Category: Stroke Recovery
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Stroke & Redifining Self Care.
If you had asked me six years ago what “self-care” meant, I probably would have pictured a spa day, a glass of expensive scotch, or perhaps simply turning my phone off for an hour. It was a luxury. It was a bonus round. Then, five years ago, my brain decided…
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Connecting with others in the stroke community
Eight years ago, at the ripe old age of 22, the universe decided to throw a wrench in my plans. And by “wrench,” I mean a stroke that changed my life forever. It took the left side of my body offline, leaving me with weakness, limited mobility in my arm…
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Finding Joy in the Little Things
Life has a funny way of dealing you a hand you never expected. Sometimes it’s a Royal Flush; other times, it’s a handful of mismatched cards that don’t have any synergy at all. eight years ago, at just 22, life dealt me the latter. I suffered a stroke that wiped…
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Re-Learning Everyday Tasks After a Stroke
If you’ve ever tried to brush your teeth with your non-dominant hand, you know it feels like trying to write a sonnet while wearing boxing gloves. It’s clumsy, it’s frustrating, and you mostly just end up making a mess. Now, imagine that feeling applied to everything. Tying a shoelace. Buttering…
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Restoring my independence after a stroke
If you were to graph the trajectory of a typical 22-year-old’s life, the line usually points up and to the right. You are acquiring skills, you are gaining freedom, and you are acquiring the ability to eat a sandwich without thinking about the complex biomechanics required to lift it to…
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Understanding the Impact of a Stroke
Seven years ago, the universe decided to play a very dark, very confusing practical joke on me. I was 22 years old. I was healthy. I was almost as invincible as any 22-year-old assumes they are. I was worried about typical 22-year-old things: career paths, dating, and whether I could…
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My top 3 things abled-bodied people should know
As a stroke survivor, there are a few things I wish non-disabled people knew. A stroke can happen to anyone, at any age, and it can change your life in an instant. Here are the top three things I want non-disabled people to know about stroke: In conclusion, stroke can…
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A bad Week!
So today I’m going to talk about an event that happened to me last year, and how I managed to deal with a big issue in terms of my recovery from stroke. In May, I received a phone call from a physiotherapist, specifically the physiotherapist, who took me on for…
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Strokes and Stereotyping
Being a stroke survivor at a young age is not an easy experience. When people hear that you have had a stroke, they often assume that you are weak, fragile, and unable to live a normal life. This stereotype can be frustrating and demoralizing, especially when you are trying to…
The Long Road Ahead 