Chapter I: Barbie’s Stroke: Ground Zero

Barb’s stroke hit the morning of Dec. 21, 2006, her daughter Britt’s birthday. The previous night, Barb flew home from a company Christmas party with her husband, Bruce. They talked of how great it was to finally be empty nesters at 48 years old and how fortunate they had been as a family. They discussed life-changing events that had happened to other families and noted that it doesn’t always happen to the other guy. Still, their biggest worry that night was the color of the countertops to be installed in their kitchen.

Shortly after midnight, Barb wished her daughter a happy birthday and went to bed. When Bruce got up at 6:30 a.m. to head to the gym for a workout he considered giving Barb a kiss goodbye but decided against it because she seemed to be sleeping soundly. He noticed she was lying oddly -- without her head on the pillow -- but didn’t give it a second thought.

But upon his return home around 8 a.m., Bruce discovered Barb still in bed and non-responsive. It was like a bomb went off. He called 911 and EMTs arrived within 20 minutes.