Chris’s Story

Site created on June 29, 2018

Welcome to Chris Davis's CaringBridge website! We are using it to keep family, friends, and the community updated in one place.  Our family appreciates your support and words of hope and encouragement during this tough time. Thank you for visiting!

On Wednesday, June 27th, Chris had an intracerebral hemorrhagic stroke (brain bleed) and was flown by helicopter to Sanford Hospital in Sioux Falls from MCMC in Slayton. Though he is currently stable medically, there is still hemorrhaging occurring in his brain and he has been diagnosed with global aphasia, which means he is unable to comprehend and produce speech, nor is he able to read/write. His neurologist has determined that he will need to be closely monitored in the intensive care unit at Sanford for a week or so as his stroke occurred in a part of his brain that could impact his brain stem (which controls breathing, heart rate, swallowing, consciousness, etc.) if his brain swells significantly. Long term, he will need to be placed in outpatient or inpatient care, depending on how much progress he is able to make while still in the hospital with speech therapy, occupation therapy, and physical therapy. Either way, he will need extensive therapy services to hopefully regain abilities he has lost in the coming months. The road ahead will certainly be a long one marked with many challenges.

Chris is a loved high school physical education and health teacher at Murray County Central Schools in Slayton, Minnesota, as well as a football coach for the Tracy-Milroy-Balaton Panthers. He has three children, Hannah (21), Cole (18), and Beau (11), as well as a wife named Wendy. The Davis Family wants to extend a tremendous thank you to everyone who has sent prayers up, made donations, and shared words of comfort with us during this tough time. We believe in the power of prayer and trust in His plan. 



Newest Update

Journal entry by Wendy Davis

Yesterday was Chris’s benefit at Hadley.  He was overwhelmed with the show of support from everyone who came out and all who helped out. Awhile back we had scheduled for him to see a neuro opthamologist today, as this is about the 6 week point since his hemorrhagic stroke, and his neurologist at Sanford had told us this would be about the time his vision should start to stabilize.  Since he lost his glasses the day of the stroke, he really needs a new pair.  His sunglasses are prescription though which has helped.  The neuro opthamologist told us he was the only person practicing with his specialty in SD for awhile, so it is pretty unique.  He trained at Mayo so Chris felt like he was in good hands. When he reviewed Chris’s MRI pictures he told us that the lesion was the worst he’s seen in someone functioning as well as Chris is currently.  He even called his nurse in to look at them and visit with Chris.  The tests he did involved testing the different quadrants of vision.  He found that Chris’s left eye vision remains the same as prior to the stroke.  In his right eye he has what is called right eye relative superior quadrantopsia, which basically means his right eye doesn’t quite see as focused on the top quadrant.  The doctor said that this is much less of an issue than having lower quadrant issues as this can dramatically affect driving, reading, and writing much more.  Also, it’s only relative and not full damage so he sees and it is not black.  In early October he will see Chris again for comprehensive field testing, so that they have a baseline if he has other vision issues like glaucoma as he gets older, so they know where he started at.  Also, with a hemorrhagic stroke, the doctor said there may be more improvements yet by that time as the blood continues to reabsorb. At this point it will still be awhile until he will be medically cleared to drive.  He has had no seizures but was on anti seizure medication in Sanford right after the stroke, and this is a factor in any medical clearance allowing him to drive, up to 6 months.  This was a bummer but not a surprise for Chris and for me ( he is quite the back seat driver!) He did get a new prescription and we ordered some new glasses here in town late today.  
He continues with daily outpatient therapies at both the therapy center and the hospital.  
Thanks again for the prayers and support you’ve all given him.  He will continue to work hard at therapy and “fight hard”, as he puts it.
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