MAPLETON, Maine — The commander of Hayward Frazier VFW Post 2599 was hospitalized last week, after suffering a stroke at his residence. Family members rushed Randall “Randy” Michaud to Cary Medical Center. He was later flown to a Portland hospital.
“Randolph came up to me around 2:45 a.m. on April 7 and told me that I needed to take him to the hospital because something had popped inside his head. He was also telling me that his left side felt funny. I had him sit down so I could observe him more. I checked him over for symptoms of a stroke, which he showed,” said his wife, Lisa Michaud.
She said he was also having small seizures as well.
“Once I got his jacket on him, my two boys helped me get him to the vehicle and I helped him with moving his left leg, because he couldn’t feel his left side at all. We then drove him to Cary’s ER,” she said.
Michaud said once at the hospital, he was examined, including a CAT scan, with doctors reporting they’d found a blood clot on the right side of his brain.
“The doctor called Portland to see if he should go down there for more observation and tests. Portland felt that it would be best for him to go down there, so they airlifted him from Caribou around 6 a.m.,” said Michaud.
Since then, Michaud said she and her sons made the trip to Portland, then had to return later in their week to their home in Mapleton to attend to some matters here. Michaud said doctors confirmed her husband suffered a stroke, as well as seizures.
The couple’s son, Jacob Michaud, has established a gofundme.com account to help raise funds for expenses, including travel, to see his father. The account can be accessed via Facebook on the VFW page or by visiting Randolph’s page.
Michaud said her husband may have a long road to recovery ahead of him.
“Everyone knows him for his singing, but don’t know if he’ll be able to do it like before. His balance has been affected and he’s had memory loss. He’ll be going to rehab for a while, when they release him from Portland,” said Michaud.
Anyone wishing to send a card can mail it to: Randolph Michaud, 1086 Mapleton Rd., Mapleton, ME 04757.
