Dunham Family and My Stroke Story!

On my son's 8th birthday, it was a very happy day. We had a lot of fun, and we were blessed to have such a great kid. I will never forget his 8th birthday. January 27, 2013. Compare January 27, 2012. That was the day that I got out of the hospital. I was dazed and confused. But, I wanted to celebrate my son's birthday. We went to Red Robin by the Boise mall. It was a Friday night. It was busy. It was crowded. The sounds, the lights, the activity! Too much! To say that I was nervous was understatement. I was scared. Then, I had to go to the restroom. The journey was long and tough!  I did not know what to do. Then, my 7 year old son, grasped my hand and guided me through the restaurant. He held the door, and waited. When I was finished, he held my hand, and made sure that I was safe. 7 years old. He had to grow up too fast because of me. One year later, he is 8. He is funny, talented, smart, irreverent, energetic, and curious. On Ethan's 8th birthday, I ...

The concept of written communication was something that I to for granted before of my stroke.  Intellectually, my brain just…well…it flowed. I wrote a lot. I read voraciously. When the aftermath of the stroke finally dawned on me, I was horrified because I could not read or write. My hobby was reading – sometimes reading three or four books at a time – and writing. My recovery was tough anyway so I didn’t really think about it…communication.  When you cannot speak it seems there are other priorities rather than reading or writing! But, along about March, I realized that I was missing a lot because I could read or write. I was a news junkie but, other than TV news, I was missing so much . I felt like I was in a bubble of confusion and despair anyway and this compounded my frustration. Frankly, I was pissed off in general, and this was the icing on the cake. Lo and behold, one of my therapists at  Saint Alphonsus Rehabilitation Services (STARS),  ...