They say bad things happen in threes, and it was certainly true for Butch Palmer of Amory.

After suffering his first stroke three days before his 62nd birthday, he had two more in less than a month.

“My journey started on October 15, 2022,” Butch says. “While attending the Ole Miss-Auburn football game in Oxford, I suffered a stroke in the third quarter of the game.” His wife drove him to the Emergency Department at North Mississippi Medical Center-Tupelo, where he was hospitalized for several days.

Within hours after being discharged home, Butch suffered a second stroke. “It was much worse, so in a few hours, I’m back in Tupelo,” he says. “Lots of paralysis, slurred speech and poor swallowing.” After a second hospitalization, he returned home three days later.

“I’m a tough old bird,” Butch quips. Unfortunately, his ordeal was not over.

“On November 15 during my sleep, I suffered stroke number three, which was a real setback,” Butch says. This time his mobility was much worse, and he was virtually unable to speak.

“I sell marketing for a living,” Butch says. “I do presentations. It’s vital that I’m able to walk and talk and use my hands.”

But Butch wasn’t ready to retire or call it quits. “Disabled people go home,” he says. “I’m not disabled. That wasn’t for me.”

He began working with physical, occupational and speech therapists at the NMMC Gilmore-Amory Outpatient Rehabilitation Center. After the third stroke, his therapists told him, “We’ve got to work a little harder.”

Butch says the Amory therapy team rallied around him. In addition to general skills, they helped him with specific tasks like tying his tie.

They challenged him to push his limits and regain his freedom of independence.

“I usually left with homework after each session. It was tough love from all the girls, but I was getting better week by week,” he says. “All Praise to God above for putting me with this wonderful group of women who are masters at their craft.”

In August, Butch sought a second opinion at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. He was relieved when, after reviewing his records, he was told the treatment he was receiving from NMMC was equal to what he would get there.

“The doctor said the reports from NMMC Gilmore-Amory were impressive, and after observing me in person, he was even more impressed,” Butch says. “I would put the Gilmore rehab team up against anybody in the world.”

Butch calls the hospital's therapy team his heroes. “Before therapy, I was trapped,” he says, “but now I am free!”