Long recovery sees hospital patient go home after 14 months

More than a year ago, Troy Trumble came to Ross Memorial Hospital with a complex neurological illness. The medical mystery left him unable to walk, and there were times where it looked as though he wasn’t going to make it. Now, Trumble is ready to go home. 

Trumble said 14 months ago he fell down some stairs at home, and he believes he had multiple strokes. Doctors, however, have never been able to give him a formal diagnosis. 

When he first arrived, the Lindsay resident spent six months in the medical unit. Those first few days and weeks were hard for the Trumble. All he wanted to do was to be left alone, with the curtains pulled down, and the lights off. “I didn’t feel like talking half the time, I didn’t want to be bothered. Now I’m full of life,” Trumble said. 

For Trumble, he dealt with obstacle after obstacle. He had to have a feeding tube, a tracheotomy, and faced days where he was too tired to acknowledge people in his room. 

Trumble spent six days in a coma, and was left paralyzed from the chest down, only able to move his head and arms. “I couldn’t walk, and then one day I moved my feet,” he said. From there, he was determined to walk on his own. 

With the physiotherapy team encouraging him every step of the way, Trumble said one member in particular was essential to his recovery, Jaeden English. “I said to Jaeden, ‘teach me how to walk again,’ now I can walk with a walker.”

As his recovery began, the original plan was for Trumble to go to a long-term care facility, but as he continued to improve it was decided that if he could walk out of the hospital on his own, he would be able to go live with his mother in Pefferlaw. 

“Once I was able to walk again, I went on field trips with the recreation team,” Trumble said.  Alongside other patients, they would go for picnics, take part in a monthly barbeque, and go to Logie Park. 

Inside the hospital, Trumble took part in various activities, his favourite being bingo. 

Trumble got to know the staff and volunteers at the hospital well, having spent time in the emergency department, ICU, medical, palliative, surgical and transitional care unit. As Trumble spoke with Kawartha Lakes Weekly, multiple staff members stopped to wish him well. 

“Those who were fortunate enough to be a part of his journey here at the Ross are incredibly proud of the work, dedication, and commitment he has placed in his improvement. His journey is a true testament to the power of excellent patient-centered interdisciplinary care, along with perseverance of the human spirit. We wish him the very best,” said a social media post from Ross Memorial Hospital. 

Trumble said that the staff and volunteers are vital to helping patients like him. “They’re like a big family here.” 

Now, more than a year after he was first admitted, Trumble got to walk out the door. To mark the occasion, staff and volunteers lined the halls and clapped him out. 

Trumble said he’s grateful to everyone who helped him on his journey, and he’s looking forward to going home. The first thing on his list to do is, “visit the people I haven’t seen in almost a year.”