Kay Slocum believes the power of prayer is what saved her son’s life and progressed his long road to recovery.
“He’s a miracle,” Slocum said. “He was on so many prayer lists. I told him, ‘God’s not through with you yet.’”
Prior to July 2019, Harlan Slocum, a Carroll County native, worked for the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Prisons as a Food Service Supervisor at federal prisons in the Memphis area. He was also a certified federal firearms instructor.
Harlan and his wife, Cheryl, make their home just outside of Memphis, and their respective careers, his in federal corrections and hers in financial, kept them busy, as did supporting the various activities of their two daughters, Kayden, 11, and Zoie, 8.
Last spring, Harlan began suffering with severe headaches, which led to vomiting, dizziness, and a loss of balance. He visited a physician in mid-June, and he was diagnosed with Chiari Malformation Type I, structural abnormality of the cerebellum, the part of the brain that controls balance. He was referred to a surgeon because the obstruction at the base of his brain was causing fluid to build on the brain, which was the cause of his headaches and other symptoms.
Harlan was scheduled to return to the doctor at a later date for additional tests needed to operate to relieve the pressure on his brain.
In early July, prior to his follow-up appointment, Harlan, Cheryl, and the girls left for a family vacation, and on July 7, the family arrived in Kentucky. However, Harlan’s headache was more severe than ever before, and no medication would relieve the pain.
That evening, the Slocums drove three-and-a-half hours back to Memphis to Baptist East Hospital, where his neurosurgeon, Dr. Kenan Arnautovic of Semmes Murphy Clinic, was waiting. By the time they arrived at the hospital, Harlan was vomiting profusely and no longer speak.
An MRI scan of Harlan’s brain showed that the surgery, which for most people suffering with Chiari Malformation Type I is optional, was now required to save Harlan’s life.
According to Cheryl Slocum, the fluid build-up on her husband’s brain was unique in how quickly it progressed, and his doctors never determined why.
“Surgery was option for most people [suffering with Chiari], but with Harlan, it was life or death,” Cheryl said. “It is not common for the fluid to build as quickly.”
Harlan was rushed to surgery to save his life, and although the surgery was successful, doctors were unaware that Harlan had experienced what they referred to as a “firework show” of strokes during or after the surgery. The damage from the strokes caused Harlan to lose all function even breathing on his own.
So when Harlan returned from surgery, he was not only unresponsive but breathing with the help of a ventilator.
“Every specialist was called in to pinpoint what could have happened or what led to this outcome,” Cheryl said. “Every answer was ‘I’ve never seen anything like this before.’”
Cheryl said she was begging and pleading with God just to let her husband wake and talk to her. Her daughters needed their father, and she needed him “by her side to raise their precious children.”
Harlan’s condition remained the same over the following weeks – unresponsive and on a ventilator. So doctors decided he needed specialized care if he had any chance of recovering. He was flown to Shepherd’s Center, a brain and spinal cord injury rehabilitation center, in Atlanta, Ga., on August 15, and he began with a rigorous program of occupational, physical, and speech therapy.
“Shepherd’s Center is world-renowned,” Cheryl said. “It is one of the top 10 in the nation. That’s where we saw rapid recovery.”
At Shepherd’s he was taught to breath on his own, eat, and regain the use of his limbs.
“He can now communicate, regained his swallow, and can eat an unrestricted diet,” Cheryl said. “However, he is still seeing double, cannot control all four of his limbs, and pieces of the past are missing for him.”
Kay Slocum said when her son woke at Shepherd’s Center, he asked his sister, Monica Murphy, what had happened to him.
“He had no memory of what had happened,” Kay said. “When it first happened, he couldn’t remember the last year.”
In October, the medical team at Shepherd’s Center felt the best step at that time was for Harlan to return to his Tennessee home.
“The medical team and therapists felt he was at a point the best therapy he could receive was coming home to his friends and family and what he has always known, his dogs and home life,” Cheryl said.
However, Harlan has a ways to go in his recovery. He is continuing therapy at Baptist Outpatient Care Center, and he visited Vanderbilt Hospital this week to meet with a movement disorder specialist to help him better control his limbs. Cheryl reported that new medicine was prescribed, and Harlan will return in two months for a follow-up visit.
Today, Harlan is still progressing in his recovery. He is confined to a wheelchair, but he can stand for more than a minute with the assistance of Cheryl. And some days are better than others when it comes to muscle control in his limbs, but Cheryl and the girls do what they can to make Harlan’s life easier.
Life has changed for Harlan and the entire Slocum family. Harlan is no longer able to work, and Cheryl is needed at home to help care for her husband and family. Her employer has been very supportive, and she is able to work from home most of the time.
Harlan has a new electric wheelchair on its way, but insurance only paid a portion of the expense. Insurance did not cover the cost of the handicapped-accessible van or the high premium insurance it takes to cover the vehicle and its wheelchair accessibility equipment.
Mortifications were required at the Slocum’s home as well to accommodate a wheelchair. A ramp was constructed, and the door was widened. Cheryl said they may need to make modifications to the bathroom in the future, but she is hoping Harlan’s recovery will continue on its rapid pace and that not be necessary.
Cheryl said the doctors are hopeful that Harlan will be able to regain his ability to walk “because of his age, and no underlying medical conditions.”
“There is no guarantee for that,” Cheryl said. “It is going to be a long road.”
However, Harlan has made significant strides in his recovery.
“When we went to the neurosurgeon and neurologist after we got back from Shepherd’s Center, they were very impressed [with his progress].”
And even with his current limitations, Harlan continues to support his daughters in their various activities.
“He is going to all the ballgames and programs for the kids,” Kay Slocum said. “He is as involved as ever.
On February 29, a benefit is being held in his honor to assist the Slocums with the growing out-of-pocket medical expenses. It will be held in the gymnasium of Carroll Academy, Harlan’s alma mater, where fish plates and chicken plates will be served at 5 p.m. and a life auction will be held at 6 p.m.
Larry’s Fish House of Itta Bena will be preparing the fish and chicken plates, but plates must be reserved in advance for a guest count. To order a plate, contact Kay Slocum at 662-299-7412 or Monica Murphy at 662-897-0001.
The auction will include everything from Kendra Scott jewelry to a custom-made knife forged by Seth Borries, a “Forged in Fire” champion.
For more information about the event, visit the benefit page Harlan’s Homecoming on Facebook.
