brain aneurysm which leads to bleeding in the space surrounding the brain. This type of stroke is the most severe stroke a person can have and can cause major neurological deficits.
Due to the severity of his diagnosis, Larry had emergency surgery. In surgery, Dr. Beaty used a method called coil embolization to treat the bleed. This is an endovascular procedure, only performed in emergency situations, made possible by TMH’s investment in state-of-the-art catheterization labs and a highly skilled clinical stroke team. The surgery is executed by inserting a catheter into the femoral artery, near the groin, and guiding the catheter to the area of the bleed. Then, the coil is used to repair the aneurysm.
Despite the fear and anxiety Larry and Carol at the time, Dr. Beaty was there to reassure them, and their whole family through the process as well.
“Dr. Beaty is just the most amazing human being I have ever met,” said Carol.
While the procedure was successful, Larry was still in critical condition. Larry had even undergone cardiac arrest during the procedure. Dr. Beaty and his team worked hard to save his life and ensure he made it through. After surgery, he remained in the Vogter Neuro Intensive Care Unit (VNICU) at TMH for several weeks. His team of certified neuroscience nurses and dedicated caregivers watched over him each day as he slowly made progress. However, on April 21 he began to drastically regress. Larry was unable to respond to his family, or even give a thumbs up.
Dr. Beaty immediately examined Larry and diagnosed him with a hematoma on the outside of his brain. A hematoma is when localized bleeding occurs in or on the brain; a hematoma is not uncommon after intensive neurosurgery. Larry was rushed into another emergency surgery, this time to drain the excess blood in his brain.
As Larry’s condition stabilized and he began to improve, he was transferred to the Tallahassee Memorial Rehabilitation Center (TMRC). Although he wasn’t able to move or talk, he was still making good progress in his recovery.
Throughout the duration of his journey at TMH, Larry’s family never left his side. His wife and their five children stood by him, often acting as his voice when he was unable to speak. One of Larry’s daughters, Abby, even quit her job and moved from Gainesville to Tallahassee so she could help take care of her dad.
Thanks to his dedicated family, nursing staff and team at TMRC, he never fully lost his voice. While there, Larry encountered many challenges as he worked to regain his speech and strength, but with the help of his support system he never gave up on himself.
After weeks of recovery at TMH, it was time to bring Larry home so he could continue to improve with the assistance of Tallahassee Memorial Home Health Care.
“While I was only able to work with him for a couple of months, we saw such improvement from when he first came home from the hospital,” said Valerie Mason, speech language pathologist with TMH’s Home Health Care. “He was able to recall not only his personal information, but use strategies such as written reminders and calendars to assist in keeping him oriented throughout his day. This may not sound like much, but it means he went from being unaware of much that was happening in his environment to navigating throughout his day with minimal assistance from his wife.”
Larry’s road to full recovery was a long and often frustrating one. As he struggled to walk, he wondered if he’d be able to walk his daughter Abby down the aisle at her upcoming wedding. However, on September 15, Larry had the strength, determination and honor to walk his daughter down the aisle and also dance with her at her wedding.
"Larry and Carol are blessed. We are fortunate to have gotten to care for them and get to know them,” said Dr. Beaty. “Thanks to new innovative technologies at Tallahassee Memorial, Larry has returned home and we expect him to make a full recovery."
Larry still faces challenges, but he continues to grow stronger each day. Now, he and Carol live with a little more appreciation for the small victories and simple, easy days. Inspired by those who helped and supported his own recovery, Larry is now in training to do animal therapy at TMH with his dog, Asher. His comprehensive care team, including specialized rehabilitation nurses, speech language pathologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, animal therapy and music therapy, all had such an impact on Larry and his family. He can’t wait to give back and start helping other patients and families in his second chance at life.
