My husband, Lester E. “Dutch” Dupree, had a stroke on 14 Jul 79. He had a headache for several days, but had not told anyone. I was off from work and was cutting out a dress when he told me his head was hurting badly. I immediately became concerned and offered medication but he had already taken some. I kept watching him rub his hand over his forehead as he sat in his recliner. I finally slipped into our bedroom and called the doctor. He said bring him to the emergency room and he would meet us there or if he chose not to; then, I was to bring him in Monday to his office. When I talked to Dutch about what the doctor said, he did not want to go. But he kept rubbing his forehead with his hand. He finally went to bed and I placed an ice pack on it. After about an hour I heard him getting up. He told me this was not an ordinary headache and he was putting on his clothes to go to the hospital. On the way to the hospital he told me that maybe he just needed to get out of the house because his head was better. Dr. Smith met us. After examining him, he said he couldn’t find the cause of the headache, but was admitting him in order to run a series of neurological tests. He left the examining room and went to the station to write up his report. Just after he left out, the headache came back and Dutch started vomiting. I got the nurse’s attention and the doctor came back. He asked Margaret Ruth and me to step out. He closed the door and we stood waiting. He finally came out and told us Dutch had suffered a stroke. A little later he came back and said he was moving Dutch from Baptist Hospital to St. Elizabeth Hospital because the CAT scan machine at Baptist was broken. He said Dr. Kubala was operating on a patient at St. Elizabeth and he was a reputable neurologist and could examine Dutch. By this time it was 11 PM. Dutch was moved by ambulance; Margaret Ruth and I followed by car. I called our pastor, Bro. L. Charles Treadway, as we were leaving Baptist to let him know. I told him if he would just pray—not come (Sunday morning was nearing and I knew he had responsibilities). When I got to St. Elizabeth, he was there! About 1 AM Dr. Kubala and Dr. Smith came out and told me they were taking Dutch to surgery. I said, “Can’t you wait until morning?” Dr. Kubala said his condition was deteriorating rapidly and it had to happen now. At 6 AM they came out and Dr. Kubala told me he had done what he could. The rest was up to God and he pointed upwards. Bro. Treadway finally left around 7 AM. He and his son had been there all night. My family was there by then.

Dutch was in ICU two full months. Everyday I was told, “He’s not going to make it”. “Do not get your hopes up. Dutch is not going to make it”. All this time, our pastor was visiting him each day and praying. Our church family was praying. Our large family was praying—including our extended family. Jess (Aunt Jessie) sent me several encouraging scriptures to help keep me going. Our son, Nathan, would read these scriptures to Dutch—even though he was in a deep coma—as he visited his Dad during out 15 minute visiting time.

Dutch had been in ICU about a month when Dr. Kubala advised me he would to take him back to surgery. He said Staph infection was in the bone flap and it would have to be removed. He said if Dutch lived he could put in a steel plate to protect his head in a year or so. Then, Dr. Smith came in and said Dutch probably wouldn’t live through surgery—if he did, he would be on a ventilator when he came out of surgery and he would never be able to get him off of it. Well, Dutch did come through surgery and was not on a ventilator when he came out. However, he was still in a deep coma.

This continued on for 3 or 4 more weeks. About this time, Dr. Smith went on a week’s vacation. He thought Dutch would be gone when he got back. He had been telling me—since Dutch had continued to live—that I had to make arrangements to move him to a nursing home. He said, “He may live for a year like this”, and since he wasn’t improving he couldn’t keep staying in the hospital. While he was gone, Dutch began opening his eyes, first for the physical therapist and later as family members entered the room and talked with him. Each time he opened his eyes, he smiled at us. Dr. Smith came back to town on Saturday. The telephone rang and when I picked up, it was Dr. Smith. He said, “Mrs. Dupree, Dutch is better”. I could detect excitement in his voice. I said, “Yes, Sir, I know”. From that time forward he began to mend slowly. Margaret Ruth was holding his hand, talking to him. She said, “Daddy, if you can hear me, squeeze my hand”. She felt the slightest movement. She screamed with excitement. The nurses came running from all over ICU, thinking there was a problem. Every one was relieved and happy. We could visit Dutch three times each day for only 15 minutes during this 2-month period. Only one at a time could go in. We had a constant stream of people—some coming out—some going in. From this time forward, he began to mend. At times, he was still in a deep sleep when we visited. After two months Dr. Smith felt he had improved to the point he could be moved to the neurosurgical floor. All tubes had been removed, but he still required a lot of suctioning due to a strangling, constant cough. A few days out of ICU he was lying there with his eyes open. I said, “Dutch, see if you can wiggle your toes”. I noticed the slightest movement in one foot. Next visit from Dr. Smith, I told him about it. He didn’t believe me. I asked Dutch to show Dr. Smith. He did it again for him. You see—he had been paralyzed from his neck down. He could turn his head from side-to-side a little and that was all. That’s why all the excitement over the slightest improvement. One of our neighbors was a nurse. She said Dutch would have a complete personality change when he came out of the stroke—in case he did live. She said he would be mean and do and say things that we had never seen or heard. This did not happen. He still had his sweet, gentle, kind nature that he had always had. Dr. Smith began to send him to physical therapy about this time. I thought, “Why?, he can only slightly move”. My sister-in-law was with him one day while I was at work. When I got to the hospital, she said, “Melba, Dutch walked today”. I did not believe her but she explained how the therapist stood him up, placed his hands around Dutch’s neck, and walked backward as Dutch walked forward. Of course, it was not a normal walk, but it was a start. So, you see, he was mending a little every day.

After a month and 4 days out of ICU, Dr. Smith felt he had improved to the point he could leave the hospital. He suggested the nursing home he wanted to send him to. I said, “Dr. Smith, Dutch is coming home”. He did not agree with me but I would not relent. He said we couldn’t take care of him at home. On the day we were to leave the hospital, Dr. Smith pulled up a chair beside Dutch’s bed. He said to him, “Dutch, I am going to let you go home. I don’t agree with this, but Mrs. Dupree insists that she is taking you home. I feel you should be in a nursing home”. With that, he released him to come home. Our son and his wife, Nathan and Jeanette Dupree, gave up their home temporarily and moved in with us—they and their two young daughters, Megan and Marietta. Megan was probably 4 years old and Marietta was almost two. They lived with us for several months to assist us. This was a great hardship for them, but Dutch and I are eternally grateful.

Dutch continued physical therapy for a good while. My brother, James, and Nathan carried him. Finally, he got all of his muscles back. His mind was always very good—from the time he began to come out of the coma. I could relate many incidents but space doesn’t permit. His judgment continued to be much better than mine.

I would like to relate one more incident that occurred in the hospital. I happened to take a very late lunch break from Dutch’s room. The cafeteria was rather empty, and I seated myself and began eating. About this time the head nurse on days walked over with her tray and asked to join me. In our conversation Dutch’s name came up. She stated, “One thing for sure, Dutch has God on his side”. This was a totally unexpected statement. As I looked at her she said, “Dr. Smith and Dr. Kubala got to the nurse’s station about the same time this morning. Dr. Smith was checking Dutch’s chart. He looked at Dr. Kubala and asked what he thought about his patient. He was speaking in a bragging tone. Dr. Kubala said, “You know you didn’t do that. God did that”. I truly appreciated the Lord getting all of the credit. We ask but He does the work. Praise the Lord!

Dutch and I had a very good life together for the next 22 years; he was limited only slightly. Sometimes words evaded him, but most of the time there was no problem. We took many vacation trips after this. He had already retired and I retired a couple of years later. I suppose our longest trips were to Gatlinburg TN; we went there twice. We had many happy hours together until our wonderful Lord took him home, 19 Aug 01. He was 85 years old at the time. The stroke occurred shortly after his 63^rd birthday.

Bro. Treadway has preached all over the world. He has used Dutch many times as an example of God’s power when we pray and believe.