Something as simple as a touch of a hand and some comforting words brought Julie Pfankuch from hopelessness to being hopeful. That’s what helped Pfankuch on her long path to recovery from a stroke and now, years later, Pfankuch is spreading that hope at AdventHealth Parker Hospital with their new Stroke Peer Visitation Program.
“Not knowing what’s coming down the road for you and the struggles… just sharing that with someone can make a big difference,” said Pfankuch.
One of the most common post-stroke complications is depression. A 2023 study published in the federal National Institutes of Health’s National Library of Medicine found that the prevalence of post-stroke depression is high, is often underestimated and tends to occur months after stroke.
Recently retired from the hospital, Kimberly Roth was the stroke coordinator at AdventHealth Parker. Throughout her nearly two decades at the hospital, she saw the number of stroke patients at the hospital increasing.
In recent years, AdventHealth Parker has treated upwards of 350 to 400 stroke patients a year.
“We were really good at taking care of the acute phase of stroke, but then I knew we needed a stroke support group,” Roth said.
Roth began the process of establishing a stroke support program six years ago. She said it didn’t matter where the patients were being treated, but if they were a member of the community and could benefit from the service, they were welcome.
Monthly support group meetings started, introducing Roth to Pfankuch. Around the same time, the hospital’s stroke program had been named one of the best in the state.
“One of the things we felt like we still could do is use our stroke survivors in some capacity,” said Roth.
As doors continued to close on the idea, Roth began her masters where she studied literature and saw the overwhelming need for this kind of support. Finally, a door opened. Not knowing Pfankuch’s story of hope, Roth wanted her to be a part of the program.
A story of hope
In 2016 Pfankuch was a picture of health. She had a full-time job and was planning to run a triathlon with her daughter. Then, days before Christmas, her life forever changed. She remembers looking at the clock. It was 7:05 a.m. She reached for the door, but her left leg failed and she noticed she felt “fuzzy.”
One of her son’s friends was staying with her. She called for him. Pfankuch was initially reluctant, but her son’s friend called an ambulance after noticing the left side of her face drooping and her inability to raise her left arm.
Pfankuch had suffered an ischemic stroke, which accounts for about 87% of all strokes, according to the American Stroke Association. An ischemic stroke occurs when the blood supply to brain tissue is blocked by a blood clot.
Pfankuch was administered tPA, or tissue plasminogen activator, which is a clot-busting drug that is used to help treat ischemic strokes when given within a few hours of the first symptoms.
“You only get about four and a half hours to get it,” said Roth. “That’s why Julie looking at that clock was important.”
Although Pfankuch didn’t lose any cognitive abilities, she became paralyzed on the left side of her body – and still is to this day. She also learned that she is among the 25% of cases where doctors don’t know what caused the stroke.
Pfankuch was in the ICU for a week and all she could think about was what was going to happen next.
“That was probably the worst week of my life,” said Pfankuch. “Trying to figure things out and I was just in despair.”
While in the ICU, Pfankuch was visited by many people, but one in particular changed her way of thinking. Her daughter had asked Pfankuch if her friend’s father could come by.
“He came in and sat down and he held my hand,” Pfankuch said.
The man, a pilot, had a stroke five years prior while flying an F-16 for the U.S. Air Force. As he told her his story of having a stroke while flying and being guided to ground by fellow pilots and then recovering, were words of encouragement to know that life is not over. Pfankuch found comfort in him.
Hope after stroke
Pfankuch – along with her service dog, Ollie – is now one of three peer visitors at the hospital. Nurses look to see if the program would benefit stroke patients as they arrive and the peer visitors meet them before they are discharged.
In April, Pfankuch met with a man in his 50’s who had a stroke while at the gym. She told him about her journey and how valuable stroke groups were to her.
“It’s like every stroke survivor has a before and an after,” said Pfankuch. “You just don’t know what life’s gonna be like after. And just helping them in the very beginning part is so important because that was the hardest part for me.”
The man had missed a round of pet therapy at the hospital, so he was thrilled to learn that Ollie accompanied Pfankuch. Within 10 minutes, Roth received a text of Ollie sound asleep on the patients’ feet.
In that moment, Roth saw her dreams coming true. They were using the community to help make a difference in stroke patients’ lives.
“I said this is the best day of my work life ever,” Roth said.
