Posts by Laura Malis
Remember Dolly Parton.
Everyone loves Dolly Parton. This isn’t my opinion. This is an objective fact. I published this on July 2, 2022—two weeks before my stroke. I am sharing it again because it shows how I wrote before aphasia. My writing is different now. But when I read this, I can still recognize myself. Dolly has one…
Read MoreBrain Fatigue After Stroke: My First Experiment
Understanding Brain Fatigue without Science I’m not a scientist. I see complicated words and I then forget them. What I am is a curious person. Brain fatigue after stroke is part of my life. I am trying to understand how my new brain works. I want to learn how I can change my activities so…
Read MoreEveryday Brain: Getting to Know My New Brain
Living with Brain Fatigue after Stroke For most of my life, I didn’t think about my brain. I just used it. Then I had a stroke. I was pretty sure my brain was damaged. But for four years I thought recovery meant my job was getting my old brain back. Today’s Brain For the first…
Read MoreEveryday Brain: 7 Ways to Keep Your Brain Active
For Me, It All Started After a Stroke. In 2022, I had a stroke. My language changed. My reading changed. My writing changed. My balance changed. I’m not the same person I was before my stroke. But I’m still me. During the last four years, I discovered something unexpected. Recovery isn’t only about therapy. It’s…
Read MoreAphasia Awareness through Stories
The Magic Happened after the Presentation Ended On June 16, 2026, three National Aphasia Association Ambassadors came together at Scranton Library in Madison, Connecticut, to talk about aphasia. Our goals were simple. We wanted people to learn what aphasia is and why it matters. Aphasia affects about two million Americans, often after a stroke or…
Read MoreEveryday Brain: Learning How to Work With the Brain I Have
Everyday Brain isn’t a medical term. It is a concept. A way of thinking about the brain we use every day. Everyday Brain is not about perfection. It is not even about having the “best” brain. It’s about learning how your brain works in everyday life. What helps your brain work as effectively as possible?…
Read MoreAphasia Awareness | Friendship, and Finding Community
Aphasia on the Road: Two Roads Meet Aphasia Awareness was more than traveling. Two roads had been running alongside each other for a long time. Then one day, they were parked together. Keith and I went to Pennsylvania for old-time music and steam trains. They were wonderful. Keith played fiddle for eight hours. But for…
Read MoreAphasia Awareness Month | Stroke, Recovery and June 16 Madison CT Program
Recovery and Hope After a Stroke or Brain Injury. It’s Aphasia Awareness Month. About 2 million Americans have aphasia. Many of us are struggling with speaking, reading, writing, or understanding language after a stroke or brain injury. Aphasia can be frustrating, isolating, exhausting, and invisible to other people. Speech therapy can help tremendously. But therapy…
Read MoreAphasia Cooking: Real Food, Brain Food and Saving Money
The Cost of Brain Food 🍎 Aphasia Cooking. Real Life. Real Money. Today is probably my last cooking blog for a while. Next month I will focus more on aphasia and Aphasia Awareness Month. Then later this summer I want to move toward something I am calling: “Everyday Brain.” There is a lot to talk…
Read MoreAphasia and Cooking: Brain Food, AI and a Busy May
Preparing for Aphasia and Cooking May has been busy. I am working on two projects at the same time: Preparing for Aphasia Awareness Month in June and developing new cooking blogs. I love both of them. But honestly? It is a lot of work. Especially with aphasia. I need to relax a little. Still work.…
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