My dad also had a stroke, but lived meny years after. He had many months of intensive physical and occupational therapy and was able to walk short distances with a cane. He still had difficulty with speech, but would eventually articulate his thoughts. My dad was left-handed so had to relearn everything with his right hand.
This is probably going to sound really dumb but you know where I first learned about TPA? On an episode of ER. I realize TV show medicine isn't very real but they presented the facts about TPA pretty clearly.