Stroke patient Tim Bolger advocates for the help he needs to recover

Tim Bolger remembers making coffee at 3:30 a.m., at his home in Winsloe, just north of Charlottetown, on Nov. 20,2015. What he didn't know was a blood clot was lodged in his neck, causing one of three strokes he'd have before getting to the emergency room.

"I remember getting up to make the coffee, I don't remember the other three incidents,including calling work and telling them I wouldn'tbe in that day cause I wasn't feeling well."

The youth counsellor, 52, hasn't been to work since. He'sone of 800 Prince Edward Islanders dealing with the aftermath of stroke. Another 80 Islanders will lose their lives to stroke this year.

Bolger's been working hard to get back to the life he knew, but he's also spenttime advocating for services he needed after leavinghospital.

"In the new year,with the urging of my wife, I contactedthe stroke team and said, 'OK I'm ready to get to work here," saidBolger.

"I probably would have waited just because I have faith in the system that it's going to work for me."

Support for caregivers needed

Heart &Stroke Canada called on all the provinces Wednesday to ensure stroke victims get the rehab help they need more quickly.

"Once they start asking those questions the healthcare system will be there and able to help provide any supports they need,"saidJill Cameron, an expert in stroke rehabilitation at the University of Toronto.

The report outlines the need for deliveryof thoseservices in a timely manner. Heart & Stroke says many patients are waiting a month or more to start the outpatient part of recovery. It also wants to see family members provided with the tools they need to help survivors.

"We're not in a place yet where it's standard practice to prepare or support family members who take on this caregiving role," said Cameron.

Advocating for himself

Bolger said after being dischargedby the stroke team, he had to makeanother call to secure occupational therapy.

"I think the services are available, but I think you needcaregivers to push you alongto say, 'Now you need to do this,'" he said.

Tim Bolger has put in hundreds of hours in the rehab unit and had about 20 sessions with an occupational therapist. He's not sure when he'll get back to work, or how his job will change to accommodate the lingering effects of the stroke.

Eighteen months after making that early morning pot of coffee,Bolger saidhe's put in the long exhausting hours in rehab, and at home,overcoming the challenges. His advice to those who'll walk the same road is to keep fightingfor the help you need.

"I think it's easy to avoid it because of the impact it can have, but I still think going through it was better than not going through it," he said.

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