Edneyville stroke survivor defies the odds after 12 days in a coma
Twelve years ago, Edneyville's Bill Haynes was working at GOJO Industries in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, when he suffered a massive stroke at the age of 41 and spent 12 days in a coma.
During those 12 days, his heart stopped twice and he had to be resuscitated. After waking up following the coma, he was told by doctors he would likely be in a vegetative state for the rest of his life.
"I wasn't going to let that happen," Haynes, 52, told the Times-News on Feb. 19.
Now the manager of a gas station in Edneyville, Haynes has made a full recovery and even does landscaping projects at his church. He credits his remarkable recovery to his faith in God, the knowledge of his brother and the determination of his doctors and physical therapists.
The day of the stroke
Haynes says he remembers exactly where he was, the day and the time when the stroke happened.
"I was working at GOJO back then. The stroke happened on July 11, 2012 at 1:31 p.m.," he said. "I was transported to Akron City Hospital, and I was there for six hours. Doctors there thought I had just got knocked out."
But accompanying him to the hospital was his brother, Joe Haynes, who was a retired U.S. Air Force medic.
"He knew what was going on," Haynes said. "He was able to get me life-flighted to Cleveland Clinic, which is the No. 2 hospital in the world."
Doctors there determined that Haynes had a stroke that resulted from a blood clot in a cluster of veins behind his left ear.
"All of my blood flow went to the right side, causing me to have a stroke and a seizure as well. My whole right side was paralyzed. It felt like I had three people holding down my arm and three people holding down my leg. I couldn't think or swallow. My entire right side was shut down," he said.
Haynes was in a coma for nine days at the Cleveland Clinic, and while he was there, his brother was already planning the next move.
Transferred again, closer to home
While Bill Haynes was in a coma at the Cleveland Clinic, Haynes' brother was combing area rehab facilities in the area, looking for the best one.
"My brother was going around Northeast Ohio, visiting six rehab facilities to see which was the best one for me," Haynes said. "Lo and behold, it was called Edwin Shaw, which was back in Cuyahoga Falls. It was just two to three blocks away from where I lived."
The first therapist who saw Haynes was Christine Bailey. Haynes said he recently made a trip back to Edwin Shaw and spoke to the therapists who helped him recover, especially Bailey, who was one of the first ones to see him.
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"She said in her 22 years that she had never seen any patient as bad off as I was," Haynes said. "She even said she was surprised back then that they transferred me there, as bad of shape as I was in. I actually didn't come out of my comatose state until three days later. You're trapped in your body and you can't speak."
The road to recovery
Haynes said he was released from Edwin Shaw on Aug. 23, 2012, a day he will never forget.
"The whole process took me about six weeks altogether," he said. "I had to learn how to speak again, how to swallow and how to think for myself. I went from being bed ridden, to a wheelchair, to parallel bars, to a four-prong cane to walking out of there. That was my No. 1 goal."
Haynes said two devices therapists used in his recovery were part of the Bioness System, which uses electrical stimulation that helped him restore movement to his right leg and right arm and hand.
"These were for my hand, arm and leg. It stimulates nerve endings to regenerate your brain down to your leg, saying, 'hey, your leg is good; start using it.' Over a period of time, that's what happened," he said.
Haynes said his biggest inspiration to regain movement and get back to normal was his youngest son, who is now 19.
"He was 7 then, and I didn't want him to go without a dad," Haynes said. "There's a photo on my Facebook page of me at the hospital and my son holding my hand. I had no idea who he was. I had to relearn everyone's name in my family. He played soccer at the time, and I wanted to be there for his soccer games."
After doctors told his family members he'd likely be in a vegetative state the rest of his life, Haynes said he was even more determined to heal.
"Once I got my bearings straight, I was like, 'No, that's not going to happen.' I worked even harder to make sure it wouldn't happen," he said. "I did an extra two workouts each week to get better. For anyone that suffers a stroke, be positive in your recovery. Pray for healing, no matter the situation."
A devout Christian, Haynes, who said he's a member of Mount Moriah Baptist Church, credits his recovery to his faith.
"Until the day that I pass away, I'll always say that it was through Jesus Christ I was able to get my leg healed, my brain healed and my arm healed. There are people all in the Bible who are healed through miracles. Without him, I would not be here today," he said.
Dean Hensley is the news editor for the Hendersonville Times-News. Email him with tips, questions and comments at DHensley@gannett.com. Please help support this kind of local journalism with a subscription to the Hendersonville Times-News.
This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Edneyville troke survivor who spent 12 days in a coma makes recovery
