Road to Recovery for Jay Bacay

On September 23, 2022, Jay had suffered a stroke at home. Thankfully, his wife, Khendy was at home at the time and was able to call for medical help within those critical moments. From the signs that he was showing, she knew he was having a stroke and along with their children , they pleaded for him to stay awake until the ambulance arrived.

In the emergency room, the doctors were very straightforward and advised Khendy that they were not sure if Jay would make it, considering the size of the bleed that occurred. The brain shift was very significant and only time would tell what his deficit would be.

For the next week, Jay was admitted into the ICU and put under sedation in critical condition. He would undergo numerous tests quite frequently such as CT Scans, ECHOs and X-rays to give doctors an understanding of what was happening internally & most importantly neurologically. MRI’s would later be done when Jay was more stable. That week was very crucial in determining what steps would be taken next because the doctors had to wait until the swelling and bleeding subsided. When Jay finally opened his eyes a few days later of being admitted, there was a small glimpse of hope that started to overcome the worry and sadness upon everyone. During that week, it was also recommended for him to have surgery for a tracheostomy to help with breathing effectively and a PEG tube to help with food digestion to make sure he was still receiving the vital nutrients needed for recovery.

Fast forward to a month since his stroke, Jay has made such amazing progress in such a short amount of time. His doctors are impressed with his progress and anticipate for him to improve even more. Everyday, you can find Khendy at his bedside making sure that he completes his daily occupational, physical and speech therapy. He continues to follow commands, recognizes people and answer questions using his eyebrows and hand gestures. With his therapist’s assistance, Jay also sits upright a couple times a day and is now starting to stand & sit on the edge of the bed to help strengthen his body. Some days, you can even find him bobbing his head at times to his favorite local music when played and showing Shaka. While therapy continues to help strengthen all his muscles each day, his right side which is also his dominant side, is the side that was greatly affected.

Because of his young age of 44, the goal is for him to get transferred to REHAB Hospital of the Pacific located in Oahu, where he will undergo extensive therapy in hopes of getting him back to where he was before the stroke. However, before going to Oahu it has been recommended that he continues therapy at Hale Makua Kahului to strengthen his endurance. On October 26, Jay was discharged from MMMC and transported to Hale Makua. With that being said, medical expenses for hospital stays, tests, and most importantly therapy continue to add up for Khendy and their family as the days go by. She continues to be by Jay’s bedside and unfortunately, has not been able to return to work just yet. The stress of a financial burden should never cross her mind being that this happened so unexpectedly. Jay was an active Kali (Filipino Martial Arts) Professor, a long time employee of 20+ years for Alamo Rent a Car, and a caring, funny and outgoing guy before this. The road to recovery will not be an easy one, but Jay proves everyday that he is willing to fight and get stronger so he can finally come home. Any donation, big or small is greatly appreciated. We thank you so much from the bottom of our hearts for the outpouring of love, prayers and strength for Jay.