Pam Blair is the devoted wife of David Blair, loving mother of twelve children (of which four still reside at home in Brainerd), and endearing grandmother to eight grandchildren with another on the way. At the beginning of March, Pam suffered a stroke which has turned her life, and the lives of her loved ones, upside down. This Caring Bridge has been made to share updates on Pam’s journey and the needs of her and her family during this difficult time.
Pam and her family are seeking help through prayers, words of encouragement, and through any donations or monetary gifts to aid with ongoing medical expenses as she continues fighting for her recovery, undergoing extensive rehabilitation. There is a donation account set up for Pam through Edward Jones - Greg Bennett’s Office where donations can be made directly to the account, or checks can be written out to Pam or Dave Blair and given to anyone in the family to be deposited.
***All donation proceeds will be used to cover all financial costs related to Pam’s stroke journey. This includes, but is not limited to: Hospital stays, ambulance transportation, medicine, tests run, food and room service needs, any medical installation requirements at the house to make it handicap accessible, transportation expenses for Dave and his living needs away from home, and for any future care needs for Pam. Any remaining amount of funds will then be given to charity such as the American Stroke Association and Foundation to aid others on their stroke journey.
The road to her recovery has been extremely challenging so far; but with diligence, perseverance, hard work, a ton of prayer, and the love and support from others, we are hopeful that Pam can overcome this difficult battle and be able to regain what has been lost. We sincerely thank you for any and all help in prayers and donations.
The following share her story:
Pam was hospitalized on March 2nd following a large stroke that was found along her brainstem. Dave and Pam arrived at the hospital on Saturday morning after she had experienced three falls overnight and had lost nearly all mobility of her right side. The initial CT scan came back with negative results of stroke, but later an MRI was completed that confirmed Pam was experiencing a stroke at her brainstem that was affecting her right side and her ability to speak clearly. Pam remained in the ICU for 3 days as she began regaining some of her movement and function. By the end of the week Pam was walking up and down the hall with a walker, she was able to lift her arm overhead, and her speech had progressed, though she was still experiencing some slurring. It was determined that Pam should continue her rehabilitation at an inpatient rehabilitation center in Bemidji.
Pam arrived in Bemidji on March 8th and did very well with therapy the following day. Pam was able to use her right hand more, she was practicing writing and eating, she was able to shower and dress herself, and had been walking up and down the hallways with a walker. Later that evening Pam began experiencing more weakness and was unable to lift her right foot when she tried to walk. The weakness progressed into the following day where she was assessed and the physician believed the regression was due to overuse. Unfortunately, on Monday, Pam's strength still had not returned, after an MRI they found that Pam had experienced a continuation of her stroke. Pam continued to regress over the next few days to the point that she was unable to move her right arm or leg and her speech was too slurred for Dave to understand. After further tests it was found that Pam also had signs of an infection. Following much discussion with Dave and the care team, the doctor agreed that Pam should transfer to St. Cloud Hospital for more intensive care. Pam was given antibiotics as she was being transported by ambulance to St. Cloud at CentraCare hospital, with Neurology standing by to assess her upon arrival.
Pam arrived in St. Cloud late in the evening on March 14th. Pam had an MRI done to compare to the previous ones completed in both Brainerd and Bemidji. The MRI results indicated that Pam still did not have enough blood flow to her brain and the neurologist recommended changing her medications. Pam also underwent additional testing, including a swallow test, and was put on pureed foods. Pam’s regression was very severe; she could no longer move anything on her right side, or enunciate any words and needed to point out words and letters on a letter board to communicate. After fully assessing all imaging it was determined that Pam had suffered from a basilar artery stroke affecting her left pons - an important area of the brainstem that controls all movement of the right side of the body. At this time the neurologist believed that the stroke was now complete and should not progress any further. It was stated that this particular stroke will likely have some long-term changes in function and to anticipate more fluctuations (good/bad days) in abilities compared to other strokes. Pam will need extensive rehabilitation for the foreseeable future.
It was later noticed that Pam was struggling to swallow her pureed foods and she was developing a delayed cough after eating. Upon reassessment of her swallowing, Pam continued struggling to swallow without coughing and after careful discussion the care team determined that the next steps of treatment would be to surgically place a plug (G-Tube) directly into her stomach for better administering of foods and meds. This surgery would allow Pam to start intensive therapy later in the week. Pam had a successful surgery the following morning on Tuesday and that afternoon was able to participate with physical and occupational therapies. Pam was able to sit on the edge of the bed and stand a few times! Her third attempt was very positive as she maintained standing tall for over a minute! With the direct G-Tube feed, her glucose and blood pressure levels became elevated and continued rising through the next few days. They were able to manage her blood pressure, but her glucose continued to rise and fluctuate uncontrollably, so the care team spent the remainder of the week working hard to figure out the proper amounts of long-lasting insulin and another fast-acting oral medication to stabilize Pam's glucose.
On March 21st following a final MRI, Pam was stable enough to move from the hospital to the inpatient rehab center and was taken off of Heparin. Over the next few days Pam continued to show signs of regression with difficulty spelling words on her communication board as her voice was completely gone. The care team was heavily monitoring her at that time with plans to move her back if needed. She underwent further testing, including x-rays done on her lungs and abdomen, and a scan of her bladder to make sure she was in the clear of other issues. By the weekend Pam’s glucose and blood pressure levels were becoming more stable and manageable, but Pam was put back on IV fluids on Sunday due to dehydration.
After a week of scary events and regression, Pam started making small steps of progression in her therapies. On Wednesday March 27th, Pam turned to Dave as she was being wheeled out of the room for therapy and said his name!! Her voice was coming back! Speech therapy started working with her vocal abilities to pronounce words and sing songs such as 'You Are My Sunshine' and the 'ABCs'. Pam has also been trying to eat pureed foods again. Pam has been practicing saying all of her children's names, their spouse's names, and the names of her grandchildren. Speaking was still difficult, but her speech therapist was pushing her to speak more and use the letter board only when it was necessary. Pam’s smile was back and she has kept a good sense of humor. Her right side continues to be weak and she still is unable to move her fingers, but she showed she could make slight movements with her leg and right shoulder. She has great muscle spasm reactions and still has her sense of feeling throughout, so we are hopeful in due time and continued hard work in therapies that movement will follow!
Tuesday, April 2nd marked one month in the hospital for Pam. Her care team has worked so diligently to help Pam improve in her therapies as well as keeping her glucose and blood pressure in check. Occupational therapy is working with her on becoming efficient at putting on her own shirts by herself and physical therapy is working on improving control of her right side and standing. Speech therapy is now working with Pam to speak in sentences. Although progress is slow, we are thankful for them! Pam is doing better eating the purees at meals, and they have since taken her off all tube feeds as of Friday, April 5th! This is a hopeful and positive step in the right direction!!
Again, Thank you for following Pam’s journey. We, her family, ask for your continued prayers and support for her during this very difficult time as she works to regain what has been lost and for what is to come in the days ahead. Please consider helping in this great time of need and continue following her as we journal weekly updates moving forward.
Pam has had a positive week in her therapies and has pushed hard to reach goals every day! We are celebrating each of her achievements and rejoice that she has shown progression in the right direction!
This week Pam has been working extremely hard to strengthen her vocal and swallowing abilities. In speech, she continues working on her word clarity, speaking sentences, and vocal fluctuations in tonal keys and pitch through songs and other vocal warmups. On Thursday, April 25th, Pam was advanced from eating pureed foods with moderately thickened liquids to minced and moist foods with liquids that are mildly thickened. Although this is wonderful news and a huge achievement, Pam has continued to face ongoing challenges with nausea and often cannot keep her food down. A nausea med has helped her in the mornings, but the noon and evening meals continue to be a challenge. We are hopeful that her care team can find a solution soon so she can get the nutrients to fuel her body to sustain the daily demands needed to build back strength and healing.
Pam’s right side is still immobile; however she is working diligently to gain motion back. Pam showed great signs of movement in her shoulder on Sunday while Dave worked with her on some of her therapy exercises. During physical therapy this week, she had huge gains! She was able to stand tall, with the support of a leg brace, for 4 minutes on Monday; 7 minutes on Wednesday; and another 4-5 minutes on Thursday. She has been practicing walking along the parallel bars as well, showing a little more strength and getting better with each attempt. This morning she presented good balance as she sat at the edge of her bed really well.
We truly rejoice in Pam’s achievements and hard work this week and continue to pray for further progress during her stay at Good Samaritan in Battle Lake! We are truly thankful for her gains and hope she can keep working hard to meet her upcoming goals she wants to achieve. Currently, she hopes to continue working on strengthening her swallowing abilities so she can get to thinner liquids and food to a normal consistency and is hoping to build her stamina to stand longer each day. Please continue to lift her up in prayer and that she can be successful in reaching her goals!
Again we thank all of you for your continued support and prayers during Pam’s Stroke Journey. It has been a lengthy and difficult road to recovery, filled with unknowns, and fluctuations between regressions and small steps of advancements; but we keep holding on by God’s grace that with each positive and successful step forward, no matter how small it may be, Pam continues meeting her daily goals and progressing in the right direction!
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