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Stroke sufferer volunteers for therapy
By LOGAN NEILL Every morning when Frank Cook glides through the front door of Pine Grove Elementary's front office, he gets the warmest of welcomes. The staff dotes on him, bringing him samples of morning breakfast fare and doing whatever they can to make him comfortable. They even laugh at his corny jokes. In the past month and a half, the 47-year-old has become something of a valuable treasure to them, a pair of extra hands in a place that sorely needs them. But it just so happens that this is a two-way street, one that has helped give Cook a new lease on life. About a year ago, Cook suffered a debilitating stroke that left him partially paralyzed on his right side. Sadly, the effects were far-reaching. Cook's lengthy hospital stay and subsequent physical therapy were devastating to his wife Joanne, 10-year-old daughter Jonelle, and son Justin, 16. When things seemed at their lowest, help arrived by way of the teachers, administrators and staff at Pine Grove. Together, they pitched in however they could. Some helped with housework, others brought meals. And when the family's financial woes became critical, they helped out there as well. Meanwhile, Cook gradually improved. He regained some use in his right arm and hand and his vision began to gradually return to normal. However, doctors became less optimistic about his right leg, no longer strong enough to support his weight. Confined to a wheelchair, Cook, who had worked 17 years as an equipment manager for a national environmental restoration firm, had resigned himself to an unproductive life. "I was pretty unhappy, thinking that was about it for me," he said. However, Joanne Cook, a paraprofessional at the school, thought differently. She knew that the recent departure of a staff secretary had left the front office short-handed. She convinced her husband to give volunteering a try. It was a perfect match. Cook fit in immediately, taking on many of the daily office tasks that staffers were struggling to manage. "Having Frank here has really helped morale because the work can be so overwhelming," said Nancy Hurst, the school's Title I parent educator. "He is so easygoing and willing to do anything he thinks he's capable of doing." Cook is grateful for the opportunity to do what he calls "normal things." Most days, he spends about seven hours doing everything from attendance reports to answering phones -- activities he realized he would never get to do by staying at home. "It's good therapy for me," says Cook. "It's given me a purpose to get going and keep trying to get better." While Cook knows his road to complete recovery will be long and difficult, knowing that there are people behind him who believe in him is more than he could ever ask for. "Being able to give back to the people who helped me is very special to me," he says. "It made my battle so much easier to fight knowing they were there." Frank Cook, 47, lives in Spring Hill. Family: Joanne (wife) Jonelle, 11 (daughter) Justin, 16 (son)
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From today's Hernando Times Letters |
