In 1997 Rachel Polsky was at the top of her game. She worked for Wendy’s corporate offices, and had an infant son and a new house. She had planned out her future years before and everything was going according to schedule. Then she started having trouble remembering names. Within hours she was also experiencing vision […]
One Of The LUCKY Ones? The stroke that hit me in May 2013 impacted the right side of my brain, which lead to physical disabilities to the left side of my body. My speech was not affected to any great extent. At the time, I was enjoying life to the fullest. My eldest son was […]
On June 2, 2009, my life changed forever. I had a horrible car accident and was at WakeMed Hospital for five months. I had multiple injuries which included no use of my left arm or hand, very serious vision problems, and a traumatic brain injury. The TBI was the worst. My short-term memory was very […]
Three weeks after serious cancer surgery in January 2013, Alan suffered a stroke which destroyed the receptive language area of this brain and weakened the right side of his body. His primary diagnosis of Wernicke’s aphasia was devastating. He felt frustrated, angry, sad, stupid, and INVISIBLE. His language was largely meaningless jargon. This second crisis […]
From David’s daughter, Elizabeth: When my father, David Hornshuh, asked me to revise something he had written to contribute to “12 Days of TAP,” I thought what better way to share a perspective from the family members that TAP had impacted, as well as those affected by aphasia? Professionally my father worked as a consultant […]
From Nate (Krystal’s husband): On what was a typical Saturday evening, January 8, 2012, Krystal Jackson, a seamstress and designer went to bed late, and later got up to wait for our youngest son to get home, as it was past his curfew. This is something she has done for all four of our children. […]
From Ron’s wife, Linda: My husband Ron was a college professor and a lover of reading, particularly nonfiction books. He prided himself on having read every book published about Presidents of the United States! In 2012 Ron had a stroke which left him with aphasia. While he didn’t have mobility issues, the loss he mourned […]
Our son Austin was an athletic, healthy 18-year-old until one day in July 2013, he suffered a massive stroke while working out. In just a few weeks we were going to be moving him into Liberty University for his freshman year. Austin’s sudden stroke completely changed his life plan and instead he was fighting for […]
Enter 2014 and my desire to spend more time in my life in service to others. Couple this with a healthcare background and a friendship with Maura Silverman, and a new TAP volunteer was born! I intended to help with administrative tasks, organize and clean the office, and assist in fundraising events. I have done […]
It was an ordinary Saturday in May 2011 for practicing attorney Don Cowan – an hour on the treadmill, fielding cell phone calls from clients whose concerns could not wait until Monday, prep time for the legal education seminars he regularly conducted for judges and fellow litigators, and an opportunity to kickback and relax, followed […]
During my first couple of years working as a speech pathologist in the rehab setting with individuals with neurological communication impairments, I was constantly asked the same questions over and over towards the end of therapy: ”Where do I go from here?” and “What’s next?” Every patient had a similar trajectory – inpatient rehab to […]
In April 2011 when I was twenty-seven, I was living in Bolivia, where I had several jobs, mainly working as a mountain bike guide, but also as a location scout for the television show, “Ice Road Truckers.” One day, after being in a mountain bike race, I was doing jumps with my friends on about […]
