It's a small word

It’s been five days now since my dad suffered a stroke and Meerkat has had time to reflect on what it means to be paralysed. 'Stroke' - it's such a small word that it is easy to not realise that it is such a devastating condition. All the MA knowledge in the world is useless when confronted by something that is more powerful than any punch or kick.
In the stroke ward, I was able to see first hand, how much of a lottery a clot to the brain can be. In some beds, there are people who cannot move at all – they need complete help for feeding, changing and toilet matters. In other beds there are those who can quite happily walk and move – but can’t remember their name and look lost and confused. For my dad, he is paralysed on his left side, but is thankfully not mentally impaired. After five days, he has regained some movement, but not much, and can talk fairly ok. He still needs help with bodily functions and everything else is a zillion times more difficult. It will be a very long haul to recovery with no guaranteed result.
One of the shocking sights on the ward is how young some of the patients are. I would say at least two look like they are in their mid-forties, maybe younger. Smoking, high cholesterol & high salt in diet, high blood pressure, illicit drugs like cocaine – all these things contribute to stroke. Observing the people in the stroke ward is a stark warning to everyone out there – live well, but live sensibly, or you too could be a victim, and sooner than you probably think.