A father’s promise
John Vipond worked for a year in stroke rehab toward one unforgettable moment
A groundbreaking medical intervention saved John Vipond’s life after his stroke. But he had to learn to walk again — among many other skills he took for granted. While stroke changed his life forever, he set a bold goal. And he did it for his daughter.
John after getting his driver’s license back.
John with Dr. Michael Hill, whose research helped save John’s life.
On June 21, 2025, John Vipond walked his daughter down the aisle — an emotional life event and a major milestone for both. Just one year earlier, John had experienced a major ischemic stroke that left him paralyzed on the left side of his body.
It all began on a quiet morning, on June 23, 2024. “I was sitting at my kitchen table with my wife, Barb,” John recalls. “I had a pencil in my hand and a piece of paper, and I was drawing some stuff that I wanted to do on our property. Then all of a sudden, my hands just stopped working.”
Barb immediately recognized the signs. “John, raise your arms,” she said. When he couldn’t, she called 911. Within minutes, paramedics arrived and rushed John to Lakeridge Health, the nearest hospital in their hometown, Oshawa. There he was given a clot-busting drug. When that didn’t work, he was transferred to St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto for emergency endovascular treatment (EVT) to remove the clot and restore blood flow to his brain.
After six days at St. Michael’s, John was transferred back to Lakeridge for rehabilitation, still paralyzed on one side. The rehab team there encouraged him to set goals. His first? “To eat a Harvey’s hamburger!” Barb recalls. “John had a feeding tube down his throat for a good month.”
But his biggest goal was written in bold on the whiteboard: Walk my daughter down the aisle.
“I was always up for a challenge, and I knew I would do what I had to do to get better,” John says. Every day he went to the gym to work with the therapists on different exercises and movement. Barb remembers how hopeful she felt the day she saw him push a shopping cart during therapy. “It brought me so much joy. It was the first sign that he was on the road to recovery.”
Three months in hospital and countless hours of therapy later, John was walking again. “I’m a determined guy,” John says. “If I focus on something, and I want it, I get it.”
So that short walk on his daughter’s wedding day wasn’t just ceremonial — it was the result of determination and months of hard work with his medical team. And John has since had many more wins to celebrate. Recently he went for a driving assessment and got his driver’s licence back, giving him, (and Barb), their independence back. He has also returned to work part-time as an independent consultant. He dreams one day of taking a cruise again with Barb and building a house on the land they bought together.
John talks about how he’s thriving after his stroke.
John and Barb are grateful for the gains John has made and were proud to participate in a Heart & Stroke video surprising Dr. Hill, who co-led research into the treatment that made it all possible.
Barb reflects on the journey: “It takes a long time, but you have to be patient and keep looking at how far they’ve come. You learn a new life.”
- See the researchers working on more life-saving breakthroughs
- Learn more about stroke research and recovery
- See how EVT is changing outcomes for people living with stroke
Taking on impossible strokes
Dr. Michael Hill, a professor of neurology, took on the most severe forms of stroke — once believed to be untreatable. Thanks to the advances he and his team made in endovascular treatment (EVT), an ischemic stroke in 2025 doesn’t automatically lead to death or the loss of independence. Today, many people living with stroke can return to work, stay active and share in meaningful milestones with the ones they love.
After Donald had a stroke at 26, a treatment breakthrough helped him reclaim his independence.
Melissa was 28 when she had a stroke. Thanks to advances in research, she finished university and got a job in her dream field.
John’s wish to walk his daughter down the aisle came true, thanks to a revolutionary stroke treatment.
EVT let Natalie write new life chapters — publishing a children's book, teaching, and watching her daughter graduate.
Mark is swinging his clubs on the golf course and dirt biking on the trails again, after groundbreaking stroke treatment.
Following advanced stroke treatment, Amanda’s greatest recovery milestone wasn’t physical — it was seeing her children and knowing who they were again.
