November 13, 2015

December 10, 2013. I returned home from working 3rd shift to find my wife collapsed on the floor just on the other side of the front door. My world has forever changed.

Before that day, my 59 year old wife had ran a successful sales business in water treatment, filtration and purification. I maintained a longtime day job and had recently been placed on 3rd shift.

She suffered a left hemisphere hemorrhagic stroke that robbed her of her ability to speak. She has severe aphasia and can only sometimes speak single words. Needless to say, her sales business ended without her ability to communicate.

We have endured through the many lows, and occasional highs, over the past two years. There have been improvements but they are dampened due to monthly seizures that she has been experiencing. These episodes produce setbacks of a week or more each time they occur.

But, for all the hardships and the severity of the event, I am truly appreciative of the fact that she is still with us. Her physical ability is somewhat diminished on her right side, but she is regaining her ability to walk and the cognitive ability to do daily routines like dishes, laundry and housekeeping. We are blessed in this regard!

I have hope for our future together and we look forward to a time when we can both “retire” to do more of the things we love doing together. Until then, our large family is nearby to add comfort and support to us both. Again, we are blessed!

Dave & Deb
Lake City, Pa.

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November is Caregivers Month. To share your story email us at answers@aphasia.org. We welcome your pictures.