MARTHA’S VINEYARD -- A funeral was held for Oscar winning actress Patricia Neal yesterday in Martha’s Vineyard. She will be remembered not only for her long career in film, but for her own efforts to overcome the debilitating effects of a stroke, and her work to help others do the same.
Nan Meyers, a Clinical Nurse Specialist at Borgess says Neal visited the Hospital in Kalamazoo twice over the years to talk about her stroke.
She says the treatment and understanding of strokes has improved considerably since Neal suffered hers in 1963, but it still takes an enormous will to come back from a devastating stroke.
She says the things that can cause strokes have not changed, high blood pressure, fatty and salty diets and other bad habits.
It took years of difficult therapy and work for Neal to be able to speak and walk again normally, and she will remain an inspiration.
