A WHILE AGO, I GOT A HUGE KICK OUT OF THIS: MY CAREGIVER’S (CARA’S) MOM WAS HERE. OFTEN, HER MOM WOULD ATTEMPT 2 DO SOMETHING, & NEEDED CARA 2 EXPLAIN SOMETHING. RATHER THAN EXPLAIN, CARA WOULD JUST TELL HER MOM 2 LET HER DO IT HERSELF!

AH! WELCOME 2 MY WORLD! NOW, FINGERSPELL EVERY DETAILED DIRECTION U’D GIVE 2 SOME1!

IT IS SOMETIMES EASIER 2 JUST DO IT YOURSELF. EVEN I CAN DO IT MYSELF OCC.—RATHER THAN TRY EXPLAINING IT, THEN GIVING THE NECCASSARY ORDERS 2 HELP ME ACCOMPLISH SEVERAL SMALLER TASKS (THAT ADD 2GETHER, 2 MAKE I BIG TASK), IT CAN BE ALARMING WHAT I’M CAPABLE OF, WHEN I JUST PUT MY MIND 2 IT, & TRY. IT MAY NOT EVER WORK, OR IT MAY NEED SEVERAL TRIES (I’VE SAT AT A LIGHTSWITCH FOR 15 MIN., DETERMINED 2 REACH HIGH ENOUGH 2 TURN ON THE LIGHT), BUT IT’S WORTH TRYING!

PLUS, THERE IS AN ADOMITABLE (SP?) WILL THAT UNCOVERS ITSELF WHEN THERE IS A ROADBLOCK. I DISCOVER I’M CAPABLE OF DOING MANY MORE THINGS, BECAUSE I GET TIRED OF ASKING 4 SOMETHING, & OPT 2 JUST TRY ON MY OWN 2 DO IT…THIS HAS MADE ME CAPABLE OF PUTTING CDS INTO MY COMP., REACHING ITEMS FAR AWAY, GETTING & USING KLEENEX, HAVING THE ABILITY 2 REACH UP, & FEED MYSELF A TREAT, & MOST RECENTLY, BRUSH MY HAIR! (NOT STYLE IT, BUT BRUSH OUT MY DRIED, TANGLED HAIR, JUST BECAUSE I SAW A BRUSH LYING W/IN MY REACH, & THOUGHT, “I WONDER…”)

I LEARNED THIS WHEN HELPING FIA CLEAN HER ROOM W/MY LASER POINTER. IT WAS SLOW GOING, AS I’D POINT 2 EVERY SINGLE ITEM THAT NEEDED 2 BE PUT AWAY, BUT EVENTUALLY, HER ROOM WAS CLEAN!

WENT 2 DALLAS & OKLAMOMA LAST SUN. 2 WED., & IT’S BEEN CRAZY BUSY EVER SINCE. 2 BAD IT’S COMPOUNED BY MY DOUBLE VISION (WHICH ONLY WORSENS W/O FOCUSING 2 READ), BEING SLOW, & TYPING W/1 FINGER.

MON., 3-16, I “CELEBRATED” MY “STOKE-AVERSARY.” It was 5 yrs, ago, & they said I would die – WRONG!
They said I would never move again — WRONG! NOT ONLY DOES MY HEAD & MY RT. ARM MOVE, BUT I CAN LIFT MY LEGS, BEND FWD, PLAY SOME INSTRUMENTS, & IF HELD RT., I CAN EVEN WALK!
They were not sure if I would swallow or talk – WRONG! I CAN EVEN SUCK A STRAW, BITE A LITTLE, & FEED MYSELF!
I ONLY SAY A FEW WORDS, BUT AM GETTING BETTER.

I DON’T SUGGEST LISTENING 2 ANY DOCTOR OR THERAPIST ABOUT THE TIME 2 RECOVER. THEIR JOB IS 2 PREPARE U 4 THE WORST OUTCOME POSS., & MINE WAS DYING, OR NEVER MOVING OR TALKING AGAIN (JUST BLINKING) …

I WAS TOLD THAT IN THE 1ST 9 MO., I’D RECOVER THE MOST THAT I’D GET BACK, OF WHATEVER I’D NOW BE CAPABLE OF. HOW I DREADED THAT 9 MO. MARKER, & AT 9 MO. POST STROKE, I COULD DO EXTREMELY LITTLE! HECK, I COULDN’T MOVE EVEN A MUSCLE 4 LIKE 5 MO.!

IT’S A VERY SLOW RECOVERY–I EXPECTED 2 BE UP & DOING MY KID’S LAUNDRY IN 1 YR.–& I’M STILL WAITING 2 BE UP. BUT I AM WAITING. SOMEDAY, I HOPE 2 MAKE THE MANY PRAYERS & WISHES 2 SANTA, IN MY BEHALF, COME TRUE! I HAVE A DREAM 2 JUST WALK ENOUGH, 2 BE ABLE 2 DO THINGS LIKE POTTY MYSELF! LOL

SO GLAD I REFUSED 2 BELIEVE THAT MY RECOVERY TIME WAS UP AFTER 9 MO.! I CAN DO SOOO MUCH MORE!

THE HARDEST PART HAS PASSED……I LIVED. I’M NOT JUMPING FOR JOY CAUSE THIS HAPPENED, BUT AM THANKFUL IT HAPPENED AT THE AGE I WAS. BEING YOUNG HELPS…DOUBT I’D BE AS MOTIVATED IN MY RECOVERY, IF I WAS 85 YRS., VS. 35 YRS.! PLUS, MY KIDS WERE AT A GOOD AGE—I WOULDN’T WANT FIA ANY YOUNGER THAN SHE WAS (BARELY 2 YRS.) WHEN I HAD MY STROKE, BUT IT HAS BEEN A BENEFIT 2 HAVE HER GROW UP IN MY RECOVERY. IN FACT, ACCORDING 2 FIA, WHO HAS AN ENORMOUS LIST OF FUTURE CAREERS, I HAVE A JOB I’M PERFECT 4: A MOM!
INTERESTING FACT: ZACH WAS ALMOST FIA’S AGE (ALMOST 7 YRS. OLD), WHEN I HAD MY STROKE.

I’VE COME SO FAR IN 5 YRS. & IT ONLY KEEPS GETTING BETTER.
COULD HAVE BEEN MUCH WORSE.

A STROKE SURVIVOR, Perry Stevens (http://www.lighthousebeam.com/giftbook.html) recently said:
“(I was told) ‘Never look how far you have to go!. Just look how far you have come.’ (That) really struck me. I
was just unresponsive laying in a bed with many tubes doing things for me (that)I
could not do myself. Now I am living at home and doing well, actually better
everyday, even after eight years my speech keeps getting better. With God on
my side there is no way I will quit trying to keep doing better in all that
I do.”