Like the individuals who experience them, no two strokes are exactly the same. Learn more about the common physical, communication, emotional and behavioral effects that stroke can have on a survivor and find great tips for improving and adapting to make the most of your recovery.

Getting your life back after a stroke – An article posted May 7, 2013 by American Heart Association

Life after stroke has its challenges. In fact, the effects of your stroke may involve you changing, relearning, or redefining how you live. No stroke is exactly the same, but understanding a few strategies can help you regain your independence and maximize your recovery. The first, and perhaps most essential, component of conquering your rehabilitation plan is your attitude.

Maintaining a positive attitude and sense of well-being is crucial to a successful recovery. It’s important to set reasonable goals for yourself and try to rigorously follow the rehabilitation plan specifically designed by your doctors to suit your needs.

Remember, the more you use your body the faster you will recover. Some type of disability or physical limitation as a result of your stroke is common, but regardless of how your stroke has affected you, continually working toward recovery will help build your strength, capability, and confidence so that you can continue your daily activities despite the effects of your stroke.

As you recover, remember that you are not alone in the recovery process. Turn to family, friends, caregivers, and ultimately fellow stroke survivors for support and advice to ease the way.

After a stroke, not only must you battle back from the way your stroke may have affected your daily life, you must also be aware of your increased risk for subsequent strokes.

Again, there are simple steps you can take to reduce these risks. Healthy food habits can help you lessen three risk factors for stroke—poor cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, and excess weight. Amazingly, a diet with five or more servings of fruits and vegetables may reduce your risk of a second stroke!

In addition to your nutrition, adding some physical activity to your weekly routine will further decrease the chances of another stroke. We know that exercise is good for human bodies, but this fact goes double for stroke survivors. Physical activity improves your heart function by lowering your blood pressure, resting heart rate, and cholesterol levels.

The benefits of nutrition and physical activity spell the difference between your dependence and independence, so start taking the right steps to control your life as a stroke survivor!

For more information on stroke recovery, visit the American Stroke Association website, at www.strokeassociation.org

Experience: I lost the power of language, an article posted in “The Guardian”
‘My mind wandered round and round in the darkness, looking for words’

That morning, I got the train as always. I was a publishing director and was looking forward to reading my newspaper, as usual. I would always turn to the cryptic crossword, but that day it didn’t make any sense. I’d been doing it for 30-odd years, but trying to read this one was like treading through treacle: incredibly slow and hard. I thought I must be tired.

At the office, I sat down, turned on my computer and found I couldn’t read the message on the screen. I said to my assistant, “This is strange, I can’t make my computer work”, and she started laughing. Although I had no idea at the time, I was speaking gibberish.

Eventually, worried colleagues contacted my wife, Beth, and she drove me straight to hospital. There, confirmation came that I’d had a stroke in the part of my brain that deals with communication. I was now suffering from aphasia, a condition that means it’s difficult or impossibe to receive and produce language. When Beth asked the consultant how long it would take for me to get better, he replied, “How long is a piece of string?”

Over that first day, I got progressively worse. I couldn’t understand what people were saying; I couldn’t speak intelligibly; I couldn’t read or write. A couple of nights later, I had to go to the loo and realised I couldn’t read the signs on the doors. That was the first time I thought, “Christ, this is serious.” It was the only time I cried.

I was back at home a week later, and my goal was to get better and return to work in a couple of months. I started seeing a speech therapist three times a week, and was given homework to help rebuild my vocabulary and grammer. I’d look at simple pictures and try to describe them as my mind wandered round and round in the darkness, looking for words.

Apart from being incredibly tired, and sleeping for hours and hours, I felt healthy. But I was deeply confused. Sitting around the table with my wife and children, all I could hear was a babble of noise. I couldn’t separate sounds, be it a dog barking outside, music in the background or my wife talking to me. It was hugely frustrating. After a month, my own speech became functional – “Could you pass the salt?” “Shall we go for a walk?” – but I couldn’t have a conversation. I couldn’t read the newspaper. When I sat down to my favourite television programme, The Sopranos, I couldn’t understand a thing. I felt isolated.

People at work were fantastically supportive, but as the months passed it became clear I wasn’t going to be able to go back to my old job. I still couldn’t read properly, or have a phone conversation. The phrase that kept going through my mind was: damaged goods. For 25 years, I had defined myself as a publisher. I was used to a busy day of meetings, and bringing three manuscripts home with me each night. I enjoyed colleagues, I enjoyed working with writers and the status I’d had. I loved reading books and the sustenance of new ideas. I didn’t feel ready to say goodbye to my old self. There were times when I felt incredibly angry.

In the darkest months, I devoted myself to trying. I would spend hours writing a description of something simple like a pencil, which would run over two pages. I couldn’t manage novels or newspapers, so I tried reading poetry, and found the shorter lines less overwhelming. My speech came back, and I learned how to read again, albeit much more slowly. I also learned patience, and the ability to zone out of conversations when I couldn’t keep up. I spent more time outside, looking after our garden, and eventually got a job a couple of days a week at a nursery. I allowed myself to slow down, and started to enjoy it.

Gradually, I sloughed off my old skin. I grieved the past, its passing and its absence, and started to come to terms with it. Now, 10 years later, I look after my grandson a day a week, and my relationship with my family is deeper than ever. We have learned to be very patient with each other. If you’d asked me 15 years ago to rank the importance of the things in my life I might have said family, but in truth my all-consuming job was up there as well. I’m no longer a high-achieving publisher or someone who reads 10 books a week. I’m a family man and gardener with aphasia, and if I read 10 books a year, that’s pretty good.

• For more information on aphasia, visit Connect at www.ukconnect.org.

February, 2013

John’s normal (55 yr. old) life one month before his stroke: He loved to work 11 – 14 hours a day! He was President/CEO of a Farmers’ Co-op in the Mississippi Delta. He was buying storage area facilities in several states; went to D.C. for a conference; family reunion; Church retreat where he and Judi discuss how much longer he should work before he retired. He said: “I think that if I keep on getting bonuses that we could probably retire in about 10 years!” Then on June 20, 1995 John had a massive stroke: he was left with Aphasia, (loss of Speech and Language ability); semi paralysis on right side; and the emotional part of the brain was stroked and he could not control his crying.

Judi’s life at 54: Began an after-school program for the neighborhood kids around our downtown church. First time for the children to come into our church to skate, snack and use VBS material. We had about 40 kids coming from the Boys and Girls Club. Oldest son was married and we had our first Daughter-in-love and our first granddaughter to visit in Kansas City. The other two sons were graduated and in their jobs in Dallas & Ft Worth.

The day John had his Stroke: June 20th John went to work even though he was taking an over-the-counter medication for a cold. Came home & went up to our bedroom about two in the afternoon. I came home and found him in bed and he said that he was dizzy. I went into the dressing room–pictures were off the wall and chairs moved around. I immediately called our neighbor who was a doctor and he happened to be at home. We both thought it might have something to do with his Diabetic II which had only been diagnosed 1& 1/2 years before today’s dizziness. He had John prick his finger and then told me to feed him some food; and then to prick his finger again in 2 hours. While we were waiting, our granddaughter (who was being potty trained) called to say that she had had a good day—she had not had an accident all Day! John went on and on congratulating her(his speech was fine). I went in to take a bath and when I came out, I asked John a question. All he could say was a “gurgling sound”! Our doctor neighbor came over and said that we would not wait on the ambulance for John to put on some warm ups. He did—standing on one leg—no balance of paralysis problem. He walked down our steps with his arms around Robert’s neck!

Hospital in Mississippi: Our doctor did not come because he was going on a vacation the next day and was letting the Emergency doctor handle everything! The cat scan did not prove anything. Friends were asking if John had been given the TPA shot which would help the blood to get through to the brain so that he would not have aphasia or paralysis. The ER doctor said that the TPA was too experimental and they did not give it to patients. I was so upset because I felt that if we had been in Houston, John would have received the TPA..(Later, however, I found out that John had an ischemic stroke plus a hemorrhagic stroke. If he had had the TPA, the extra blood could have killed him.—I knew the Lord was in control, and not me!)
The Sons arrived: Mike was in Kansas City; Jim in New York; and Joe was in Dallas—but they arrived by the next day. They stood around John’s bed in the Intensive Care unit and Mike said, “Dad you have always taught us to give 110% in everything we do; and for you to get better, you will have to give 120% and we are going to be sure that you do!”

Who is really in charge of John’s recovery? Because of my Faith I have always said that I knew that the Lord was in control of my life. HE had a plan. Did I believe that now when all my outside security had been stripped away—John’s good job and his good health? Thank heavens, when I prayed to God, HE seemed to say: “Judi, I loved John before his stroke, during his stroke and NOW after his stroke! Nothing had changed, The Lord was still in control!” We had no disability with this company (John had been trying to establish this for the company, but one employee had MS and John was trying to get him included in the policy!) At 54, I thought I might should go back to teaching so we could have money to live on. The boys said to me, “Mom, the Lord has blessed us with good jobs (lawyer, salesman, & CPA). Do not worry about money just use what you have and when you run out we will be able to help. They told me that my job was to help their Dad to be the best he could be by going with him to all his Rehabs. (Later, one son bought a company and “gave” us 10%!). It is amazing how the Lord continues to give us money when we need something special!

Blessings: One friend called and said that he & his wife wanted to pay to have John medi-jeted to wherever the best Head trauma rehab hospital was located. The boys did some research and found that Houston had one of the best, The Institute of Rehabilitation and Research (TIRR). Also, in Houston we would have support from family and friends. Another doctor friend called and said that he was on the Board at TIRR and he could get us accepted. Then our best friends called and wanted me to stay at their home for as long as John was in Rehab—coming home each night after dealing with John and his recovery to a familiar home and friends was such a blessing. Boys took turns coming every week-end for our 5 &1/2 months stay at TIRR. (Mike would bring Hanna Jane & she & I would go the Zoo and play!) The boys set goals for their Dad because they said that is what John would have done, if it had been them that had had a stroke! Jim & Janis had become engaged and Jim said that he wanted his Dad to be his Best Man at his wedding which meant that he would have to learn to WALK. Joe, too, had become engaged to Catherine and he wanted his Dad to be his Best Man, to say a Toast at the Rehearsal Dinner, and to dance with Catherine a the Reception! Needless to say, John worked hard and was able to meet their goals!

My Feelings: I found this note in my file on John’s stroke. After we arrived in Houston, we were supposed to have a consultation with all of John’s doctors after he had been there for 3 weeks. I wrote this note before that meeting: “I can only do all this with the Lord’s help—I’m very frightened—so many unknowns—I’m afraid nothing is going to be the same! Right now it seems like all of this is bad, but I know because of what the Lord can do through this situation & John & Me, we will be able to look back & see all the good that has come from it. I know the Lord is in control because I can see how HIs Grace is upholding me when I feel so helpless & isolated from a “normal” familiar life-style. I’m so blessed to have our 3 sons who love us so much. Great friends & family; great doctors at TIRR & therapists. Part of me says that I know God can restore John to good health & when HE does, we will give Him the credit; but if the Doctors’ tests show otherwise, I will have to think about other long term practical plans. I want to honor God in my actions and I don’t want to let Him down. I want to be positive about John’s recovery & not to begin doing & saying things which indicate that he won’t get better. I know God can do miracles! (The Lord did honor this desire because Sylvia, my best friend, who I was staying with, said that all our friends thought that the Boys and I could not have known John’s prognosis because we were too positive!) Through all of this I don’t want to let the Lord down in my witness for Him…but I feel very weak (I know the Bible says that when you become weak & seek God that mighty things can happen). I really don’t want to fail HIM…I want to Glorify Him! I need to be Up & Cheery” for John & I don’t feel that way. I know he can feel the way I am feeling. I’m not what John calls his “bubbly” wife.”

Doctors’ 1st prognosis: To begin with the Neurologist said “I don’t think you want to see John’s brain scans. There is swelling we are still contending with and much damage! He has aphasia, might eventually walk, but any extended walking he would need a wheel chair, and no use of his right hand & arm.” But to the Doctor’s defense they did say you can never underestimate John’s desire to get better (he is a fighter); the value of the love & support of a family; and that we knew who the Great Physician is and that God loved John & that he would guide us to help John to be the best that he could be! However, they set out a plan: Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Music Therapy, psychiatry evaluation. Everyone who worked with John, loved John (even with all his cursing-brought on by his stroke) and worked very hard to get John to be able to go back to our home in Mississippi. After 4 1/2 months we went to outpatient status. We had a furnished apartment near TIRR that was owned by the First Methodist Church and we just paid a small amount each week – wonderful ministry. As we were leaving TIRR after 5 1/2 months, our Speech Therapist mentioned that we might want to take John to the U. of Michigan’s Residential Aphasia Program when he was a little stronger. That was our next goal. After Jim’s wedding in January, we would go to RAP!

Grand Mal Seizure: We came home around Thanksgiving. Then January 8th John had a Grand Mal Seizure. These sometime come 6 months after a Stroke! They put him on an anti-seizure drug and we went on to Jim’s January 10th wedding. The Lord is the only way John got through being the Best Man—the medicine made him very groggy! But he walked with his cane (with the help of Joe & Mike)!

Then in September we went to Session of 6 weeks at the Residential Aphasia Program (RAP) at the U. of Michigan in Ann Arbor. I had really prayed about who John’s main Speech therapist would be—I wanted someone strong who could get John’s attention. Did He honor my prayer request!!! He sent John, Carole who was only about 5 feet (she wore 3 inch heels) from New York. They had 5 hours of speech therapy, group therapy, and computer classes each day. At the end of our first week, we had our consultation with Carole. She looked at John and said, “John, you are not sick; you have had a stroke. Now you need to get up and get on with your life!” Then she looked at me and said, “Judi, you need to call the doctor and take him off these medicines—He cannot think clearly!” Wow! We both needed to hear her advice because we thought we were doing all the right things!

Changes in John: At TIRR the PT, OT, SP all asked what my “goals” were for John. I thought it was a crazy question; “I said I want John to be John again!” The Therapists and John worked very hard to make that happen. When we left TIRR, John could walk with a cane, and say a few words after 5 1/2 months. I drove to Michigan with John for his first 6 weeks session at RAP. Then John flew by himself to RAP for three more 6 weeks sessions. Carole helped develop his confidence in his abilities again. He was in charge of the Closing program during his last session—felt very proud of himself. Carole suggested finding someone to be a communication partner for John. One of our neighbors, Emil, came down one day & asked if he could come in and visit with John. We did not know him very well, but I was thrilled that he wanted to visit with John. After the visit I asked him if he might consider being John’s communication Partner. He said, “I’m 71 and a retired businessman; I have no knowledge of Speech Therapy, but I would be willing to try!” I had him call Carole in Michigan and she sent him suggestions on what to do each day. Emil came down every week-day for over 2 years until we moved to Kansas City. The Lord had sent us a wonderful Communication “angel”!

We also took John to the Neurological Retraining Center (NRC) at the U. of Wisconsin for more PT and OT. they videoed him and wrote out a program to help John for 3 months. Then we went back and they gave us a plan for 3 more months. It required about l 1/2 hrs of exercises each day for 5 days a week.

I learned a lot about being a Caregiver: I am not going to write everything that I have learned about being a Caregiver for a person with Aphasia, but just the ones that are so important. First, You must remember that the person with Aphasia is the same person inside in spite of outward differences. Also to show mutual respect in an equal manner – adult to adult – NOT adult-to-child or parent-to-child. If John can do something, let him do it. I will help him IF he can not do it! I had to learn not to feel guilty when I did activities that took me away from John because my well-being is just as important as John’s—especially to getting us through John’s recovery process.

The “new” John had bad manners: cough without putting hand over his mouth; drooling when he concentrated because of his medicines; just wiped his nose instead of blowing; it hurt him for me to cut his fingernails or toenails and he yelled at me for doing it; would not let me or sons cut his nose hair or ear hair; not wanting to use soap, just water in the shower; no toothpaste on his toothbrush. At different times trouble with urinating and bowel accidents. However, as I have already mentioned, John said curse words and used the name of God with them which still hurts “my heart” today because he would never have used the Lord’s name in vain before his stroke.

My adjustments: having to give John 2 insulin shots a day plus all his other medicines; having to do all the financial matters (Boys helped, too); not being able to leave him alone for about the first 4 months of being back in Mississippi; carrying all the suitcases to the car and packing; driving John to the front door and then parking the car. Even though I was having to make all the decisions for our marriage, John still felt like he was still in charge. The Lord somehow protected John and he did not see that I was the one really in charge! He was still the head of our family! Also, when the boys gave us money, cars, vacations, John was not prideful, he was thankful for their love.

Getting John back into society: Carole said that John needed to get out more. One friend took him to Rotary (cute story about John’s cognitive ability: the speaker said where he was from and Paul, John’s friend, asked the fellow on the other side what he had said. He didn’t know either—John said, “Greenwood”.) Many people thought that since John could not say many words that this meant that his cognitive was not there, too. This was not the case—his mental capacity was the same as before the stroke. Quote about being aphasic: “We are still the same on the inside, we just need to find a new window to the world!” We went to Sunday School & church, Wednesday night dinners, movies, and out to eat with friends once on the week-end.

One of the terrible problems for Aphasics is that they lose their friends because when they come to visit the person with Aphasia, they feel awkward since John could not carry on a normal conversation. I would see his friends at church and they would say, “John is one of the finest men that I know, but I just can’t stand to see him in this condition so I can’t come to visit him.” Or if John was standing by my side, they would look at me with sad eyes and say, “How is John doing?” like John was not even there. People would come up to John and introduce themselves to him like he wouldn’t remember who they were! I related these incidents to a speech therapist, Marilyn Marshall of Florida and she said, “Tell John’s friends that John is “inside” the same person, but because of his stroke, his heart has “unfolded” and now he is even more of a person! She said that she has learned that “imperfection” makes you into the person you need to be. Perfection can sometimes mean that you are just a robot. She also said that you don’t find “happiness” at the end of the tunnel, you find it along the way. John is in that “tunnel” and friends which represent “happiness” can help him along the way to get to the end of the his “tunnel”. I related this story to my Christian friends and said that John needed their friendship more now than ever before. This is why God has put us here: to help each other when we have needs!

Before John’s stroke, he would meet eight of his High School friends twice a year to play golf or hunt. After his stroke, he was apprehensive about going. But after going to RAP and staying by himself and getting his confidence back, he finally said that he would go again for their week-end. They treated him like John (most people wanted to treat John like a stroke victim — then friend. They kidded each other all week-end. He played poker and rode in the golf cart. Great time for all! They made him pledge to come each time they did these week-ends !

John’s quality of life after 18 years: Physically, John walks with a 4 prong cane; cannot use his right hand, but uses his right leg to walk; can dress himself except to button his left cuff on long sleeve shirt and putting on his right shoe with his brace. Learned to read again by reading 3 hours each day; learned to write with his left hand (I remember the day he could finally write his signature!) Has trouble spelling so he cannot write down his thoughts; however he can “say” most words if you give him enough time. After several years I wanted him to be take part in our financials each month. I designed a “cheat sheet” which spelled out the numbers he would need to write for our monthly checks. He loves being in charge of our check writing! He loves the iPad his sons gave him for his 70th birthday. After 5 years, John began driving again (after attending Rehabilitation Driving school). This gave him more independence and control over his life. He would drive to our sons’ company and enjoyed his sons and being back in a working situation. He says that he is Chairman of the Board! The boys call him their Good Will Ambassador. At Thanksgiving, 2012 we celebrated our 50th Wedding anniversary with our Family (18) at Big Cedar Lodge by renewing our wedding vows! John loves his FAMILY!

Something good from John’s stroke:
After John & I returned from his first RAP session, one son called and wanted to know how his Dad did and if I thought RAP had helped. I said, “Yes, because John and I both had seen how other aphasia survivors had gotten better and they kept saying that they were like John just a few years before. If John uses some of the methods that they had taught him and worked hard that he could get better—there is no “magic” pill, just a lot of hard work. Also it would take a lot of time to see one small improvement—but it would come!” But I told Joe that I was also sad because if we had not taken John to the RAP session, we would not have known this; and I wanted other Aphasia Survivors to know how to get better. At that time there was not any information on the internet on how to get better. The next day, Joe called and said, “Mother, the Aphasia Survivors are going to know because we are going to begin a Foundation!” Joe is a CPA so he set the ball rolling and in 1997 the Aphasia Hope Foundation (www.aphasiahope.org) was born! AHF is so pleased to have been able to guide so many Aphasia Survivors on their own road to Recovery.

How John’s stroke influenced our 3 sons’ lives! I asked our 3 sons to write down their thoughts about how they felt when John had his stroke and now after 18 years.

Mike, 1st son: Thought his Dad was going to die; cried the whole way driving to Mississippi; Missed his advice: re-transition from law firm to Holland, raising kids, dealing with family in business, etc.; changed my relationship with my Mother as her personality became stronger and she assumed some of Dad’s former roles; caused my kids not to have as much time with grandparents as they were less flexible; But the time we did spend with my parents has taught my kids to be more empathetic and this can be seen in their ongoing friendships & volunteer interests with special needs kids; I changed roles with my Dad – financial & sense of being responsible for the entire family; my assumption of some of Dad’s roles has affected my relationships with my brothers & my Mother; made me incredible aware of my health & weight; made me have lots more insurance; did not shake my Faith.

Jim, 2nd son: Immediately my thoughts were: I was angry, why did the Greenville doctor not give Dad the TPA that would have started the blood flowing quicker and not caused him to have aphasia? I was mad at God for letting this happen to Dad, he was a great husband, father, and Christian?

First year: During the first year, I began to see God had a plan; that through the stroke, we all would grow closer. As your children, we were all over the U.S. and I believe this helped us recognize the importance of family and ultimately allowed us to be together! It helped me see you live out a life of sacrifice by serving Dad, who needed to be served. What a great model that reminds me daily that I should be modeling this to my wife, children & parents.

God also had a plan for us to start the Aphasia Hope Foundation in order to serve others that did not yet understand that there is life after a stroke…

Later Years: I have really missed having Dad to talk to in regards to life choices! What a great job you both did in raising Mike, Joe, and myself! I am honored to serve you and Dad on a daily basis! I am sure more thoughts will come to me & I will share them with you!

Joe, Third son: My Dad’s stroke and its impact on Me: Shock. Shock was the first feeling. I and we had no idea what having a stroke meant? I asked myself what are the short term and long term results.

In reflecting over the past 18 years, the results have overall been a mixed blessing.
On one hand:
Sure, Dad can’t give me his opinion verbally on all that is going on in my life. This is hard as no other man can really take this place in my life!
I miss the opinions of him that were very direct – whether I wanted them or not! I also miss his HANDWRITING me notes which is interesting to think about —That won’t ever come back.

On the other hand; There are so many blessings:
I have become even more of a FIGHTER watching him be a fighter! Also, I watch & admire his CHARM to all those who are around him. It is amazing to see how he can charm people and how people GRAVITATE to him. I want to be more like that and can see more & more how the things I do (saying “yes mam” to the McDonald’s clerk and “have a good day” all came from him.

Finally, We created the AHF which has blessed so may families through Hope. This has resulting in me thinking more about OTHERS than just our SITUATION.

Bottom line is God is sovereign and even though I miss the “verbal”, I can see God’s plan through this experience.

My view after looking back on these 18 years: Instead of relying on my Faith and seeking God’s direction on each of our steps for John’s recovery, I could have listened to my “practical and logical” mind which was saying: Judi, the doctors are not very optimistic(to say the least – the psychologist said I needed to become John’s power of Attorney – other doctors said he might not ever walk again or talk again); you will not have any disability money coming to you; we would need to put in an elevator or sell our home in Mississippi; should move back to the Houston area to be closer to family and I could help my sister take care of my Mom who had dementia. Also Satan was very active in my mind. He said Judi, you have taken care of your body so that you and John could travel and hopefully do some short-term mission projects and NOW all you will be able to do is to take care of John, an invalid, for the rest of your life! Several mornings I had to tell Satan to “go away, I’m not listening to you—I’m listening to God for my direction!” If I had listened to this practical side, I would have missed all of God’s blessings that he had planned for John, for me, and for our sons and their families. What is even worse – John, without all the Rehabs, would have probably ended up in a nursing home with no quality of life!

The boys thoughts made me realize that John’s stroke has caused our lives to have more pluses than minuses. God guided us through each Day because of the Faith we had in Him.

Quote from a Puritan prayer, “Valley of Vision”: Let not Faith cease from seeking you until it vanishes into Sight!

Romans 8:28: “For we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him who have called according to his purpose.”

Bob Woodruff After Traumatic Brain Injury
ABC News journalist Bob Woodruff talks about his recovery from a traumatic brain injury he received in Iraq.
An article for WebMed By Denise Mann and Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Every so often, ABC News anchor Bob Woodruff feels a rock “emerge” from his face “like a zit,” he says. But it’s not a pimple; it’s a not-so-subtle reminder of what he has been through over the past four years.

On Jan. 29, 2006, a mere 27 days after he was tapped to succeed Peter Jennings as the co-anchor of ABC World News Tonight, Woodruff was nearly killed when a roadside bomb struck his vehicle while on assignment near Taji, Iraq.

The details of the attack are still murky, but an improvised explosive device (IED) waylaid his convoy. Woodruff was wearing body armor and was in a tank, but his head, neck, and shoulders were exposed during the blast. The blast knocked Woodruff unconscious as rocks and metal pierced his face, jaw, and neck. Woodruff’s cameraman, Doug Vogt, and an Iraqi soldier were also hurt.

“How I survived, we still don’t know to this day,” Woodruff said in a speech this month in San Diego at the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery’s annual meeting. The audience included the surgeon who rebuilt his face after the attack.
The journey back was not easy. Immediately after the attack, Woodruff was placed in a medically induced coma for 36 days so his brain could rest and heal.

Upon waking up, “I could not remember my family members’ names,” Woodruff recalls. “I remembered [my wife] Lee and two of my kids. I could not remember my twins’ names. I did not even remember having twins.”

After that came multiple surgeries — about nine, Woodruff estimates. His operations included the removal of part of his skull to relieve the pressure on his brain. Before going to Iraq, “I never had surgery other than dental surgery and a lot of stitches as a result of being raised with brothers,” he tells WebMD.

Woodruff’s physical skills came back relatively quickly, but it took an intense cognitive rehabilitation program to regain some of the skills he had lost and relearn everything — including the names of his then 5-year-old twins. “It took long-term rehabilitation to be able to live again and be back in their lives,” Woodruff says.

Woodruff also suffered from aphasia, the inability to find words. Aphasia is caused by damage to one or more brain areas that handle language. “I couldn’t come up with words and I didn’t have a lot of synonyms,” he says. “It was hugely frustrating.” Read More

We are opening up this “front page” of The Aphasia Hope Foundation’s website to feature your experiences as a Survivor, Caregiver or Therapist; experiences that have given you Hope, that you could share with others. We would love to hear from you regarding different therapies, what worked, what didn’t work, exercises that can be done at home, etc. Most of all this is a place for you to share with each other and give hope and encouragement to others that find themselves in similar situations due to stroke, TBI, or illness (such as PPA). Please email your submissions to sandycaudell@aphasiahope.org .

For an article on the experience of one caregiver after 18 years, Click on EXPERIENCE

We at Aphasia Hope Foundation connected with Darryl and Mary Moulder shortly after Darryl, at the young age of 39, had a massive stroke.

Darryl W. Moulder was born in Jackson, Mississippi. He was raised in Greenville, Mississippi (among many places) as the oldest of three sons. He completed high school at Riverside High School and went on to become a paramedic and Training Chief at the Greenville Fire Department. He worked for 22 years at The Greenville Fire Department. The priority in Darryl’s life is and was serving the Lord and being an amazing husband and father. Darryl also enjoys riding his motorcycle with friends, playing the drums, paintball, wakeboarding, and traveling.

We asked Mary and Darryl to write about their experiences in an intensive therapy program. Mary writes:

Our visit to The Aphasia Center in St. Petersburg, FL was much different than we had expected. After months and months of fundraising and brainstorming ways to raise the funds to attend the facility, a date was finally set. We made plans to have intensive speech therapy for four weeks at Steps Forward The Aphasia Center.

The majority of the first two or three days was the beginning evaluation. This is once when Darryl was questioning the process. Although the therapists knew Darryl was unable to complete many of the activities on the assessment, he had to go through each step. Then, therapy really began on Day 4. He received 4 hours of speech therapy a day and an hour lunch with other participants. The people at the facility were all different ages, lived in different places, and were at different stages of recovery; however, they were all affected by Aphasia. Darryl enjoyed being with others that face the same challenges as he encounters each day.

The therapy included all of the different techniques that we were introduced to during therapy at home (Thanks to Renee and Gail). There was just more hours of it during a day for consecutive days and there were a variety of therapists. Each afternoon, one therapist, Darryl, and I would sit down to discuss his “homework” for the evening. While there, I requested that each therapist write down a brief explanation of what each worked on that day so we could continue the therapy at home.

While at The Aphasia Center, Darryl worked with four therapists and Dr. Lori Toblin. He became open to the idea of using other forms of communication (ipad, communication book, picture dictionary) ; however, speech was practiced in conjunction with these every day. He also worked on problem solving ways to get his message across. This was a great way for him to practice. The therapists were friendly and professional. Kathy, the in-take coordinator, is a major asset to the facility because she knows what we are going through having attended the facility with her own husband, Mike. Darryl really enjoyed his time with Mike. Darryl increased his spoken vocabulary and continues to be open to using the other forms of communication.

I wish I could tell others that they knew a secret to “curing” Aphasia; however, we all know it is just a long, hard road to recovery. We each have to take a day at a time praying for the strength to do our best. Darryl and I do see improvements all the time and we will continue to work hard each day.

We would like to thank our friends and family because the trip would not have been possible without their help. We also would like to thank the therapists, staff, and participants at The Aphasia Center for making the process meaningful and showing our family so much kindness. A special thank s to Mrs. Judi Stratinger and Aphasia Hope Foundation for her words of guidance and help. It is always nice to have someone that has gone through what you are facing. Many people ask us if we feel like it was worth it to attend The Aphasia Center, and we answer yes. Darryl gained a lot from the experience.

To read more on Darryl’s background, Cllck here .

DRIVING AGAIN!

We are so proud of John for many reasons, but the newest is that he persevered and is now driving after not driving for six years. After John’s stroke in June 1995, he had a grand mal seizure about six months later leaving him with 2-minute seizures. Even though we began taking anti-seizure medicine, it would not control his 2-minute seizures. Therefore, he was unable to drive because of not knowing when a seizure would occur. However, about two years ago our doctor, Dr. Dostrow, changed his medicine. It seemed to control his seizures—he has not had any more! Therefore, John began wondering if he could now drive. After checking with the Kansas driving department, we found out that he had to be seizure free for six months. Therefore, after six months our neurologist said that John should go to The Rehabilitation Institute of Kansas City to be tested on his reflexes and his cognitive skills. Before we could begin this program, we had to have a letter from his doctor saying that he recommended John to begin his evaluation.
These are the steps we had to do in order for John to be able to drive again:

1. A written letter from your doctor.
2. Take the written test at the Kansas Driving License Department. (You can have an oral test if requested.)
3. Find a Rehabilitation Institute which has an “Automobility Driver’s Education Program”. This program will assist disabled individuals in resuming or learning to drive independently. The program consists of three broad phases: evaluation, equipment procurement and modification of your vehicle, and behind-the-wheel training. Our program cost us $410.00 for the evaluation. Some was covered by our insurance. The actual driving cost around $55.00 an hour and depends on the necessary hours they think you need to be safe and to be able to pass the driving test.
4. John had to take 10 hours of driving time.
5. Had to have a left foot gas pedal installed from the Handicap Conversions, Inc.in Kansas City. (Total cost: $276.25)
6. Went back to Kansas Driving License for final driving test.

John has never been this proud of an accomplishment as he is with having his driving license again. It means so much more independence for John. The first thing he did was to tell me the next day, “Judi, you stay home; I go to the movie!”

As you can see, this procedure took a little time for John to be a driver again; but it was worth every minute of it!

Darryl W. Moulder was born in Jackson, Mississippi. He was raised in Greenville, Mississippi (among many places) as the oldest of three sons. He completed high school at Riverside High School and went on to become a paramedic and Training Chief at the Greenville Fire Department. He worked for 22 years at The Greenville Fire Department. The priority in Darryl’s life is and was serving the Lord and being an amazing husband and father. Darryl also enjoys riding his motorcycle with friends, playing the drums, paintball, wakeboarding, and traveling.

On April 16, 2011, it seemed like a normal Saturday afternoon. Darryl and his wife, Mary, were out in the backyard playing with their children, Dawson Taylor (4) and Madelyn (1), when Darryl began staring off and was instantly unable to speak. He was rushed to the local hospital, where they were not equipped to deal with the situation. Within minutes, Darryl was paralyzed on his right side and remained unable to speak. He was then transported to Jackson, MS. The doctors explained how extremely serious Darryl’s condition was and they did not express much hope for the upcoming days; however, God is in control.

Darryl, at the young age of 39, had a massive stroke. He was diagnosed with a blood disorder. As the days passed, the doctors were amazed at what they saw. Darryl was regaining use of his right leg and gaining feeling in his right fingers.
Darryl is currently recovering at home, after three weeks at Methodist Rehabilitation in Jackson, MS. Thanks to the speech therapy and Darryl’s hard work in and out of therapy, he can now say his family members’ names and many other words if he is given verbal cues. Darryl puts 110% in all the time. Everyday is now a challenge and not very much is taken for granted. Doctors and therapists assure him that this will be a very long and challenging road for Darryl and his family. Darryl currently attends speech and occupational therapy at an outpatient facility.

From The National Stroke Association Lenice Hogan, 46, has won the identity crisis facing many stroke survivors who are progressing through recovery. “I spent two years as a victim,” says Hogan, a Faces of Stroke Ambassador, “but have definitely moved to survivor.” Hogan is a survivor of not one stroke, but three, all at young ages. She survived hemorrhagic strokes at the ages of 26, 38 and 39. Only the third was actually recognized as stroke—the first two went undiagnosed or misdiagnosed.
Read more of Lenice’s and other’s stories