Dunham Family and My Stroke Story!

In college, I was introduced to philosophy and psychology. Freud and "Ego, the Id, and the Super Ego." The fundamental notion that "l think, therefore I am" by Rene Descartes. But, what happens when you do not know your name? If you do not know your name, the word "Mark" is nothing. And, "Dunham?" What is a "Dunham." When my stroke happened, "I could think, therefore I as was a conscious being" but I had no clue about my name. "Bond. James Bond." I could have been named James Bond for all I knew. In the hospital, everyone was telling me that "I am Mark Dunham. Mark Patrick Dunham." I had no reason to doubt my family, friends, doctors, and therapist, but I was not capable to understand the connection between language, letters, and my name. I could not conceive what the alphabet was even if I could understand my name. In the initial days of my therapy, the therapists would firmly try to conne...

My son hated the hospital. I did not like it either, but that is another story! My son said that the smell was awful among other reasons. The smell was awful. The soap was "medical." And, because it was the hospital, that soap was everywhere. Before my stroke, I remembered that soap when I had to go to my doctor. I remembered that I thought this odor was obnoxious, and I scrubbed off the offending soap as soon as I could. The stroke was bad enough but I could not stand their soap! And, because I could not communicate, I could not tell anyone what was bothering me about the soap. Of course, that is trivial considering that I had enough to worry about, but the smell was so bad. I have described about my communication deficits, but who knew that I had a communication smell deficit as well! When you cannot communicate, you cannot describe in words about smells and tastes. Think about that? I did not. There are some "apps" that stroke survivors use to help ...

FROM THE IDAHO BUSINESS REVIEW: "A WORD WITH MARK DUNHAM: 'I AM A CHANGED MAN IS SO MANY WAYS.'" Mark Dunham, the former head of the Idaho Association of General Contractors, has had an eventful year. Until January 2012, Dunham was hard at work preparing for the coming legislative session, working on issues such as pre-lien notices and support for the health care exchange. He has served as a board member for the College of Western Idaho since its inception in 2007, and holds many other volunteer positions. On Jan. 10, Dunham’s work was halted by a devastating stroke that hit him early in the morning at home. Three days later, he had another one. He spent 18 days in the hospital, and when he came out, he had to re-learn how to talk and overcome other physical and cognitive difficulties. The stroke has changed Dunham’s world. In June, he left the AGC, and in December he joined Risch Pisca as a lobbyist. In December, Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter appointed him as a commi...

My parents, Karl and Faye Brown, and me in April after my stroke in January.  13 months ago, I had two strokes. Since then, not many people have asked "did it hurt?" That seems to be a logical question, but most people to not ask. Why? Maybe because the do not want to pry. But, I know people want to know. Did it hurt? Was I conscious? Well, I can answer those questions. About September, 2011, I was so tired. People told me that I was drawn, pale, and gray. On December 23, 2011, I had a unusual headache. My vision on the left side was odd...almost fuzzy. And, on my right temple, I noticed array of colors. I kinda hurt, but not too bad. I have had normal headaches, so, other than the "aura" on December 23, 2011, that pain was not much. The headache was gone in less than 10 minutes. I thought, "wow. That was weird. Maybe a migraine? Oh well." But, those unusual headaches continued, and the duration was got longer. I went to my doctor, an...

Usually I type my blog posts. But because of technology I can "speak" my blog posts! This new technology helps me in so many ways. If I can speak rather than type, It seems like I can do everything. My previous blog post about tools and not cheating made me realize that talking is not cheating. Rather I have a whole new world of things I can say because this is not cheating. This is just a new extension of my thought process. When my mother was dying, Mom said that I should write a book about my stroke and experiences. She said my new calling might be helping with stroke recovery in the aftermath. Mom was very focused about that thought, and I have really been thinking about it. I do think I have a compelling story to tell but I wonder if it is not too compelling to other people. It's just me. I guess I'm kind of a modest guy so I wonder if my story is compelling or not. Anyway with that goal in mind, fulfilling my mother's dying wish, and with my fam...

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),  ...