Late Thursday evening, Nov. 7, we received word from Jackie Altschuler that her husband, Stuart Altschuler, had suffered a massive stroke.
Stuart is PPFA's Vice President and has been an active, commited supporter of PPFA for many years. He is a fourth generation picture framer and, currently, is an educator and consultant. He has served on several PPFA Committees and has been a member of our National Board of Directors for five years, currently holding the position of Vice President.
Stuart had made a presentation to a group in the Naples, Florida area on Monday night 11/4. He was finishing his paperwork when Jackie noticed something wrong. The EMTs arrived within 5 minutes. He was taken to Physicians Regional Hospital in Naples, five miles away. The doctors performed an emergency procedure to break up a large blood clot in his brain.
The family says that Stuart would not be with us if not for the speedy response by the EMTs and for the fact that the hospital is the only "heart" hospital within 150 miles.
Within the last few minutes, I have spoken to his son Chris in the hospital. He came immediately from New York as did his sister from Boston. They are there helping their mother Jackie who had stepped away when I called.
Stuart is still in ICU, heavily sedated and on a respirator to assist his breathing. Both actions are to allow his body to have maximum rest. His whole left side is paralyzed. He has wiggled his toe.
No prognosis is possible until swelling has gone down. That could be days in the future. However, vital signs are OK and there is hope for a good recovery.
Chris and his mother have gone thru all the many emails and other messages and they promise to respond when possible. They promise to send updates from time to time.
The address of the hospital is: Physicians Regional Hospital, 6101 Pine Ridge Road, Naples, FL, 34119, phone 239-348-4000.
Obviously, Stuart has not been moved into a separate room. The phone number above gets you to the nurse's station. The nurses will check to see if a family member is present and if they wish to talk.
No flowers are allowed in the ICU.
Chris gave me his parents home address. So, if you wish to send a message, then mail it to: 2090 Morningsun Lane, Naples, FL, 34119.
Chris says his mother has a large support group of family and friends. He could not think of anything that we could do for them at this time and he repeated that they will keep us posted as time moves along.
John Pruitt, CPF
President, PPFA
Stuart is PPFA's Vice President and has been an active, commited supporter of PPFA for many years. He is a fourth generation picture framer and, currently, is an educator and consultant. He has served on several PPFA Committees and has been a member of our National Board of Directors for five years, currently holding the position of Vice President.
Stuart had made a presentation to a group in the Naples, Florida area on Monday night 11/4. He was finishing his paperwork when Jackie noticed something wrong. The EMTs arrived within 5 minutes. He was taken to Physicians Regional Hospital in Naples, five miles away. The doctors performed an emergency procedure to break up a large blood clot in his brain.
The family says that Stuart would not be with us if not for the speedy response by the EMTs and for the fact that the hospital is the only "heart" hospital within 150 miles.
Within the last few minutes, I have spoken to his son Chris in the hospital. He came immediately from New York as did his sister from Boston. They are there helping their mother Jackie who had stepped away when I called.
Stuart is still in ICU, heavily sedated and on a respirator to assist his breathing. Both actions are to allow his body to have maximum rest. His whole left side is paralyzed. He has wiggled his toe.
No prognosis is possible until swelling has gone down. That could be days in the future. However, vital signs are OK and there is hope for a good recovery.
Chris and his mother have gone thru all the many emails and other messages and they promise to respond when possible. They promise to send updates from time to time.
The address of the hospital is: Physicians Regional Hospital, 6101 Pine Ridge Road, Naples, FL, 34119, phone 239-348-4000.
Obviously, Stuart has not been moved into a separate room. The phone number above gets you to the nurse's station. The nurses will check to see if a family member is present and if they wish to talk.
No flowers are allowed in the ICU.
Chris gave me his parents home address. So, if you wish to send a message, then mail it to: 2090 Morningsun Lane, Naples, FL, 34119.
Chris says his mother has a large support group of family and friends. He could not think of anything that we could do for them at this time and he repeated that they will keep us posted as time moves along.
John Pruitt, CPF
President, PPFA
