North Raleigh resident, Bailey Hurt has enjoyed a colorful life as an artist. He first came to North Carolina as an East Carolina University Pirate, majoring in art. Thereafter, he relocated to Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York where he earned a graduate degree. Nostalgic for the beauty and wonder of North Carolina, he returned and has been here since.

A lover of all artistic mediums, Bailey specializes in three-dimensional art and has spent his career working with his hands.

A String of Bizarre Events

In June 2020, that all changed when Bailey woke up one morning to a series of bizarre experiences.

“That June morning was a typical workday. I woke up, got in the shower and shook my head to wring out the water after washing my hair. I lost my balance and almost fell. ‘Weird,’ I thought, but I shrugged it off and headed to work.”

Bailey loved his job and looked forward to the new projects that awaited him each day.

“I worked at a plant that made three-dimensional models. As the models would come out of the machine, they required a lot of hand finishing — a real finesse — which I enjoyed. It was a job that gave me a chance to use my hands and artistic eye for design.”

All was well until about midday when Bailey decided to take a stroll around the building during his break. Upon exiting, he saw a friend in the parking lot, waved and said hello.

“What the friend said back to me sounded like gibberish, and, honestly, my initial greeting also sounded like gibberish. I thought to myself, ‘I really didn’t understand what he said.’ I, again, shrugged it off and continued my walk.”

Bailey found, however, that the unusual occurrences recommenced. The sidewalk around the building was lined with bushes. As he walked, he kept falling into the bushes.

“I was unable to walk a straight line. I kept veering off to the left.”

This time, Bailey was pretty shaken up, so he collected his things and headed home for the day. At home, he went about his normal evening routine, enjoying television with his wife.

“My wife went to bed early and at around 11:00 p.m. I decided I’d head to bed as well. I stood up to turn off the television, and I fell down. I kept thinking, ‘All these things are weird.’ When I tried to stand up, I found I couldn’t as my entire left side was numb.”

This time, Bailey was afraid. He crawled to their bedroom at the end of the hallway, desperate to wake his wife.

A Serious Medical Emergency

Bailey finally made it and cried out to her. “Something is really wrong. You need to call 911!”

Bailey’s wife woke up and called for help. Emergency medical services (EMS) arrived quickly, loaded him into an ambulance and sped off to the emergency department. One worker told Bailey that he believed he’d had a stroke, but that all would be okay and not to panic.

After a cat scan and an MRI, the health care team confirmed that at age 66, Bailey had had a stroke. Since Bailey’s dad had suffered a heart attack in his early 60s, Bailey had never studied the signs of a stroke. He was focused on the signs of a heart attack.

Yet, both are caused by a blockage in blood flow to a critical part of the body. A stroke is caused by a blockage to the brain, while a heart attack is caused by a blockage in blood flow to the heart. Both require immediate medical attention to prevent permanent injury and even death, so it’s important to recognize the signs.

Signs of Stroke

Balance — Is the person losing his/her coordination or balance? Is he/she having trouble walking?

Eyes — Is the person having trouble seeing out of one or both eyes?

Face — Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop?

Arms — Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift down?

Speech — Ask the person to repeat a sentence. Are the words slurred? Is he/she having trouble getting words out?

Time — If the person shows any of these symptoms, time is important. Call 9-1-1 and get to the hospital fast. Brain cells are dying.

 

Bailey says, “The biggest mistake I made was not knowing how a stroke works. I didn’t realize that little things could happen and if any of that happens, it is important to get to the hospital immediately. I understand the anatomy of it now. I needed to get my blood thinned out and get treatment to lessen the severity of the stroke.

“I often wonder if that morning I’d gone immediately to the hospital instead of to work, how much less severe my stroke would have been. I kick myself for that. It was a typical guy thing where I thought that I was okay and that I didn’t need to go to the doctor. Now I tell everybody, especially men, it is better to head to the hospital and be a little embarrassed than to have a serious medical condition that goes unchecked for hours.”

A Long Road to Recovery

After a week in the intensive care unit (ICU), Bailey was transferred via ambulance for five weeks of inpatient rehabilitation. His entire left side was paralyzed. He couldn’t walk and did not have use of his arm, hand or fingers. His speech was also slurred due to immobility in his left-side facial muscles.

Once discharged, Bailey began outpatient rehab at Outpatient Rehabilitation – Raleigh Campus. There, he continued speech, physical and occupational therapy twice per week. After a couple of months, he completed speech language therapy. He has continued with physical and occupational therapy to this day.

Bailey has made immense progress in these past two years. Initially, he used a wheelchair for mobility. Then he transitioned to a cane and an ankle foot orthosis. Now he has a less supportive ankle brace and walks without any assistive device while in therapy.

He participates in the WakeMed Healthworks Transitional Exercise class for physical therapy graduates, the Regain program for occupational therapy and, until recently, he was in NeuroSplash for aquatic group therapy through WakeMed HealthWorks located at Raleigh Campus. He plans to return to aquatic therapy once his schedule permits.

“Neurosplash, with Mary, has helped me tremendously to regain left-side mobility. It took the gravity away, so I wasn’t fighting through in therapy but, instead, I felt confident. Plus, I got to know others, and since it was drop-in, it was no pressure.”

Bailey’s Life Today

Bailey is feeling more like himself.

“In the mornings, my speech is a little slurred and movements are a little stiff, but as I go through the day, they improve.

Gratefully, though Bailey’s speech and cognition were affected early on, his visual and spatial comprehension were preserved, so he has retained his coveted artistic abilities. He is still working to regain his left-side strength, so while he is able to walk and go about his day, he has not been able to return to three-dimensional art since he needs both hands.

Bailey says, “I think I’m close to the same as I was before the stroke. Seeing others in therapy who have had strokes, I’m thankful that I haven’t been affected permanently and in such a detrimental way.

“I am determined to return to 3D art one day too, and I have all the WakeMed therapists, especially Kim Bader, my physical therapist, and Mary R. Jackson, my occupational therapist, to thank.”

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About WakeMed Physical Therapy

It’s our goal at WakeMed Physician Practices – Physical Therapy to get you back to your active lifestyle. Our techniques are based on national best practices to ensure you receive the latest, best treatment for your condition.  Providing physical therapy and occupational therapy in Raleigh, Cary, Brier Creek and Apex, North Carolina.