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...
I am a stroke survivor. My blog is about my recovery, family, and possibilities.