Gordie Howe suffers small strokes while in recovery from first one
Gordie Howe's son Mark shared the latest update on his father's condition. The news is not good as Mr. Hockey has been suffering from small strokes while in recovery from the first one.
By
Chris Peters
•
2 min read
Detroit Red Wings great Gordie Howe has been fighting on since suffering what was termed as a significant stroke Oct. 26. His road to recovery has been long and hard and filled with setbacks. In the aftermath of the initial stroke, Howe has been suffering from a series of small strokes including one Saturday, according to DetroitRedWings.com.
Howe's son and fellow Hockey Hall of Famer Mark Howe has been the family’s unofficial spokesman when it comes to his father's status. Mark Howe detailed the latest regarding Mr. Hockey’s health to Bill Roose:
“He’s not walking at all. His speech is very common,” Mark said. “After his first stroke, within a week he was up and walking probably 40 or 50 feet. It took him quite a while. And the use of both arms was coming back pretty well. But then after the second stroke, I know they did his first physical therapy about a week ago after his epidural. I was there and he tried standing twice over the course of about 20 minutes and it took every ounce of energy he had. It totally drained him.
“Right now we’re concentrating on re-establishing the connection between the muscles and the brain and hopefully they can get that connection and maybe have a chance.”
Mark Howe said he and his siblings – Marty, Murray and Cathy – have come to grips with medical condition of their famous father. They’re just glad that he’s not in any pain.
Despite the difficulty he is facing, Mark Howe relayed that his father has been able to use his limited communication when with his family and caregivers.
"He's very much aware of what's going on and it's nice when you're there with him because you can still interact with him and all. He has his personality," Mark Howe told DetroitRedWings.com.
Gordie Howe's treatment after the first stroke has been full of peaks and valleys, and with his status as one of the most important players in hockey history and as one of Canada's greatest athletes, there has been no shortage of interested parties.
According to Christine Simpson of Sportsnet, Mark Howe said that the family is overwhelmed by the well wishes and letters that have poured in for their father in the wake of his stroke.
Despite such trying times, the optimism of Howe’s family and their continual relaying of the message that Gordie has continued to fight in the face of long odds has been extremely uplifting.
Mark Howe says that he and his siblings have taken turns caring for his father for the last five and a half years and that the recent setback has only been a continuation of that. Though each update seems to get bleaker, the willingness of Howe's family to keep the public abreast of his status shows just how much their father means to the sporting world and how much his fans mean to him.
There are few athletes alive today that are so universally beloved beyond the boundaries of the player's hometown or where he or she played. It's not a surprise, though. After all, there's only one Mr. Hockey.
