Dunham Family and My Stroke Story!

Yesterday, I was having a conversation with a friend. I mentioned that this dreamlike pandemic has made me even more protective of my 15 year old son. With this great unknown I tell my son and my wife how much I love them. Probably too much.   I started my blog in 2008 as a sort of diary of my son. Since that time, I have posted 331 stories. The focus of my blog changed after my strokes. My first blog post after my stroke was short and exhausting to write. At that point, one of my many therapists made me do some blog posts. It was my homework just like repeating the alphabet and practicing counting.   As my recovery progressed, the blog posts were often dark and angry reflecting my mindset at the time. I would lash out about my angry fears, depression, and the loss of me. It was not until a reporter, Dan Popkey of the Idaho Statesman, told me that my blog was part of his research when the newspaper published a story about me. I realized that my angry rants were actually being rea

In the midst of this bizarre pandemic, in my little world, this situation is “just inconvenient.” I prepared for social isolation 8 years ago when I had my strokes in January of 2012.   Stroke  survivors are champions of social distancing before it was a "thing!" That month I lost my ability to communicate, my job, my security, and what I thought was my identity. Despite my strength, the strokes did not prepare me for the catastrophic social isolation that ensued. For the first year of my recovery, the isolation was overwhelming in several ways. Because of my aphasia, I could not communicate. The loss of literal of my voice was horrifying. I could not talk at all. Even now, 8 years later, my “speaking” is hesitant and slower. Later in the day, I miss words and get confused. Everything is very deliberate. Aphasia is not just the loss of “talking.” For me, it is the loss of reading, handwriting, and some aspects of math. Today as I type this blog post, I am “speaking