Donating to The Miriam Hospital
Patient Voices
 Joseph Brissette: A New Outlook
On May 6, 2004, 66-year-old Joseph Brissette
lay in his hospital bed recovering from three
surgeries: the removal of blood clots in his
right leg and foot; a fasciotomy for the compartment
syndrome in his right leg; and a skin
graft from his right hip to cover his right leg.
Albert Weyman, MD, had performed the surgeries,
and Joseph seemed to be improving
every day.
Joseph’s wife Erika had
been visiting for a while
and decided to leave her
husband alone to rest.
When she returned to
his room, she was
stunned to find an
empty bed. A nurse on the unit saw Erika and
immediately called Dr.Weyman, who told
Erika that Joseph had suffered a stroke. He
hurried her downstairs.
There, in the radiology unit, Joseph lay on a
stretcher, barely responsive. The left side of his
body was paralyzed. He couldn’t blink his left
eye. He couldn’t lift his left arm. He couldn’t
move his left leg. He couldn’t speak. Erika had
one thought: She didn’t want her husband to
see her cry.
Douglas DeOrchis, MD, introduced himself to
Erika and explained her options. He described
the severity of the stroke Joseph had experienced,
explaining that a blood clot was blocking
circulation to part of his brain. Time was
critical. The only guarantee Dr. DeOrchis
could make was that if left untreated, Joseph
would remain severely disabled or die. Within
seconds, Erika made the most important
decision she had ever made.
The most important decision of a lifetime >>
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