A poignant novel involving Primary Progressive Aphasia.

One review:

With a delicate and loving touch, Katharine Davis explores a deep and often complex relationship –the one between two sisters. Like the tapestry that becomes central to the story itself, A Slender Thread is a beautiful and utterly original creation . . . . Emotionally honest, meticulously observed, but also propulsively dramatic and readable, this is a novel that will resonate with women of all ages –and with everyone who loves a good story, well told. If you have sisters, you’ll want to share A Slender Thread with them. If you don’t, it will serve as solace –and a powerful testament –to what you are missing.”
–Liza Gyllenhall, author of Local Knowledge.

www.Amazon.com.

“The Lonely Patient” By Michael Stein is more than just a survival guide or owner’s manual for those who are ill or whose bodies are broken. Recognizing that only clinical recovery can nullify loneliness, the author reminds us that a temporary escape can still be found in memory, imagination, and hope. Physicians and especially patients will find that “The Lonely Patient” makes very good company. (A review by the Journal of the American Medical Association). To Order

Review by Lance Armstrong: “Jerry White brings his insight and experience to bear expertly for those facing life’s unexpected challenges.  He embodies the spirit of survivorship.”

From Amazon.

Author: Norman Doidge, M.D.

Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science,

Well I read this book on several recommendations after a brief bit of research on the plasticity of the mind. I was definitely not disappointed and to be honest, I really loved this book. It was a fascinating, revealing look at how how thoughts and actions can truly change the structure of our mind and it does so in a hopeful examination of many brain changing breakthroughs.

Doidge is an amazing Canadian author and he simplifies the most complex of sciences into clear, vivid stories and experiments that demonstrate the astonishing changes the brain can make and in turn, transform the people housing them.

Neuroplasticity
Neuroplasticity has been formed by the discovery that the human brain is extremely malleable. Scientists have long known this is true with infancy, but the science now extends well into old age. In classical neuroscience, the adult brain was considered to be hardwired and a continuous working machine once formed. Specific brain areas and maps were labeled with a specific purpose and little was known about if or how these areas could be replaced or repaired so it led to the common belief that you can’t easily mold the brain.
Who is the Book For?

This book drives home a paradigm shift in brain study and it has great value not only to those with a neurological disease, but for any human being with the curiosity and willingness to discover more about the makeup of their own abilities to learn, which is what interested me so much!

Doidge has numerous examples of neurologically diseased patients who gain from this revolutionary science to improve their condition. Cases are studied from many severe conditions

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Sara’s Story is about one family’s faith and support from friends and church in overcoming the impossible. It also chronicles the battles fought with insurance companies to get Sara the coverage needed for recovery so that she can live an independent life. The woman, who after 10 days in ICU was to never walk, talk, or interact with people again, now drives a car, has gone back to work, and takes care of her children.

From Massachusetts
…I am writing to you after reading Sara’s remarkable story; I found it very inspiring! It goes to show you how much our Faith plays in the recovery of our loved ones, thank you so much for sharing your story with us! I am a Catholic and attend Mass every Sunday, I sing in my Church Choir and we have a very prayerful community that is there for one and other as well, I don’t know what I would have done without them!…”

From Georgia
“…and its Men like You, Sir, that makes me want to be a better Man to my wife…. I can tell you’re a Christian…….May God Bless you more in everything you do!…”

From Georgia “…I’ve had the book for 2 hours and I can’t put it down. …”

To Order: Barnes and Nobel .

or Amazon.co.

One Stroke Survivor writes: “Dr. Guns has an excellent view of how to approach a new idea to the stroke survivor and empathy for the caregiver, as he is a survivor himself.

He and his program RAISE the hopes and help to revitalize the survivor’s outlook on life.” order from Amazon .

Sudden loss of language skills and all power of communication as the result of a stroke or head injury is a catastrophic event to both the patient and their family. There is the initial shock of the illness and the long and frustrating battle for improvement—with dilsillusionment as the major obstacle to a recovery process that commonly takes years. Portrait of Aphasia is a personal account of the recovery of a stroke victim told with clarity and sensitivity by her husband.

Reviews:

“This book will have a broad appeal and should be in all public and hospital libraries.”—Library Journal

“Candid accounts such as Portrait of Aphasia can provide valuable insight and support, not only to families, but also to speech pathologists, physicians, and social workers who must reeducate these families and help them cope effectively and with understanding.”—Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

This book is published by Wayne State University Press. For Ordering Information, please click here .

Through the stages of hospilization, coming home, and re-establishing routines, the authors go beyond the typical first person narratives to chronicle the feelings and reactions of not only the stroke survivors, but their spouses and children. Each family’s “pathway” winds to a future beyond the stroke, to plans that encompass hopes and dreams.

Pathways describes aphasia in lay terms, examines the changes in listening, reading, writing, and speech, and details methods to compensate the losses. In addition, Beth Pfalzgraf writes about her reactions to her father’s brain hemorrhage and subsequent surgery—an event that occurred as she was preparing this book. She shares her own responses as a health care professional living through the recovery stages with her father.

To Order: Click Here .

After sustaining a stroke, Tommye-K. Mayer tells her story of how and why she taught herself to run. This is an inspirational story that portrays one woman’s dedication to meeting challenges.

To Order:

Lifecenter.ric.org

Amazon.com .

In January 2003, at the age of 50, Mike Ripley had a stroke. To use his own words: “Stroke is by its nature an isolating disease. In the first instance it isolates you as a person from your brain, then from parts of your body, your memory, your ability to communicate, your capacity to understand what is happening. The effect of this is to isolate you from your family and loved ones, your work, your social life, your life outside your home or a hospital ward. It is the cruellest and loneliest of afflictions.”

“Surviving a Stroke” is Mike’s story of the stroke itself and the next year of his recovery. He had to battle with memory loss, slow thought processes, clumsiness, vertigo and other long term effects of a stroke. On top of that he had the emotional fallout to cope with, including the typical depression that sets in. And he had to adjust to a new diet and medication to control his high blood pressure.

“Surviving a Stroke” not only recounts Mike’s reaction to his own stroke, but it also incorporates a mass of practical tips and advice for anyone else recovering from a stroke. As a comic crime thriller writer, Mike Ripley looks for the humour in any situation, and finds it even in this one.

“A must read for anyone who wants to survive a stroke with their sense of humour intact. It’s a measure of Ripley’s courage and writing ability that he treats his ’slings and arrows of outrageous fortune’ with such an enviable lightness of touch.” Minette Walters

To buy this book click on  Amazon