This is my new life with Aphasia
This is my new life with aphasia. My hemorrhagic stroke happened on May 19th 2011. I am now 54. How amazing it is. Before when this happened I could not read, write or speak very well.
My life has changed now after 3 years I am doing well but aphasia is hard. It sucks!!
Before the stroke happened I was a UPS driver. I can no longer work as a driver. That may change but I do not know.
I am now able to read and write but it is slow and my speech has gotten much better. That makes me happy. I have been a runner for at least 2 1/2 years. I was a runner before my stroke but since then I have run over 1100 miles since my stroke. My runs were 5K runs and then my wife and a very close friend said that I could do a 10K. When they told me it was 6.2 miles I said no way! I can run a 5K which is 3.1 miles. Well I have run a 10K that was last September 2013 and I just ran a 10K on May 2014.
I also have used my bike but I should use it more. I love being able to go out and walk my dog as well as mow my lawn.
I fully believe that my time with the Stroke Comeback Center in Vienna VA has helped with my growing awareness. I began to be with the SCC on January 2012. Being with these individuals has changed my life.
I have also started using ooVoo chats as well as Facebook individuals with the Aphasia Recovery Connection. Meeting with other stroke survivors has also been amazing.
Living with aphasia can be very isolating. The recovery process is long and it requires a lot of independent work. Aphasia recovery is expensive. Speech therapy is not covered by insurance for long. These things can lead to isolation because it all goes back to being able to communicate and feel good about it.
Places like the stroke comeback center, and technology that gives us Facebook, apps and ooVoo as well as Twitter has help keep people with aphasia connected.
Again Aphasia does suck, however after days, minutes, months and years it gets better. I met other aphasia survivors that are different and all of them change. I feel that these individuals are healthier due to meeting new and interesting people.
This is my new life with Aphasia it could be bad but I feel that it is better. 3 years now and many many more to go!!
Well I am atheist, but that’s tolatly cool that you believe in God or whatever, that stuff doesn’t bother me. My mom died when I was 10 [of cervical cancer] and she wrote to me in a journal. She frequently would say stuff like, I’m sorry to put you guys through this, you and your brother are too young and now all I can think is how sorry I am she had to put up with the cancer. So yes, I have felt that way sometimes, that I wish she could have been peaceful. I don’t want to say died sooner because that doesn’t look right to me. Our family friend’s dad died at age 76 after having like 3 different types of cancers and 3 strokes. He was basically a vegetable in a bed for a year and half, and I think his daughter was happy to know that he was at last at peace.I am truly sorry for your mother. Best of luck to you.
Hi there, your article really hit home for me. I’m currently working with an amazing young 25 year old man, who suffered a brain hemorrhage and had a stroke at 18. Now he has aphasia, he’s really back to his normal self but the speech is complete isolation for him and your article really seemed to perfectly relate. Please let me know if you would have sometime to chat more, thank you for your time.