Tom Keith

Tom suffered a stroke on Friday, November 12th while driving home from a quick trip to the grocery store. The accident occurred across the street from Tom and Jamie's house in Sonoma. They rushed him via ambulance to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital. Because he was in a car accident, they had to rule out any internal bleeding before giving the anti-clotting tPA (blood thinner) medicine. Thankfully he was able to get the medicine within the critical 3-hour window from onset of stroke.  He was transported to CPMC Davies campus in SF for a higher level of care. Once he got to CPMC, the CT scan revealed surgery would be too risky to remove the clot for fear of it bleeding out and causing more damage to his brain. The MRI on Saturday showed that there was no active hemorrhaging so they could start him on blood thinners that night. For the next 5 days they are monitoring him closely for any signs of swelling in his brain and the ongoing goal of preventing any more strokes.

Tom’s left side of his body was affected by the stroke. His right side is still very strong and he has taken very good care of himself so his physical fitness will serve him well. He passed the swallow test and is jokingly requesting an IPA with meals. Thankfully, Tom is still witty and has a sharp memory-still cracking silly “Tom” jokes and knows every staff member by name.

They will keep him in Transitional ICU (TICU) until Wednesday/Thursday at which time he will be transferred to rehab at CPMC. They have one of the best stroke rehabs in the nation. The staff is encouraged by his current status and feels confident that he will be a good candidate for rehabilitation.

Tom will have PT/OT/ST daily. Part of rehab is retraining his brain to acknowledge and use the left side of his body again. In yesterday’s session, Tom was able to stand with assistance. We are so grateful for the wonderful care he is receiving and the progress he has already made. We are being like Grandma Rita and playing the “glad game” by celebrating the small wins and the fact that his cognition and spirit is alive and well.

We will use this page to keep you all informed of his progress. We thank you for your continued prayers and support. We know his angels are guiding him every step of the way. 💕

Love,
Jamie, Courtney, Erin and Seamus and our families




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