Defying death, Smith is heading home
PHOTO BY STEVE STEINER
Lester Smith (left), helps his son, Patrick, drink.After suffered a stroke, Patrick Smith lost the use of his arms and legs. Nearly a year later, he can now do many things for himself.
PHOTO BY STEVE STEINER
Sharon Smith (left) turns her head away to hide her tears as Kimberly Hedle reads a card she and her family have given that expresses their thanks and appreciation for all that has been done on behalf of her husband, Patrick, by the staff of Bartow Center Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.
PHOTO BY STEVE STEINER
Patrick Smith's family, including (from left) his son, Terrone Hawkins, parents Lester and Emily Smith, sister-in-law Onita Henderson, his wife Sharon, and his brothers (who declined to provide their names) join Patrick at a celebration held Friday, March 22.
March 1 will be a special day for Patrick Smith, 42, of Winter Haven. He gets to go home. His journey is nothing short of a miracle.
On Feb. 8, 2012, Smith had a cancerous tumor on his pituitary gland removed. On April 1 that year, he collapsed.