{"id":1407,"date":"2026-05-22T23:04:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T23:04:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/?p=1407"},"modified":"2026-05-22T23:04:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T23:04:11","slug":"clearwater-stroke-survivor-regains-arm-movement-with-new-vivistim-device-shares-recovery-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/?p=1407","title":{"rendered":"Clearwater stroke survivor regains arm movement with new Vivistim device, shares recovery story"},"content":{"rendered":"

TAMPA, Fla.<\/strong> – <\/span>Christian Daigle, a Clearwater native, remembers when his life changed.<\/p>

Read more Tampa Mayor Castor defends Rays stadium plan amid tepid council support<\/a><\/p>

Early stroke diagnosis<\/h2>

The backstory:<\/p>

“I was bouncing on a trampoline,” Daigle said. “I instantly felt my right side freeze up like this, and then I fell over.”<\/p>

<\/div>

Daigle, just seven years old at the time, was having a stroke.<\/p>

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n <\/div>

But day by day and then year by year, Daigle got by.<\/p>

Daigle lived every day to the fullest, finding hobbies and achieving his goals in snorkeling, driving, graduating, joining the Coast Guard Auxiliary and fixing cars.<\/p>

Today, Daigle is 24.<\/p>

Movement returns<\/h2>

What they’re saying:<\/p>

“I typically don’t remember what it’s like using two hands, so I’m so used to using my one hand,” Daigle said. “So, I guess that tells you everything.”<\/p>

But now his right arm can move again.<\/p>

“I’m able to straighten it out to my side, [almost] like my left hand,” Daigle said.<\/p>

Implanted in Daigle\u2019s chest is a device called a Vivistim.<\/p>

“Whenever I swipe this little magnet over it [it works],” Daigle said.<\/p>

How a Vivistim device works<\/h2>

Dig deeper:<\/p>

A Vivistim is a Tic Tac box-sized wire that connects to the vagus nerve, which is a key link between the brain and the rest of the body.<\/p>

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n

Courtesy: Vivistim<\/span> <\/p> <\/div><\/div>

\u00a0It is FDA-approved and stimulates the nerve after Daigle swipes, allowing for limbs and fingers to function again, even decades after a stroke.<\/p>

Read more USF launches federal partnership to combat human trafficking across Tampa Bay region<\/a><\/p>

“I am wishing to swap my car over to manual,” Daigle said, “which will be quite exciting for me, because this will be the first manual [car] I’ve ever driven.”<\/p>

Recovery journey<\/h2>

On Friday, Daigle spoke at Tampa General Hospital’s retreat for stroke survivors, which was focused on recovery and life after a stroke.<\/p>

Daigle highlighted Vivistim, which Dr. David Rose says is indeed a major advancement, especially because the surgery is relatively simple.<\/p>

“We’ve tried various things for chronic stroke, which didn’t really have much success,” Rose said. “This is finally showing something that seems almost too good to be true.”<\/p>

When it comes to strokes though, the biggest challenge is still getting patients to the hospital quickly, in the way Daigle was so many years ago.<\/p>

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n <\/div>

“There’s no elephant sitting on your chest like there is a heart attack,” Rose said. “For a stroke, it’s painless. Usually half the body goes weak or numb, slurred speech. People think, \u2018Oh, I slept on my arm funny.\u2019 They’re in denial.”<\/p>

Read more Cold case cracked: Murder suspect arrested 10 years after Hillsborough County homicide<\/a><\/p>

The elephant in the room for Daigle is that life is slowly changing.<\/p>

“Honestly, I have no words for it,” Daigle said.<\/p> <\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Christian Daigle, a Clearwater native, remembers when his life changed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1403,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49,13],"tags":[51,14],"class_list":["post-1407","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-tampa","tag-health","tag-tampa"],"yoast_head":"\nClearwater stroke survivor regains arm movement with new Vivistim device, shares recovery story - Tampa moving journal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/?p=1407\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Clearwater stroke survivor regains arm movement with new Vivistim device, shares recovery story - 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