THE WRITTEN WORD

Early last September Ron was invited to give a lecture in the Esther Birney Literature Series held every Thursday morning, from 10:30am to 11:45am in the Halpern Room at Brock House on Point Grey Road, Vancouver. The date Ron selected was December 15^th. However, this December the Lower Mainland and the Island was subject to a cold snap causing water to freeze in puddles, lakes and ponds, and snow to fall. In order to be certain of making it to the lecture Ron and I arrived the day before, staying with family in White Rock.

The drive into Vancouver on Thursday morning was spectacular. The day dawned clear and cold. The sky was ice blue and the mountains and the delta sparkled white. Around Tsawwassen the thermometer on our silver Toyota (which registers outside temperatures) dipped to minus six degrees Celsius. By the time Ron and I reached Brock House it registered a balmy minus one. Perhaps it was fear of icy sidewalks, perhaps it was the season, the Christmas shopping, baking, or holidays, but the lecture in the Halpern Room, which normally attracts an audience of thirty to forty, only saw a dozen that morning. However, the low numbers were made up by high enthusiasm, and Ron’s talk and readings were enlivened by lots of questions and audience participation, (and brisk book sales after, with one hard cover copy purchased for the Brock House Library.)

Brock House is a designated Heritage Site. It was originally completed in 1913 but not named “Brockholm” until 1922 by Mildred Brock and her husband Dean Reginald Brock, who purchased the property then. In 1952 the property was sold to the federal government and turned into offices for the RCMP. When the RCMP moved to new quarters the property was eventually turned over to the City of Vancouver as part of the transfer of the Jericho Waterfront Lands in 1975. The City then entrusted the property to the care of the Brock House Society. The Society’s Mission is “to provide for its members a social, intellectual, recreational and cultural centre, and, through a stimulating program of activities, enable members to achieve a more satisfying life.” Anyone over 55 can become a member of the society for the nominal fee of $45 (GST included).

Thanks to many, many volunteers, like Glenys Acland, who organizes Programs like the Esther Birney Lecture Series Brock House remains a thriving centre for 2,000 members–chock a block full of activities to challenge the mind, the body and the soul. If I lived in Vancouver I would definitely become a member and polish up my yoga, chess, table tennis or conversational Spanish. Perhaps I would even join a choir or take a course on Women Mystics. Or I might simply sit on a bench in the garden and enjoy the stunning views of Vancouver, the north shore mountains and English Bay, especially on a hot summer’s day, when the temperature is a comfortable 22.

STOKE AND DISTANCE

"Stroke and Distance" is the headlining caption for Mark Forsythe's review of The Defiant Mind which is the cover story in the new issue of BC BOOKLOOK (the on-line edition of BC BookWorld).

To read the review just click on the permanent link: http://bcbooklook.com/2016/11/27/stroke-and-distance/#more-29565

This headline is a particularly apt description of Ron and his book as he was, for most of his adult life, an avid golfer. Indeed, in my youth, I once penned a little story about a mythical golfer named "Don" and the life lessons I learned in The Golf Widow's Revenge.

For those of you who do not golf and are not familiar with the game, the term stroke and distance refers to Rule 27 - 1 a, which permits a golfer, when faced with an unplayable lie, to pick up his (or her, as the case may be) ball and return it to its previous resting place. If the golfer decides to invoke this rule s/he will suffer a one stroke penalty and the loss of the distance the ball travelled before landing in the unplayable lie.

NB This rule does not apply if the golfer's ball is lost or out of bounds. And it certainly cannot be invoked by the stroke survivor who initially is faced with a seemingly unplayable lie. Unfortunately, in real life, unlike golf, there is no  possibility of a "do-over." A single stroke is penalty enough. However, given enough time and distance and continuing recovery, Ron is planning his return to the links.

MARK FORSYTHE’S REVIEW

There are two new items of note: Mark Forsythe's review of The Defiant Mind has just appeared in the current issue of BC BOOKWORLD.

In addition to his review there is another interview with Ron available at:

http://worldstrokeorganization.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/stroke-survivor-stories-ron-smith.html

RAINBOW OVER GIBSON’S

On Wednesday, November 23, Ron gave a reading from The Defiant Mind at the Gibson’s Public Library. The reading started at 6 pm and was arranged by our friend and local resident, Michael Maser. Michael met us at the ferry, chauffeured us about, provided food and shelter, and the pleasure of the company of his wife, Lisa, and their dog, Chili. According to the Masers, Chili is the smartest dog in the world. When they ask him to open their front door, Chili raises one of his forepaws and pulls down the latch. When they ask him to close the door Chili simply wiggles his rump and pushes the door shut.       

One of the mysteries that I pondered during the many years that I lived on the waterfront of Nanoose Bay and looked across the strait to the Sechelt peninsula was: “why is that area called the Sunshine Coast?” While I and the residents of Nanoose Bay were soaked in sunshine, I would often observe dark rain clouds banked up against the mainland and I knew that Michael’s part of the coast was getting a soaking of a much different sort. When Michael met us at the ferry I immediately asked him about my meteorological observations. His answer was that, according to local lore, until the 1930’s, the area had been called the Rain Coast. (A logical name, I thought.) However, a prominent local realtor decided that this term was bad for business and he redubbed Sechelt the Sunshine Coast. For some perverse reason, the name has stuck.

The irony of this term is not lost on the indigenous population, many of whom, like Michael, are fungophiles. These hardy souls regularly don their waterproof gear, whistle for their dogs, and head into the forest to gather the mushrooms that abound there–chanterelles, oysters, lobsters, et al. (Yes, there really are oyster and lobster MUSHROOMS. I have tasted both kinds and they are fantastic.)

The Gibson’s Public Library is beautifully situated in the heart of downtown Gibson’s overlooking the waterfront and Molly’s Reach. The library was renovated during the summer and feels wonderfully fresh and clean. (In another life, I would like to be a librarian there.) At the moment Heather Evans-Cullen has this privilege and she welcomed Ron and me and Michael, and a small, but attentive audience of about ten people, to Ron’s reading. (The more readings that Ron does, the more confident he gets, and, by his own estimation, the Gibson’s reading was the best one he has given to date.) Normally the library closes at 7. On reading nights Heather keeps it open until 7:30 and by 7:45pm everyone has to leave before the security system engages.

The next morning Michael hosted a television interview with Ron. The interview took place in The MaryanneWest television studio at the Elphinstone Secondary School. The three cameras in the studio were “manned” by three of the students (Taylor, Lucas and Enriqua) who are taking the CPTV (cable production television) course at the school. The interview went “live to tape” at the control of Steve Sleep, the Producer of Coast Cable Community Television, who was outside in the Coast Cable truck. Unlike many BC communities, Sechelt still has a local broadcasting station and Ron and Michael’s interview will be shown on it a number of times over the coming weeks.

N.B. For those of you who might still be wondering about the origin of the title for this post, the rainbow (which I observed over Gibson’s from the Queen of Oak Bay on the day of Ron’s reading) was caused by the sunshine coming from Nanoose Bay. 

SUCCESSFUL BOOK LAUNCH IN VANCOUVER

On Wednesday evening, November 16 Ron returned to the scene of one of his boyhood haunts, the Dunbar Community Centre. Ron grew up in a house his Dad built near the intersection of 36^th Avenue and Crown Street, close to the University Endowment Lands–a magical place, filled with frog ponds, virgin forest, and the sound of tugboats on the Fraser River.

There were about forty people in the audience, some long-time friends, (I hesitate to say old) my brother, Bill, and my sister-in-law, Linda, some stroke survivors and many friends and family of people currently struggling to recover from a brain attack. A number of people who were in the audience had heard about the launch on the radio, on North by Northwest.

Ron Hatch of Ronsdale Press introduced Ron, who proceeded to read sections from The Defiant Mind interspersed with questions from the audience. At 8:30 pm the formal part of the evening ended. While Ron signed copies of his book, the majority of the group enjoyed the refreshments provided by Veronica Hatch, courtesy of Ronsdale Press.

At the end of the evening, Alan Twigg, founder and publisher of BC BookWorld took photos of the two Ronnies. These photos will NOT appear in the current issue of BC BookWord, which has just come out, but a wonderful review of The Defiant Mind written by Mark Forsythe DOES.

Thank you to all who participated, and to Meagan of Ronsdale Press for her continuing assistance.

THE JOURNEY OF A HERO

Stroke Services BC Rehabilitation Collaborative:

The Journey of a Hero

On November 14 & 15 at 8:50 in the morning, Ron opened both sessions of Stroke Collaborative #4 with a reading from The Defiant Mind. On Monday he read about consoling one of his fellow patients after a rehab session in Nanaimo. At the time, she was feeling extremely depressed because her rehab was not progressing as well as she expected: “Before the stroke I had two heart attacks,” she said. “Compared to this they were a piece of cake.” (If you would like to read the entire passage, turn to page 44).

On Tuesday Ron read the opening pages from Chapter 7, The Wheelchair and the Urinal, which describes his arrival in the Rehab Unit and his initial struggles with the male nurse who was trying to move him from a stretcher to the bed. “I was terrified. As soon as I was standing, my entire right side collapsed like an accordion. What was happening to me?

   “Relax,” he said. “You need to trust me. I know what I’m doing.”

   Trust. This was one of those words I would soon learn was critical to every phase of my recovery. Trust and the need to be brave.”

Both Ron and I, and all the other stroke survivors who participated in the sessions, (some in all four) came away heartened to know that the over 100 enthusiastic and dedicated medical practitioners from all parts of the province, from Terrace to the Kootenays, from Prince George to Penticton, from Vancouver  Island to the Fraser Valley, are returning to their Health Regions determined to retain the gains in best practices they have made to date, and committed to continuing to improve the rehabilitation of stroke patients. They intend to keep making the best use of the resources they have. In this endeavour they are led by a number of very special people: Pam Ramsay, Cheryl Mitchell and Katie White.

Kudos to all the participants!

Letter from THE WORLD STROKE ORGANIZATION

Who knew that "housekeeping" could turn up so many treasures? I do have the Certificate referred to in the letter, but I don't know how to reproduce it here. And I don't know if the links will work, but, anyone interested in the exhibits should have all the info needed to seek them out.

  

Dear SMITH RON,

Enclosed please find a certificate honoring your inspiring contribution to the Stroke Hobbies 2016 project. It provides a vibrant example of the statement that "There is life after stroke" and even latent creative talents can be discovered.

If you would prefer to receive a hard copy, please provide your postal address to enable us to expedite delivery.

The combined exhibition of the works is available in an e-book format and a film, which was screened throughout the World Stroke Congress in Hyderabad on 26-29 October 2016.  You can find the Hobbies Exhibition E-book here and the film here. Appropriate social media have been utilized its distribution.

Wishing you health and continued creativity.
Professor Stephen Davis                                Professor Natan Bornstein


President WSO                                   Vice President WSO 

RIDING THE WILD HORSE, MEMORY

This morning I was "house-cleaning" my Word Documents and made the following discovery-the review of Ron's book which was published in the Vancouver Sun and 5 other major Canadian papers in September 2016 . Since it was published before I began this blog I thought I should reproduce it now for those who might have missed it.

 Riding the Wild Horse, Memory

Ron Smith, The Defiant Mind: Living Inside A Stroke

(Ronsdale Press, 2016, 313 pages, $22.95)

Two years ago my father-in-law had a stroke. One day he was fine, talkative, alert and chuffed by his recent prowess at the curling rink. The next morning as he ate breakfast, he began to talk gibberish and was rushed to the hospital. Several small strokes ensued. He never recovered his ability to explain what was going on inside during those heart-breaking final days, a terrifying situation for him and for his loved-ones. Even his wife, a trained nurse, knew little about the workings of a brain shattered by stroke. If we had read Ron Smith’s The Defiant Mind: Living Inside A Stroke, I think we might all have responded differently.

            The cover painting, Jack Shadbolt’s “Bursting Orb,” perfectly evokes the central message of this important literary memoir, that a stroke is not just about physical damage, loss of speech, motor skills, even the capacity to swallow; it’s equally, or perhaps more importantly, about what is happening in and to the mind that experiences such trauma.

            “Was that really me speaking I wondered. It was my voice, it sounded a lot like an old 78 phonograph record spinning at 331/3 rpm. The words rolled and bounced around the room like tumbleweed blown on a desert wind. They had no traction, no weight, no body. No meaning. And yet they seemed heavy and thick at the same time. Like toffee or treacle.”

            Smith’s sense of humour and gift of metaphor makes this frightening journey into uncharted waters not only instructive, but also very engaging, a work that everyone should red, not only because a quarter of us will suffer a stroke by the age of 80, or be closely associated with someone who has, but also because it’s so damn well written.

This book documents loss, confusion, grief and longing, but it’s also about a bloody-minded determination to understand the cognitive damage suffered and how that understanding might be crucial to whatever healing and recovery are possible. What seems to Smith the most reliable compass for rediscovering who he is or was turns out to be memory. This is no pleasant stroll down memory lane. Instead, with his body half-paralyzed and senses hyper-alert, Smith rides the wild horse of memory, hanging on for dear life, grabbing hold of unexpected moments from his past, patching together what he can of a lost identity, a Catch-22 process because acknowledging the difference between past and present selves can also be extremely debilitating.

As a writer of poetry, fiction and non-fiction, this must have seemed to Smith very much like the creative process itself, which Joseph Conrad described as rescue work, “snatching the vanishing fragments of memory and giving them the permanence of art.” And, indeed, what he has achieved in this epic endeavour—not just dredging the past, but analysing, processing and recording it all on the computer with the index finger of his left hand—is no small miracle; indeed, it’s a tribute to the human will and imagination.

Every stroke is different, Smith insists, all the more reason why attention needs to be paid to what is happening to the mind whose “executive function” has been damaged. “Everyone could see the physical damage I’d suffered and they clearly had some idea of how best to deal with it, but no one appeared to be the least bit interested in my mental state of being. No one asked what my thoughts were or where they led. No one questioned me about the landscape and atmosphere of the stroke world. No one wanted to know its secrets.” Happily, with the help of this beautiful, moving and resourceful book, all that could begin to change.

Ron Smith has re-learned how to speak, write, walk, even swallow his favourite treat—apple sauce—but the one thing he refuses to swallow is the idea of giving up.

Gary Geddes is the author of The Resumption of Play and the forthcoming Medicine Unbundled: Dispatches from the Indigenous frontlines.

UNEXPURGATED INTERVIEW NOW ON PODCAST!

For those of you who missed the shortened North by Northwest interview live on CBC radio last Saturday, November 12, the entire, uncensored conversation between Sheryl MacKay and Ron Smith is now available. To access the podcast simply google  CBC radio/nxnw and scroll to Saturday, November 12. If you wish to skip the trumpeter swans and the fulsome figures of speech, you can fast forward to 16 minutes and start your play at that spot. 

According to Sheryl the interview has generated many e-mails to the show, reaffirming her (previously unpublished) comment to Ron: "I'm so glad you wrote this book."

NORTH by NORTHWEST

Ron's interview with Sheryl MacKay is scheduled for Saturday, November 12, just after the 7:30am news.

DOUBLE TAKES – TAKE TWO

Can you remember? Way back to October 20, 2016, and that beautiful, sunny drive to Victoria? Well, Ron was scheduled to do two interviews in the Victoria offices of the CBC that day. The first was with Gregor Craigie for On The Island and the second was with Sheryl MacKay for North by Northwest.

To do the interview with Sheryl, Ron was ushered into a second studio for a 2 PM taping. This room was much smaller, with no window, and more black soundproofing all about. There was a large instrument board with dials, a desk chair in front of the board, and a single microphone dropping down to mouth height from above. Ron sat down in the chair and donned a pair of ear phones. I was given a stool on the side of the “cockpit,” a pair of earphones and a plug in jack for my head set so that I might hear what Sheryl had to say. Ron had done a couple of interviews with Sheryl in the past so he did not feel as if he were going to be talking to a stranger.

Unfortunately, as this was a remote interview and I did not get to see Sheryl, I am unable to report if she is taller, slimmer and handsomer than she used to be. I do know that her voice sounded as silky and sultry as ever. Ron and Sheryl talked for almost forty-five minutes, with a brief interruption by a young man who had to do a live news broadcast at 2:30 PM. When he left, Ron and Sheryl continued their conversation. The edited version of their talk is supposed to air sometime this weekend on North by Northwest, on Saturday or Sunday, at some time between 6 AM and 9 AM. However, today, being Remembrance Day, it is also a holiday, so I cannot be more precise about the day or the time of the interview. No doubt it will be available as a podcast and I will post the details when I have them.

Stay tuned.

BOOK LAUNCH in VANCOUVER, NOV.16

DOUBLE TAKES - TAKE ONE

  

Yesterday (October 20, 2016) Ron and I left home in our trusty Toyota and headed down island to Victoria where Ron was scheduled to tape two interviews for CBC Radio. The planets and the traffic lights seemed aligned as we breezed through Lantzville, Nanaimo, Ladysmith, Chemainus, and Mill Bay, stopping only in Duncan and the outskirts of Victoria for red lights. The weather was perfect and the natural beauty of the island stood out in all its autumn splendour­—dazzling skies, purple thunder heads, sunlight streaming through misty clouds, verdant fields, deep green forests and blue mountains “backdropping” red and golden maples. Granted, I was wearing a pair of polarized sunglasses which do heighten contrasts and deepen colours, but no, I had not put anything special in my morning coffee.

Our passage through the secure entrance to CBC was made simple by Bob McDonald, the host of “Quirks and Quarks,” who swiped a card over the electronic door lock and ushered us in. “Thanks, Bob McDonald,” said Ron, while I did a double take, and thought “So that’s who that is. I thought he looked familiar. But, wow! He looks so much taller, slimmer and more handsome in person than he does on our TV.”

We were promptly met by Gregor Craigie, the host of “On the Island” CBC’s Vancouver Island’s morning show. Ron and Gregor were scheduled to tape a segment for the program. Gregor showed us into a bright conference room where he invited us to make ourselves comfortable so that Ron could recover from the journey before they did the interview.

(Point of clarification: Ron needs to regain his land legs and reorient his senses after driving in a car. He does not need to recover from any terrors or white knuckles instilled in him by my driving. In fact, now, when we drive together, Ron and I have become a team: Pilot and Co-pilot. I’ll leave it up to you to decide who is which or which is whom.)

Before prepping Ron for their upcoming interview Gregor said “I started reading your book and couldn’t put it down. Having a stroke is not something I usually let myself think about, but I found your book fascinating.” After outlining the format for the taping Gregor led us into the larger of the two studios available on the premises for broadcasts. Although there was a window looking out into the entrance and the main office, being in the studio felt like being in a warm, dark cave. The walls and ceiling were covered in a black, foamy material, obviously designed to dampen any background noise. After showing Ron the proper distance to keep his mouth from the mike, Gregor asked his first question and the show was instantly underway.

After the interview, Gregor announced that a ten minute segment was going to be aired at 7:10 AM the very next day. So, by the time you read this post, the program has already gone out into the ether. However, if you are not a regular On the Island listener, you can hear the interview by going to CBC.ca/On The Island. Ron’s interview is posted under Friday, October 21, 2016.

After looking up names on CBC’s website to make certain I had gotten my spellings right, I came across a number of photos of Gregor Craigie, and I did another double take. “Wow!” I thought. “He looks so much taller, slimmer and more handsome in person than he does in the pictures on my computer screen.”

(To be con’t.)

GIVING THANKS

Thanks to Laurie Ricou for sending Ron this poem by Emily Dickinson:

The Brain--is wider than the Sky--

For--put them side by side--

The one the other will contain

With ease--and You--beside--

Also BIG NEWS: The Defiant Mind is #6 on the BC Bestseller list for the week of October 2!

BUZZ BOOK T42

DAY ONE

Ron and I have arrived in Washington, “The Evergreen State.” We have crossed through the Peace Arch, we have our travel insurance documents secure in the glove compartment, (who wears gloves anymore?) and we have just received a shock. Contrary to our erroneous assumption, Tacoma, the site of the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Fall Tradeshow, is SOUTH of Seattle, and not NORTH, where Everett appears to be. We will have to pass through the heart of downtown Seattle! This is an unsettling thought, given that traversing elevated urban freeway corridors, with six lanes of traffic going in one direction and six lanes going in another, is not what residents of Nanoose Bay BC are accustomed to driving in.

            But not to worry. There has been a collision on the freeway near Everett and traffic in all lanes, north and south, has slowed to a start-stutter-stop pace and we have ample leisure to contemplate routes and roots and exits. Eventually, four hours later, we work our through the American Dream cum nightmare and arrive at Exit 129 in South Tacoma.

I wonder what Chief Seattle would think of his land now. How would he translate “Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself”?

            At the Hampton Inn and Suites we are instantly greeted with a panoply of peoples. There is a convocation of a dozen or so black ladies of varying ages in colourful dresses celebrating something or other and groups of families conversing in Spanish. At the elevator we are greeted by eight youthful couples dressed to the nines (whatever that means). The men are in military dress regalia whose insignias and stripes I cannot decipher. The women are gorgeous in long gowns, high heels and elegantly coiffed hair.

            We enter the now vacant elevator, press 2 and wait expectantly. Nothing happens. Eventually we see the sign that tells us we need to use our room key to activate the elevator. Once inside our room, Ron stretches out on the bed and we channel surf, amazed to discover the number of college football games we could tune into.

DAY TWO

The Tradeshow is in the heart of downtown Tacoma in the lovely (dare I say chic) Hotel Murano. Ron and I have arrived at the hotel via the backroads—south Hosmer, south 72^nd, south Yakima, 15^th Street, and Broadway. We are calm, having avoided Interstate 5, travelling the quiet streets of residential Tacoma, which, if truth be told, look a bit down at the heels.

            We find Ron and Veronica Hatch of Ronsdale Press in the southwest corner of the Pavilion which houses the Tradeshow. They are with the other publishers who are representing British Columbia with a sizable presence—Orca Books, Harbour Publishing, The Heritage Group of Publishers, Greystone Books, Arsenal Pulp Press, Theytus Books and the Royal BC Museum. (Apologies to any publisher I have missed.)

            Ron takes his place on a chair in the middle of the aisle beside the sign announcing Buzz Book T 42, THE DEFIANT MIND – Living Inside a Stroke. Most publishers have selected one of their titles to be their Buzz Book for the show. It is up to booksellers to get their “passports” stamped each time they visit a Buzz Book. The completed passports will be entered into a draw for a $100 prize. For the next six hours Ron engages booksellers and librarians from Juneau and Skagway in Alaska; Enumclaw, Clarkton, Bellingham, Tacoma, Seattle, Port Angeles, Shelton, Yakima, Leavenworth, Friday Harbor, and Bainbridge Island in Washington; Sisters, McMinneville, Portland,  and Hood River in Oregon; Coeur d”Alene, Boise and Moscow in Idaho; and a sales representative from Arcata, California to mention most of the visitors who talk with Ron at Ronsdale Press’s booth. There is a lot of interest in his book because, as Ron states in his Preface:

            “Every forty seconds someone

              In North America suffers a stroke.

              Every four minutes someone in

              North America dies from a stroke.

              Stroke is the leading cause of disability

              in North America.”

            These days booksellers are keen to hold events to promote their stores in their local communities. Many of their communities have hospitals, colleges, universities, nursing schools, and so on. And since Ron has book and will travel, chances are good that we will be heading south of the 49^th in the spring, if not before. We will, however, do our best to avoid Interstate 5. 

Interview Published

A recent interview with Ron is now available at:

strokerecoverybc.ca/newsletter/defiant-mind-living-stroke

THE TRIP TO EDMONTON

Ron was invited to be part of the QulCR (Quality Improvement and Clinical Research) DTN (Door to Needle) Collaborative Closing Celebration held in Edmonton on September 23. Indeed, as Ron and I learned during the day long session, the Alberta Stroke Program is right to celebrate. They are now world leaders in stroke treatment and care. All Albertans can expect to receive treatment for an ischemic stroke (a stroke caused by a blot clot in the brain and which comprises 87% of all strokes) within sixty minutes if they live in a rural part of the province and within thirty minutes (give or take a few) if they live in a larger centre.

“Door” refers to the door of the hospital and “Needle” refers to the needle which administers tPA (tissue plasminogen activator) commonly called “the clot-busting drug”.

These phenomenal times have been achieved by re-engineering the delivery of stroke care. Since “Time is Brain” the “quicker” a stroke victim can receive treatment, the more likely they are to suffer minor brain damage. The resultant savings to Health Care Systems are HUGE.

Instead of using a linear model for the delivery of care, where step A follows B follows C etc. the stroke teams in Alberta now “swarm” the newly arrived stroke patient, with neurologist, emergency room doctor, CT technicians, etc. all on hand to collaborate, saving precious time. Further brain damage is prevented (and often reversed) thereby dramatically reducing hospital and rehab times. And should a CT scan reveal that a stroke patient needs further intervention, an Albertan can expect to receive the latest revolution in stroke care, endovascular treatment, whereby a stent is sent through the groin, into an artery, up into the brain, to attach to the clot and pull it back out.

People can return home, supported by home care teams, to their families, their familiar surroundings and their jobs. There are huge savings for the Canadian economy here as well.

Aside from seriously thinking about moving to Alberta, Ron and I were left to marvel at the advancements in stroke treatment being made in the province by legions of inspired health care professionals. And we could only wonder “what if this kind of care had been available for Ron?” 

NEW BOOK LAUNCHED!

On the afternoon of September 9, 2016, THE DEFIANT MIND Living Inside a Stroke, by author Ron Smith of Nanoose Bay, was launched at the MacMillan Arts Centre in Parksville, BC. The launch was jointly hosted by the publisher, Ronsdale Press of Vancouver and the Mulberry Bush Bookstore of Parksville and Qualicum Beach.

There were 40 people in the audience. Book sales were brisk. Ron was at his ad lib best, reading a passage from his book, talking and answering questions, from his chair at the front of the lovely gallery. There were paintings on the walls, a grand piano in the corner, a cool ocean breeze wafting through the room, sunshine gleaming through the windows and a lovely warm feeling emanatiing from the attentive audience, former colleagues and friends, members of the Oceanside Stroke Recovery Society, and interested readers from the general public. 

Coffee, tea and cookies were served while Ron signed copies of the book.

The first steps in what is promising to be a busy fall.