BEYOND LOCAL: Artist recovers from strokes that left him partially paralyzed

CAMBRIDGE - Two years ago Steve Delahunty was shovelling snow for his elderly neighbours when he said he heard a pop in his head. What he thought was just a simple migraine would change his life forever. 

On Boxing Day in 2022, Delahunty then 40-years-old, had a nice Christmas with his family and then woke up to go and shovel some snow. 

"I heard a pop and felt a pop in my head which I just thought was a migraine and looking back now I know what it is because I couldn't stand up straight and I was in incredible pain," he said. 

After falling asleep for nearly 24 hours, he awoke to even more pain. He went to Cambridge Memorial Hospital where he waited eight hours before he received a meningitis shot. Then he was shipped off to Hamilton General where they confirmed he'd suffered a brain aneurysm. 

"Once I got to Hamilton I have barely any recollections. It was just kinda like slideshows and so they gave me a 50/50 chance of surviving this operation, which was a stent to put in my brain," he said.

"I believe the doctor said, 'you know, there's a chance this might not work. Make funeral arrangements.'"

The operation, while a success, removed clots from his brain but left him vulnerable to having a stroke. And that's just what happened. 

"So not only did I have one stroke but I had two and so the first one paralyzed me from the last left side. I had to walk all over again," he said. "Then I think it was a week home and I had my second stroke." 

This second stoke was major and Delahunty, a father of three, had months to go in hospital learning how to walk, talk and even swallow all over again; something he said most people take for granted. 

Before his health issues, Delahunty worked a factory job and was the lead singer of a heavy metal band called Decimate. He was also a professional photographer and amateur artist. Having to learn how to walk and build up the strength to even hold a camera again he was forced to leave some of his greatest passions behind. 

Shortly after being out of the hospital, a friend approached Delahunty and asked if he would illustrate a children's book they were working on. Normally he would have turned it down out of fear his work would be rejected, but this time was different. 

He recalls being told the book was about elephants. An animal that his grandmother and mother both loved and even brought him a tiny elephant in the hospital to feel better. 

This first book would be the catalyst for Delahunty to pursue art full-time. He would use painting and drawing as a form of mental and physical therapy.

Since starting his journey to recovery, he has been a finalist for the Bernice Adams Award at the City of Cambridge, an illustrator of two children's books and a participant in juried art shows. 

"I'm hoping this year that I win the Bernice Adams Award, although like just being a nominated finalist is huge," he said. "It's amazing from a guy that had to learn how to walk and talk. All in two and a half years just because I never gave up."

He remembers getting home from the hospital and the feeling of despair washing over him. His fiance Chantal was the one who got him out of bed by asking him the simple question, "What the hell are you gonna do with your life?"

"Now, there was a little bit more swearing, but it was exactly what I needed to hear. It was like a fire was lit under me and I knew I needed to do something and art became that for me." 

Now that he has been gaining more mobility over the last year, Delahunty has started leaving his home one block at a time and taking his camera with him.

For the first since his aneurysm, Delahunty has recently been able to walk around by himself in one of his favourite spots to shoot, downtown Galt. 

"I think it's something about the stone buildings, the pigeons and the people. Cambridge is a really beautiful town when you stop and look around," he said. 

Having been through some of the worst medical scares of his life, the Cambridge artist has a new appreciation for life, friends and family. 

"When you get knocked down like that, you gotta think like how can I get better and be better for those around me," he added. 

Delahunty said one of the keys to his survival is his seven years of sobriety. Having worked on his addictions to be a better father, friend and person to those around him put him in a position to keep fighting and not give up even when it was hard just to breathe. 

"My message to anyone going through a tough time would be to keep fighting and that life gets better," said Delahunty. "There is always something to find passion in. I never thought I would be an artist and now this is the path I'm on."