The first two weeks after my stroke, I was in the intensive care department in UMass Medical Hospital in Worcester. I couldn’t do anything for myself.

When I needed anything, it was a chore to tell the nurses because I couldn’t talk or write and my sign language wasn’t getting my point across either. Eventually I figured out a way to communication that worked, but it was difficult.

I was then sent the Fairlawn Rehab Hospital in Worcester. All the nurses were very nice and they worked with me to understand what I wanted or needed.

I was determined to get back to my life as soon as possible. It was tough in the beginning especially for my speech. If I had to be paralyzed on one side I didn’t really bother me as much as having no way to communicate. You’d be very surprised what you can do with only one side working. You become very creative, if you don’t want somebody waiting on you.

The very next day the physical therapist got me walking. I had a cane that looked like a walker but it was made for people that couldn’t use both hands. I think the walking was the easiest to learn because you can’t walk on one leg, so you just make to other leg help hold you up.

The occupational therapist started on my hand and arm. The therapist had to do everything for movement of my hand and arm until my brain woke up. I had to be told what muscles had to contract, and to release to make a single movement. It seemed like forever before I could do anything with my hand and arm.

I don’t like to talk about my speech. The clot, that caused the stroke, settled in the speech area in my brain which means that it can’t ever be woken up, it actually died. Believe it or not there was a name for the speech problem that I had, called Aphasia. My brain had to pick another area of my brain to take over.

My speech was the hardest thing I have to deal with and I have moments, like later in the day were it’s still a problem. I knew what I want to say but I couldn’t put into word or if I did know the words, I had a problem getting the words out of my mouth. I have everything I’ve learned, over the years, I could understand what people were saying, but I couldn’t respond with anything unless I thought very hard about what words I wanted to say.

My speech therapists gave me homework everyday. I even had speech therapy on the weekends at Fairlawn and received homework, even on the weekends. My boyfriend, Brandon DeBoer, would give me moral support while I did my homework, it was so hard.

I got out of Fairlawn a month later, and started outpatient therapy at HealthSouth in Ludlow. This gave me a little more freedom. I only had to go two days a week for three hours a day.

When I left Fairlawn, I had a type of sling for my hand and arm so that it wouldn’t just hang. The muscles in my shoulder couldn’t handle the arm just hanging. The last day they gave me a brace for my foot because it wasn’t strong enough to lift my toes after a few minutes of walking and a four footed cane.

When the therapists saw me for the first time at HealthSouth, they couldn’t believe how good I was doing. I was walking, able to move my hand and arm, and even talking. But of course I couldn’t see what they saw; I saw what I couldn’t do.

I was supposed to be the ‘Maid of Honor’ in my best friends wedding on June 11. I told her before I had my stroke that I would make the flowers girls dress and my gown. That didn’t happen; luckily both of us, we were able to find our dresses.

I also told her that I wanted to make the card holder and when I got home I told her that I was still going to make it. Even though my right hand wasn’t very strong, this activity gave me something to strengthen the muscles. I have to say I made the most elegant Church out of very strong cardboard, batting and white broque material. I had asked my mother to cut the steeple. I made a pattern for her to follow. I’m not the type to brag, but after what I have been through, and seeing what I did, I am in awe.

I was able to walk down the isle, for my friend’s wedding, without a cane or brace. She was very happy with the church for the cards, also.

My boyfriend helped me make a garden. He help me put up a little greenhouse and he prepare the soil by rotatilling it and helped me fertilized it. There was a point that I was trying to tell him that I think we should stop adding the fertilizer because the bag was for 500 sq ft. He said that the garden is about 500 sq ft that we have to put more down. I asked him to read the bag because I was really trying to say 5000 sq ft. We had half the bag gone. Needless to say the garden grew very big plants and large vegetables. One butternut squash weight 5.5 pounds. The tomato plants grew over seven feet tall.

The insurance told HealthSouth that I had 20 sessions. I still don’t understand that after have a stroke they think 20 sessions is enough. It ended up it was, the therapists didn’t know what else to do with me. Before I left, I made a wall hanging made all out of triangles, call a Shining star and gave it to the therapists.

I wasn’t strong enough to go to work, even though there was no more therapy to go to, and I had to go through surgery to patch the hole in my heart. I need something to do. I can’t sit in front of TV and be satisfied. I tried to read but that made me tired quickly.

Then I thought of something that would help my with my writing and also make other people aware how much a stroke can destroy your live and how you can come back better than ever. I decided to join the American Stroke Association’s ‘Train to End Stroke Fundraiser’.

It gave me something to work on. I had to write a letter, and then send them out to family and friends. Sounds easy enough but I couldn’t write very good and still can’t. This was the long thing I had written since my stroke. I took me about two hours to write the first draft and four plus hours to correct all the errors. I had several people read it and correct errors. Then I send it out to half of my list. I started off by addressing the envelopes by hand, using my right. It was somewhat legible and they ended up getting to the people they were address to. It took me a long time writing them like that, but it made my hand stronger.

Then I started to get creative. I asked some hotels how much they’re conference rooms cost and what dates are available. I called the Sturbridge Host Hotel, told them I’m going to have a Craft Fair or Brunch for the ‘Train to End Stroke Fundraiser’. They asked if I was looking a donation. I was surprise!! I said if they are willing to donate a room we will definitely work with it. They ended up giving me the Grand Ball Room.

I asked for some volunteers and the rest is history. The Craft Fair and Brunch was on December 4. It ended up snowing so the turnout wasn’t good. Despite this, we ended up making $600 minus some change on that day. Over all we made about $1110. For a bad day we did fairly well. Can you imagine if we had a good day? We are going to plan another Craft Fair next year.

I started this website and promoted it thought the advertisement for the craft fair.

The next adventure is actually doing the half-marathon that is in Disney. I’ve been training since September, and walking 10 miles today. I’ve never done that much in my lifetime before the stroke. For those of you that are saying. “I would not be able do that”, I can tell you, you can if you put your mind to it.

I challenge you to do a half-marathon and if you’re fit already, do the marathon. There is going to be another Marathon next year that you can train for. They are fitness coached that work with you. If you do it, I will do it again.