My first semester of graduate school I was assigned to work with a client with aphasia. While frustrating for the client at times, it was amazing and rewarding when progress was made. I look forward to helping change lives for the better for the rest of my career.
My sister Marie was diagnosed with corticobasal degeneration (CBD). It took a long time for this diagnosis to occur. Her difficulties started with problems with speech–slurring of words and enunciation. She had visits with a speech pathologist, and this helped her use her voice for as long as possible. In time, however, her speech became…
My late husband suffered a motor stroke a few years ago. I vs.e home from work one day and immrdiatelyy knew signs and symptoms of stroke. Working in acute care with stroke pts daily was my knowledge base. I called 911. Immediate care and hyical therapy was a godsend. Education is so important and when…
I decided to be an SLP my junior year in high school. During my senior year of high school my 5ft 0inch wonderful grandmother had a stroke which left her with severe aphasia. During my freshman year of college I was told that my grandmother “punched” a CNA in the nose and broke it because…
Teaching a graduate course in aphasia as a professor in speech-language pathology, , I am always looking for creative ways to help my students understand the impact that aphasia has not only on the individual with this communication disorder, but also on family, friends and the community. I always assign group projects in this course…
Had one speech patient that could not get words out in a fluent manner but one day he broke through when asked if he was comfortable, he said “I’ll punch you in the mouth”, with a smile on his face. I told him it was wonderful he was talking fluently but I hope he did…
October 14, 2013 was the last day I had a clear conversation with my mother, Lillian. The next day, my beautiful, competent, intelligent, still working as a bookkeeper-financial advisor, 80-yr old mom, already in the hospital for a mild infection, had a massive stroke in her left temporal / parietal portion of her brain. Her…
For the past year, I have been directing the music program at the Snyder Center for Aphasia Life Enhancement in Baltimore, Maryland. Using the members’ own words, I have written a song entitled “One Day at a Time” that reflects the determination and resilience of this inspiring group of people. Since February 2014, we have…
My husband of just over 20 years awoke from surgery to remove a massive tumor from his brain with aphasia. He went into surgery in the morning speaking his last words normally and struggled for many months after surgery to reconnect and communicate as he used to. Unfortunately, just a few weeks shy of our…
In my opinion, there are two approaches to aphasia therapy: treating the deficit and treating life participation. It is an absolute honor and pleasure to have the ability to work full-time at a University as a speech-language pathologist/clinical supervisor treating persons with aphasia and their families/caregivers, as well as supervising graduate students. I supervise CSD…