Self advocacy requires that you know who you are and where you want to go…

Stroke recovery is most definitely an uphill-both-ways (and sometimes backwards!) slog. From the afflictions it leaves, to the emotional scars it imposes on loved ones, it is not for the weak of heart. But there is good news…

I know that my anger has caused pain, ripped away relationships and left scars. A gaggle of therapists, countless friends and acquaintances (and my very own sister) can attest to this. So, that leaves me considering the question, “Should I get mad or get even?” 

From the ongoing impacts of the pandemic, to the ever-evolving political and environmental landscapes… they remind me of life's fragility.

It makes me think, how can we, as a community, grapple with everything life throws at us? How can we be resilient now?

The vision is simple yet powerful: to provide a safe space where anyone can learn about Stacie’s experience with stroke, from the comfort of their own home and in their own time. By offering this perspective, the platform becomes a valuable resource for stroke survivors and caregivers looking to navigate the recovery journey.

During those intense weeks of preparation, as we delved into a sea of questions from my mailing list, friends, family, and even those generated by AI, I couldn't help but feel the passion growing within me.

It led me to some introspection—why this unwavering dedication to making this project meaningful and impactful?

5 Things I Learned From Trail Running (that very serendipitously have everything to do with stroke transformation!) 

To my friends, I always give the advice “Don’t be so hard on yourself!” or “Speak to yourself, the way that you would to a friend.” So why is it so hard for me to take my own advice? Why is it so hard to forgive ourselves?

Fighting the effects of aphasia. Focus on the here and now to find a middle ground between the squirrels

I can remember those months, after surviving my stroke, as some of hardest, darkest days I have ever experienced in my life. To say the simplest of words cost me an extraordinary amount of effort. I would like to share with you these listening tools that enhanced my recovery, expedited it and made it more pleasurable.

From a stroke survivor’s tool box, written for you.

I have been there.... where you are…. slogging thru the days. It has taken me a long time to understand that without finding your recovery groove, your sweet spot, your true passion, you can get lost in a never-ending mountain of to-dos.

Sometimes I think my marriage had a stroke

I have become a master of the black or white. There are no in-betweens for me. You either see a well-put-together master of disguise or a shockingly, unraveled woman coming apart at her seams. I am definitely broken.

I wish someone had clued me in on these: 3 self-advocating TIPS on how to MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR STROKE RECOVERY. (Especially the first one.)

When I hit my first stroke anniversary in February, I had feelings of elation.

I had made it so far!

Then the weeks passed by and I could feel my steam lessening with each day, trudging up the slippery slope of my recovery. I found it was work that was beneath me, in some ironical way.