16

I used to play the piano. I used to play it well. I stopped taking lessons as a teenager because it wasn’t cool anymore. One of the many “could’ve-would’ve-should’ve” moments in my life.  After that I continued to play classics like Fur Elise and The Entertainer from memory and would still play Christmas music around the holidays. I just played for fun.  Enter 2016. I had two strokes at 34 that left me with several deficits. One of them being dulled sensation on my right side. I remember the

April

2018

16

When someone has a stroke in your family it changes everything. Nothing will ever be the same after your loved one has a stroke. My mom had a stroke at 41 and every day since then has been different than my life before this all happened. I spent a week the summer of my mom's stroke in a hospital waiting for my mom to get home, and to this day the smell of hospitals make me shaky and nauseous. I'd bring books and my computer, and sometimes I read to her, even though my dad usually had to remind

April

2018

14

Well hello internet! My name is Abram Butler and I’m but a young age of 12. I am the son of one of the 3 kick-butt Stromies: Tamsen. (I know her as “mom”) I was about 10 when my mom had a stroke, and I reached levels of panic I didn’t even know was humanly possible. My mom was the crisp young age of 41 when she had her stroke. My mom went down on the floor of our kitchen and started having a stroke. This brought out a series of things that you should never do when a loved one or a friend has a

April

2018

13

The GPS reroutes me for the third time because I missed my turn. I am flustered and I am angry.  Where am I going again? Think Sarah, think.  Multitasking is almost impossible after my strokes. I grow more flustered as I attempt to make a phone call to let people know that I’ll be late. “Hey Siri, call...”  Damnit if I don’t miss the turn again. Seriously?!! By the time my brain understands what the GPS is saying I have already missed the turn.   When I finally arrive, I can’t find the people

April

2018

11

“Nina! Diggie! WHAT IS THIS DOG’S NAME?!” Here are some things you should know about the sentence above: Nina is the name of our dog that passed away over a year ago. Diggie Smalls is a dog fairly new to our family. The name of the dog jumping up on me that I was trying to address is Bunny, who also happens to be my favorite dog in the universe – she sleeps in bed with me at night and cuddles with me when I’m feeling anxious or overwhelmed, and has for over a year. So how does any

April

2018