Corey’s Story

Site created on January 9, 2019

As you may know, Corey suffered from a stroke on January 3rd, 2019, while she was at home with  Andy, Molly and Whittaker.  They took Corey into the emergency room when she came out of the restroom and could not stand very well.  Andy noticed that one side of her face had weakened as well.  They quickly realized that the physical weaknesses they were noticing were most likely caused by a stroke.  The ER in Durango skyped with the Neurosurgeons in Denver and they suggested that they immediately start her on TPA (clot busting drug) and fly her to Denver for an intervention surgery.  

The McCord Family was on their way to visit them in Colorado, so Annalee was able to stay with the kids, while Evan and Andy made their way to Denver to meet Corey as soon as they could.   It was a huge blessing they were in route and were able to take care of them those first couple days.   Whittaker and Molly have been with Corey's Aunts (Jen Jen and Re Re)  this week in Durango, and will come to visit Corey on Friday (Andy will be driving them).   

During the surgery he recognized what may have been a partial dissection of the carotid artery that eventually affected the right middle cerebral area of her brain.  The area affected in her brain is very large, and it is a miracle that she is functioning as well as she is.  

Corey has been in the ICU since that day while she has been receiving blood pressure medication to help get blood flow to the areas of the brain that were affected.  She has not tolerated coming off of the medicine as quickly as they would have hoped, so they are taking it slow and steady.  When her blood pressure gets to low, the left side of her body almost immediately weakens, so they want to let her body take the time it needs to catch up.   

Corey will need rehabilitation once she leaves the ICU as the left side of her body has been affected by the stroke.  She has good movement in her leg, and she says walking feels a little bit like Pinocchio where she has to pull that leg up with a string.  Her being able to move this leg as well as she can (although not easy) is a huge praise. Her left arm/hand can feel heavy and her fine motor has been affected, but we are hopeful rehabilitation will get her back to using those gifted hands in the months to come.  The peripheral vision in her left eye is slightly affected as well. The recovery on this varies, but again, we are hopeful and praise His goodness for sight she does have considering the size of her stroke.  One of her main concerns is her fine motor.  Occupational therapies will be a huge part of her recovery in this area so she can work on getting back to life as normal as possible.  

Corey’s personality post stroke has brought us to tears of gratefulness and tears of laughter the past couple days.  She is as sweet as a baby, wity and sharp as a tack, and direct as can be with absolutely no filter. She is giving these ICU nurses a run for their money and they love her.  She knows allllllll the scoop about each of them and takes the time to ask all about their families and backgrounds each day.  They even come back to visit her when they are not on her service.  

Her concentration span is low, and she exhausts easily.  Even the light is a bit much for her right now, so we are making sure to allow her time to rest in between the laughing and chatting. 

Amongst the laughter and gratefulness, comes the reality of this for Corey and Andy every single morning.  Nights are hard for her especially.  Each day it sets in more and more for her, and she asks a few more questions. 

We ask you to come alongside of her and Andy and pray for peace amidst their pain, for a clear direction on the best way to move forward with rehabilitation, and for Corey to rest in Him while she battles the reality of what happened.    

There are not enough thank you's in the world for the outpour of love you have each given to Andy, Corey, Whittaker & Molly.  Thank you.  

   


Newest Update

August 8, 2019

Journal entry by Whitney Peschel —

Hey guys.
I am so sorry that it has been a hot second since we updated everyone. My mom has been asking me to do this for a while now, and I understand her request as a lot has happened since we last updated you. To start, I graduated from 5 months of outpatient therapy with high fives and hugs from some great therapists in Austin. We found out I have a rare genetic blood disorder called PAI-1 Gene Locus 4G/5G which could have been a contributing factor into why I developed a blood clot. 

The kids and I have been back in Durango with Andy as one family of 4 again for about 2 months, and life has been fast and furious in a good way. We are soaking up summer and getting used to the swing of things again. We came back to a new rent house that Andy moved everything into before bringing us back from Texas. The new house is a bit smaller than our last so that I can keep up with it easier, which has been nice for me. 

Stroke wise I am feeling good!!
My brain for sure works different than it did before, I kind of feel A.D.D if that makes sense, maybe just a bit scattered. I am quieter and more reserved although I don’t hesitate to say what I’m thinking. I second guess a lot of things I say or do, I play circumstances or conversations repeatedly in my head to make sure I am seeing or understanding them correctly. I forget things more often and can find myself being less engaging. I am slower physically than I was “before” and I still have to remind myself to use the left side of my body, my brain just kind of forgets it’s there. The majority of my creative thoughts are kind of muted, but I am believing He will return 100% of this gift to me. I can dominate about three days in a row and then my brain needs a break and taps out. 

Overall, I am walking down a path of gratefulness. Just being aware of the miracles and blessings that have been bestowed to me and my family along the way. I am thankful that God placed certain people in my path- some have been real treasures. I am beyond thankful for each and every one of you and the specific roles you played in this wild journey, from meals, to gift cards, your gifts you gave to us through Go Fund me and the extraordinary amount of prayers that spoke measures to my heart. All the support carried me when I couldn’t hold my arms up for myself. 

Next steps: I will fly back to Austin at some point (soon) to see my Cardiologist and have a chip placed in my chest to make sure my heart is firing correctly, which my doc will monitor from Austin (totally big brother style) and I will also follow up with my neurologist and Hematologist every 6 months. Besides that, I will continue to Trust that God is good and His plans for my life are far better than the plans I have for myself. 

“My life has been forever changed by a brain that doesn't work as it once did.  AND yet I have been also forever changed by a God who chose us to live a life we never imagined we’d be living and to live it well”- Katherine Wolf, Hope Heals

XOXO,
Corey, Andy, Whittaker and Molly

 
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