Tisdale farmer, butcher receives support through GoFundMe after December stroke

By Mat Barett, northeastNOW

MELFORT, Sask. – Support is pouring in for a Saskatchewan farmer and butcher who had a stroke in December and is on his way to recovering.

Norm Bromm of Tisdale is an organic farmer in the summer and a butcher in the winter. However, on Dec. 8, after some work in the butcher shop, Norm had an unexpected stroke and was found on the bathroom floor by his wife. He was quickly taken to Melfort by ambulance, and then airlifted to Saskatoon. Norm was alert, and things seemed to be going in the right direction and the 65-year-old was getting the care he needed in good time.

“But when they did the CT Scan, they realized the stroke had damaged a very large portion of the left middle side of his brain,” his daughter Samantha Bromm told northeastNOW. “And they were not able to administer any medical intervention with the stroke.”

Samantha said they had to leave things as they were for now as Norm’s brain had already started to swell.

Norm was also in great health, according to Samantha, who said he was fit and didn’t have high blood pressure.

Over the next few days and weeks, Norm’s brain continued to swell and actually got to a point where most people would have gone into cardiac arrest, but not Norm.

“But every day that we came in, he was awake and alert, and he knew us,” Samantha said.

Samantha said it was a difficult time and there were lots of unknowns. There was paralysis on Norm’s right side, and he was unable to speak.

“We had to consider a lot of options because they didn’t think he would be able to tolerate the size it was getting to,” she said. “But he did.”

Norm remained in a Saskatoon hospital until just before Christmas when he was taken back to Tisdale and stayed in hospital. Samantha said during that time, she and her mother were able to visit Norm and many other community members through the window. Norm also began some rehab during that time.

Norm returned to Saskatoon on Jan. 21 to City Rehab where he is today. He has been undergoing physical rehab as well as some speech therapy. A GoFundMe was set up by Samantha on Jan. 27 to help with costs associated with the stroke. Samantha said they will be retrofitting the farmhouse that Norm has lived in his entire life to make sure he is able to stay in the place he loves and can do so depending on his mobility.

“We’re not sure how much mobility he will have, but we need to be ready for when he comes home,” Samantha said.

Samantha said the plan is to retrofit a bedroom and bathroom for sure, and they may need to add a ramp up to the front door of the house. There might also be a cost of a new vehicle to help with transportation. On top of that, Norm will be unable to farm this season which leaves questions about the land he would normally farm. There are also extra costs associated with continued recovery efforts including speech therapy.

Samantha said the funds raised through the GoFundMe will help ease the pressure on her mother.

Norm is well-known through the Tisdale community as someone who cares deeply about his community and the people in it, he cares about the environment and the animals as well. Samantha said Norm is someone who wouldn’t blink an eye at going to help someone, and even put off his own work to help a friend in need.

She added from the beginning, there have been constant messages of hope and care and asking how to help from family, friends, and strangers. The GoFundMe has already raised over $30,000 at the time of publishing and Samantha said the support has been amazing.

“At the beginning of this, I cried because I wasn’t sure if my dad was going to make it,” Samantha said. “And now I cry because I can’t believe how many people have given so generously to him.”

Samantha added her father and mother have created an environment where everyone can feel welcome and loved. She said the support really embodies small-town Saskatchewan.

You can donate to the GoFundMe here. Samantha said she understands it’s a difficult time for everyone in the world, and that even if you can’t donate money, she encourages praying for Norm and the family, as well as keeping him in your hearts.