THORP, Wisconsin
After experiencing two smaller strokes, which were misdiagnosed by an E.R. doctor as migraine symptoms, Bills primary care physician referred him to Luther Hospital in Eau Claire.
On August 21 while awaiting an MRI, in the E.R. at Luther, Bill suffered five successive strokes in the span of an hour.
The MRI finally completed, revealed that the strokes Bill experienced were in both occipital lobes and both cerebella lobes, and also some in the right temporal lobe of his brain.
Bills last conversation with his wife was about 9:30 P.M. on the 21st, when Lisa told him the doctors were looking for the cause of the strokes, even checking to see if this was caused by a virus.
At 3:45 AM on the 22nd, Lisa entered Bills room to find his nurse quite concerned about the way his breathing had changed, and within the hour Bill was placed on life support and lapsed into a coma.
In the morning, tests revealed that Bills brain was swelling and the decision was made to place a shunt in his head to drain off the excess fluid.
On the morning of August 23, (the day the family refers to as Black Monday), at 6:30 AM, the Doctor approached Lisa with his prognosis as follows: We believe that within a matter of hours we ...
