Out of the Fog

When Pat Riggs suffered a brain-stem stroke, he was left paralyzed with his mental abilities and memory intact. In the intensive care unit, Riggs and his wife, Jean, learned to communicate via a basic but effective method: blink once for no and twice for yes. They talked using this method for many weeks until a speech therapist at a nursing home found a more sophisticated method for him to express his ideas, thoughts, and feelings. Relying on the words of Riggs and on interviews with his wife, the author shares how the couple tackled the medical malpractice that contributed to the severity of his condition as well as the emotional and psychological challenges that dominated their last four years together. Riggs remained the strong, driven man who rose from being a low-level manager to a senior vice president of a large company on Wall Street in New York. Despite his condition, writing helped him find hope and faith as he tried to make his way Out of the Fog.