~ Chris L. (written By Sarah L.)
Most people understand that aphasia generally is the loss of ability to understand or express speech; it’s an impairment of language. Aphasia results from damage or injury to the brain—in many instances, from a stroke. But did you know that there is a type of aphasia that is called Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA)? Unlike other forms of aphasia, PPA is caused by a neurodegenerative disease—usually a subset of frontotemporal degeneration (FTD). And while aphasia can strike a person suddenly due to an event such as a brain injury or a stroke, PPA is different because it is stealthy and creeps up on a person over a number of years.This is what happened to my husband, Christopher Lannom.