Editor:

My husband suffered a stroke July 23, 2012. The cause of the stroke was a blocked carotid artery. There is a 100 percent blockage on the right side.

He had been seeing his personal care provider on a regular basis prior to this event. He disclosed to the PCP that he was seeing spots and experiencing dizziness. He also suffered from anxiety, high blood pressure and diabetes prior to the stroke, which was information that the PCP had knowledge of. The PCP never ordered testing to check the carotid artery. He saw his PCP on the Friday prior to the stroke.

He was seen in the ER at Chesapeake General the weekend of July 14, the prior week. He woke up and was not able to move his right hand on the 14th. He was diagnosed with palsy in the ER at Chesapeake General. No testing was done at ER. They advised him to be seen by his PCP within 7 to 10 days.

He went to the walk-in clinic at Lakeview Medical Center on Friday, July 20th. His PCP was the doctor that saw him during this visit. While at the PCP visit he referenced that he was seeing spots and dizzy and also having episodes of anxiety in addition to needing his right hand checked as suggested by the ER doctor.

His blood pressure was high at the time of the visit. The PCP advised him that he could only treat for one symptom because he came in through the walk-in clinic. His blood pressure medicine was increased at that visit. No further testing was ordered. The stroke occurred just a few days after that visit.

The stroke has left him with limited movement in his left arm and very little movement in his left hand. He is predominately left-handed. He also has to walk with a cane and wear a foot/leg brace on his left foot/leg. His thought processing and decision making skills have also been affected by the stroke.

He has been tested by the Department of Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS) and it was determined that his reading comprehension and math skills were affected because of the damage to his brain from the stroke.

He has been denied disability based on not having enough work credits within the past 5 years. He owned a construction business and is not longer able to perform that type of work. This type of work is all that he has ever done.

He went to work at the age of 16 to support our family and eventually gained enough knowledge and experience to start his own company. He has been denied SSI due to the amount of my income. He is not receiving any financial assistance.

He is 48 years old. Started working when he was 17 and has worked for almost 30 years but is not able to receive assistance because of showing a loss in his business within the last 5 years worked.

There are individuals who have never worked before that receive SSI, food stamps, free cell phones and housing/utility assistance but a man that has worked for almost 30 years, whether showing a profit or a loss, that has experienced a life changing medical trauma cannot seem to get help from anywhere. This seems like an injustice.

Is it more beneficial to stay at home, not work and let the government take care of you than to work and try to provide an honest and decent living for your family?

When a young man at the age of 17 stops going to school and starts working to provide for his unborn child and wife, is able to build his credit, buy land, build a home, and start his own business cannot get any financial assistance from the government that he is expected to put his trust in…….THIS IS AN INJUSTICE!!

There is only one true place that you should place your trust and faith and that is in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!! Through a 10 day hospital stay, a 21 day inpatient rehabilitation stay, all the therapy, doctor visits, struggles and disappointments over the past two years one thing has remained true and unchanged in our lives………..GOD!

Carol Ellis
Franklin