Dunham Family and My Stroke Story!

Tomorrow will be a red letter day for me. Tomorrow, I will complete the last day of my therapy sessions. It will be 3 years and 46 days since my first stroke. It seems like a lifetime ago, but it also seems like yesterday. Since the strokes (and assorted other things like seizures, ER visits, and worry) I have been doing all sorts of therapy including speech, physical, occupational, reading, vision, acupuncture, massage, and hypnosis therapy. I cannot fathom the hours of appointments I have had. I cannot calculate the hours of “homework” I have done. I cannot imagine the countless hours striving to be back to “normal.”   And, it comes down to this: I am blessed in countless ways, but I will never be back to normal. However, it has taken 3 years and 46 days for me to count my blessings and realize I have a pretty good life. Certainly, I miss “Mark Dunham.”  I miss a lot of things from my old life. I miss reading. I miss helping my son with his homework. I miss math!

When I was a kid, my parents recorded me snoring. I was embarrassed. I was about 10. Throughout my life, I routinely made sure I would not snore. Never sharing rooms, staying awake, etc. My dad snored as well.   Years ago, my doctor asked about my sleep. I thought I slept well usually. However, I realized I was often tired. My wife (bless her) is a sound sleeper but she made sure she went to sleep before me! Dunham Sleep Study 2009 In 2009, I had a sleep study. The results were startling and somewhat concerning. The  sleep doctor noted that I rarely completed a deep sleep. He said it was one of the worst cases of sleep apnea he had encountered. From the Mayo Clinic: “Sleep apnea is a potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts. You may have sleep apnea if you snore loudly and you feel tired even after a full night's sleep.” I have “Obstructive sleep apnea,” the more common form that occurs when throat muscles relax. On the adv

There have been a lot of stories about the Idaho Legislature’s stance about LGBT  ( lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender). For nine years, the  LGBD community  has sought equal protection using the Idaho Civil Rights Act. For years, the LGBT community, friends, loved ones, etc. have used this tag line: "Add the Words" in reference adding  four words, 'sexual orientation' and 'gender identity,' to Idaho’s Human Rights Act This year, the Idaho House State Affairs Committee finally granted the hearing. The three days of testimony was heart wrenching. The committee did not support the legislation but this was a step  in the right direction. It is sad that in general, Republican have the perception of NOT supporting the LGBT community. I have always voted Republican.  But it seems I am “out of touch” because I am an economic conservative and a social liberal. Most of my Republican friends  would add the words.  Republicans are not bigots. When I