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Playing the Game

Profile of Dick Brown

From InsideRHCI, Fall 2003

For Dick Brown of Marshfield, golf is more than a game. It's a passion. That's why playing eighteen holes at the RHCI golf classic in September meant so much. The event marked the first time Dick played a full round since suffering a stroke in February of 2002.

The stroke left, Dick, 58, a computer consultant, without use of his left arm and hand, limited use of his left leg, and impaired vision in his left eye. Under the direction of his RHCI physician, Scott Abramson, M.D., Dick's rehabilitation team designed a program tailored to his needs and goals. In addition to going home and walking, those goals included returning to work, driving, cooking and playing golf.

Dick chose RHCI for his inpatient rehabilitation partly to make visiting easier on his wife, Donna, who works in Osterville, and partly because RHCI came highly recommended. "RHCI was terrific. I got so much from the staff. I could see how much the staff cared. If I ever have to go to a rehab hospital again, I wouldn't go anywhere else," he says.

During the seven weeks Dick spent at RHCI, his team focused on improving strength and range of motion on his weak left side. "One of the biggest moments was when I took my first steps in the parallel bars," he remembers. "Then I started using the walker. I could go 30, 40 feet."

Dick's rehabilitation also included sessions with Valerie Hayes, certified therapeutic recreation specialist, who meets with all RHCI patients who have had a stroke. "Rehab doesn't end when someone leaves therapy," she says. "My job is to help the patient start thinking about the need for leisure activities, the need to be with friends, the need to be out in the community enjoying life. In Dick's case, that meant golf."

When RHCI began offering a series of adapted golf clinics last May, Val notified Dick, who immediately signed up. "It was fantastic to see him do a one-arm swing. He did great," says Val.

Dick continues to improve with regular exercise at a gym near his home. "Every day my leg feels stronger. I can walk farther," he says. Dick's driver's license has been reinstated and he's started doing a little cooking. He continues to strengthen his hand and arm. Over the winter he did some golfing in Florida, and he has since rejoined a golf league where he plays nine holes each week. He's also joined a Stroke Survivor's Support Group that meets monthly at RHCI.

To express his appreciation for all RHCI did for him and his family, Dick played in RHCI's ninth annual golf classic (and has continued to participate each year). "I was honored to play," he says. "It was a glorious day. I was with my pals. I had fun. That was a gift right there."

Dick also gave a moving account of his experience at RHCI to the audience at the awards dinner. "I appreciate all the work everyone did for me and my fellow patients," he said. "They helped me become a stroke survivor rather than a stroke victim."