Marian Crofoot still active despite stroke-induced handicap
By ROWENA PLETT
Reporter / photographer
Marian Crofoot is a positive person. Even after suffering a stroke and losing the use of her right arm, she remains active and enjoys life.
"I'm so used to it, I don't even know I have one arm," she said.
The spritely woman, now age 75, went from being the CEO of Western Associates to being a "nobody," as she puts it. She experienced the stroke more than 10 years ago in her home at 412 S. Thorp, Marion.
She was cooking supper one evening in October 1992 when she suddenly felt a weakness in her right arm. She had the presence of mind to turn off the stove before struggling toward a telephone to get help. However, she collapsed unconscious on the floor before reaching the phone.
Marian had lost her husband John to sudden death four years earlier and was living alone. She was not found until 8:30 the next morning when a friend came by as planned. (Marian speculated if she could have received help soon after the stroke, the resulting damage may not have been as severe.)
She was taken to St. Luke Hospital, then transported by ambulance to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita, where she remained unconscious for five days. She was in the hospital for two weeks and was left with a useless right arm and a nonfunctioning right leg.
She spent 30 days at Wesley's rehabilitation center.
"I have nothing but praise for the physical therapists there," she said. "They were wonderful. They taught me how to survive with a handicap."
The first thing she had to learn was how to stand up. Her right leg provides support but movement comes from the hip. She wears a brace on that leg.
In a simulated kitchen area at Wesley, she learned how to cook and do laundry with only one good arm.
She also learned how to dress herself and tie her shoes. Because of the brace, she is restricted to wearing sport shoes.
"I never look dressed up," she noted with a soft smile.
After speech therapy, her speech returned almost to normal. She is easily understood.
She explained the stroke was caused by the bursting of a capillary in her brain. The resulting pooling of blood damaged nerve pathways. New nerve paths were created around the damaged area, she said, allowing for restoration of some functions, such as her speech.
"The body is a marvelous thing," she noted.
Marian hasn't allowed her handicap to keep her from socializing and being a part of the community. She can walk slowly for short distances and can drive. She enjoys entertaining her bridge club and P.E.O., and often invites friends in for meals.
She also attends Eastmoor United Methodist Church and meetings of St. Luke Hospital Auxiliary.
"You've got to be aggressive or you become a hermit," she said. "I'm glad I can still do some things."
She said she has to plan ahead because everything she does takes time. Even that is a positive in her mind.
"I'm kind of slow," she said, "but I guess that's why I'm not bored. It takes me so long to do something."
Marian uses a wheel chair to get around in her home because it is faster than walking. When the Crofoots built their home in Marion in 1982, Marian planned it and laid it out with three-foot doorways throughout and a spacious, open living area. The kitchen has a large pantry that puts pots and pans and supplies within easy reach. That plan has made it possible for her to get around well and continue to enjoy her beautiful home.
Her three children — Dave, Pam, and Jim — bought her a mobile wheelchair three years ago. She likes it because it protects her good hand, which tends to be arthritic from so much use.
"This hand is my lifeline," she said. "It's my most important part."
Marian surmises that one reason she gets along so well is because she has no one living with her to help her.
"I have to do it myself, that's part of my success," she said.
Her bright outlook on life obviously is another part of her success.
"I used to be a 'hurry-up' gal and now I live like this, but it doesn't bother me," she said.
