Plymouth Police Chief Alex Hutchins had to turn his attention away from serving others to become his own hero after he suffered a massive stroke in August.

The 45-year-old doesn’t remember spending four weeks in the intensive care unit at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. He was there for a total of six weeks.

“Everyone thought I was dying,” Hutchins said. “I was on my death bed.”

The heavy lifting for recovery took place at Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital in Concord, where he spent two months. Two days before Thanksgiving, he was able to return home to Alexandria.

On Tuesday, Hutchins stood up from a wheelchair with the help of several others and walked through a gauntlet of nurses, nursing assistants, physical therapists, occupational therapists and other caregivers who ch

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