Dunham Family and My Stroke Story!

A hiatus from Facebook? A couple of days ago, I went into a convenience store. A clerk was telling another clerk, "today I'm going to do my annual Facebook check to see if I've missed anything for a year. Usually I never miss anything. I'll check it next year." The same day, one of my therapists said, "every once in a while I deactivate my Facebook account because I get tired of everything and clear my head.  I just want calmness in my life. I don't need to check in all the time."    A lot of social media is just blather. I'm thinking about heeding that sage advice. Perhaps, I need some serenity without social media blather. I get so tired of political rants and raves. I'm so tired of Obama, Hillary, and Trump apologists. So called "Progressives" and "Conservatives" are all the same now: Condescending arrogant talking heads. Al Sharpton, Rachel Maddow, Rush Limgaugh, Bill O'Reilly, etc. ar

2012 was a horrific year for me: Two strokes, the death of my parents, and a beloved uncle.  When my mom was in the final stages of her life, Mom was pretty pragmatic about life and death. She died of ovarian cancer, and it was a ghastly fatal sentence. Mom, in the final days before she died, said, “I have had a great  life! I have had a wonderful life and 80 years of incredible health. Now, I will have about four months of shit.” She continued, “Mark, your strokes were devastating, but, your life is not over. I believe that God has a new purpose for you. Because of ‘Mark Dunham,’ you can use your stroke story to educate people. Maybe your strokes are a blessing in disguise.”    I think about her advice almost every day. During that awful year, there were many bright spots. I'm so happy to have the opportunity to see my son grow up! His First Communion was extra special.  I enjoy my family and friends even more now. I need to remember those blessings. Fi

I am doing physical therapy for whiplash. In January, a guy rear-ended me and the resulting “pain in my neck” is causing problems in terms of pain and insurance complications. Next week, I will have an MRA and an MRI to see if something is wrong.  There is a concern because my strokes were caused by a torn carotid artery.   My latest physical therapist is just “cool.” Born in Sandpoint, Idaho, he is moving to Hawaii to practice there. When I asked what led him to move, he told me that it is almost a spiritual journey. He is studying himself and his place in the world. We talked about spiritually, the essence of being, and faith.   I told him that I am not a “church going guy,” though I have faith. It is perhaps not the Judeo-Christian faith that is the norm in “God fearing” tradition of my parents. I was baptized in three religions: Lutheran, Catholic, and Mormon. I find the traditional answers of those Judeo-Christian lacking. I do have faith, but not in the n

I started to do my blog years ago simply to record our son’s childhood.  Almost 8 years of memories. When I look back on some of my blog posts, it seems so unreal what has happened to our family.  Our son was a toddler and now his is 11 years old ending the 5 th grade. During those years, the focus of my blog had certainly changed because of my strokes. I never intended my blog to be about strokes, aphasia, etc. I realize that many of my posts are dark and perhaps too personal in nature. When I actually post my blog on social media, I realize because of my “blog traffic” means a lot of people read my blog. There is a certain responsibility when you understand that people read your stuff. In the old days, journals and diaries were pretty private. Now, blogs are “out there.”  Yet, I still include stark and real insights about my life. As an elected official, I have a sense of responsibility to be conscious about my views. I never want my post to reflect poorly on th

May is “ National Stroke Awareness Month.” In addition, on May 14 th Saturday, May 14,    is the Treasure Valley Heart Walk where thousands of walkers from across the Treasure Valley as they step out to have fun, get inspired, and support a meaningful cause. It seems that every “cause” had a “month” or “day.” Some many people have diseases and/or conditions. I was one of those people who would glance at articles or watch news about heart wrenching stories. Then, I would turn the page or the channel, and move on really never thinking about the actual people who are affected. I was too busy in my professional and personal life to consider the wreckage of heart disease and strokes. I was a high profile man on the top of my game. I was a top trade association executive, successful lobbyist, and elective official on the Board of the College of Western Idaho.  I was 50 years old and in good health. My wife and I had a 6 year old son. Nevertheless, about 4 years ago, I became a