Ten months after suffering a stroke in South America, Doug Fecteau is back home in the Sault \u2014 but his caregiver worries his window for rehab ‘is getting shorter and shorter’<\/p>\n
The primary caregiver for a Sault Ste. Marie man who suffered a stroke while vacationing abroad feels like she\u2019s running out of options.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Doug Fecteau requires extensive rehabilitation \u2014 and cranioplasty after having a portion of his skull surgically removed \u2014 but wait times for post-stroke care have left him in limbo for months.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe’re co-parenting and raising two amazing boys together,\u201d said Melanie Dale, who has been advocating for Fecteau\u2019s medical care.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, it’s worth it to me \u2014 and I’ll do anything possible to try and continue to ensure that he gets the care that he deserves.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The 43-year-old suffered a stroke on Nov. 11, 2024 while vacationing in South America.<\/p>\n
He underwent a craniectomy \u2014 a surgical procedure that involved removing portions of Fecteau\u2019s skull\u00a0\u2014 two days later at a private hospital.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey had to remove that piece of his brain to allow his brain to swell and heal, and kind of come back to normal so that he could survive,\u201d Dale said. \u201cOtherwise, the swelling would have just continued and the damage would have continued,\u00a0and the brain injury would have got worse.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe would have died without removing that piece of skull.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dale contacted medical professionals back in Canada after travelling to South America to be by Fecteau\u2019s side.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey basically just told me that I should get in touch with a couple of hospitals in Toronto and potentially see about having him transferred there,\u201d she said. \u201cIt wasn’t super helpful.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The pair returned to Canada this past May.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe had to obviously have a lengthy hospitalization in a private care facility, rehabilitation, and then medical clearance to then travel again \u2014 and then that put us back here in Canada,\u201d Dale said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fecteau\u2019s medical documentation was in a different language, which meant various medical tests had to be re-ordered before a referral to a neurosurgeon could be completed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He was also referred to a neurosurgeon at Health Sciences North in Sudbury, but was advised there would be a minimum wait of two months for post-stroke care and rehabilitation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dale then reached out to the March of Dimes in an attempt to\u00a0get\u00a0the ball rolling for Fecteau\u00a0in order to receive physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy on an out-patient basis.<\/p>\n
She was under the impression that physiotherapy would happen within a week of the assessments being completed. But when she called back two weeks later, she was informed that occupational therapy had been paused due to employees being off work indefinitely.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now, he\u2019s left to deal with the aftermath of a stroke\u00a0without the aid of rehabilitation services.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have done a bit of private physiotherapy for Doug, and I’ve looked into other private ways to support him,\u201d said Dale. \u201cBut it’s very cost prohibitive, and unfortunately just not always in the budget.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoug has an amazing potential for rehab as far as I’m concerned. He’s otherwise a very healthy man, and he’s determined \u2014 but he has been very frustrated with the waits.\u201d<\/p>\n
A referral was issued for a neurosurgeon in Sudbury after undergoing a CT scan this past July, but Fecteau\u2019s consultation isn\u2019t taking place until January.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He also has an appointment at the stroke clinic in the Sault this week in order to obtain the necessary referrals.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for Sault Area Hospital (SAH) said the Stroke Prevention Clinic generally sees all patients who were admitted with a stroke within three months.<\/p>\n
After the initial assessment, follow-up appointments and further investigations are scheduled as needed. Patients may then be referred to\u00a0out-patient physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech language pathology services.<\/p>\n
Referrals may also be made to homecare and other community agencies as needed.<\/p>\n
The spokesperson said\u00a0SAH does not currently offer neurological services, and referrals are generally made to Health Sciences North in Sudbury.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But Dale feels that time is running out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fecteau is experiencing fatigue, along with ongoing headaches, dizziness and vertigo, as a result of the\u00a0craniectomy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She wants the father of their children\u00a0to receive appropriate care \u2014 and soon \u2014 and is willing to take him anywhere in the world to accomplish that, after being left\u00a0frustrated with long wait times.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe window of opportunity for Doug’s rehabilitation, even despite his tenacity and determination, is getting shorter and shorter,\u201d Dale said.\u00a0<\/p>\n