Blog Category Archives
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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?…
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…
Being Home Again (After Aphasia on the Road) Coming home feels different this time. I was away for weeks. Now I’m home again. Twelve states.New places every day.New people. New decisions. New goals. Now I’m home. And everything is quieter. With aphasia, home matters. At home, I know where things are.I don’t have to search for…
A Month on the Road: Home Now The trip was long. Twelve states. National and state parks, museums, and Cracker Barrel. Music. History. Nature. A month. New places every day. It was wonderful. And I’m tired. What I learned I learned that I can still do hard things. Not the way I used to. More…
7 Brain Foods — and One More Thing Reducing Ultra-Processed Food After Stroke Reducing ultra-processed food after stroke became just as important to me as adding brain foods. Cocoa and coffee. Walnuts. Olive oil. Berries. Beans. Greens. Whole grains. Simple foods that support the brain — day after day. But there is one more thing.…