It has been said in many articles I have read that an estimate 750,000 strokes happens in the US alone each year. That being the case and true to form then many men, women and some children will face paralysis and a big setback in life as they know it to be in a two handed/two legged world. Some will have to use canes, walkers and wheelchairs to still be mobile as much as possible. Perhaps within the next few years being handicap will sorta be the norm for many people not just in the US but all over the world.

Strokes normally affect one side of the brain and body however some people walk again unassisted while some never experience any paralysis or it's very short termed. The vast majority will have difficult walking and talking after a stroke along with balance problems requiring the use of a wheelchair and in a few cases for the remainder of their lives! However it's not the end of life as we know it to be. There is life after stroke but also death can and does occur in some cases or shortly afterwards!

This site alone has grown by seven thousand survivors since I joined in 2004, seven years ago and not every person uses a computer. Obviously there are thousands more survivors each year looking for a network to join and get much needed information about being survivors and care givers alike. It seems as though no other person can understand you when you have had a stroke and sense what life must be like with you being paralysed or unable to talk or speak at all!

That makes the world we knew for many years in some cases feel so unreal and as a survivor being accepted because of our physical conditions being dependent upon a care giver, a cane, walker or wheel chair to get around inside and outside the home. Holding a job or staying employed is almost none existence in many cases.We apply for disability benefits and must prove we are unable to work and still it's not an automatic approval. Many times we are denied and while our incomes are non existence we still have homes, vehicles and household bills to pay monthly!

The life and mind set after having a stroke is very depressing and frustrated when we can do very little for ourselves. There is hospitalization and therapy we must get in order to learn how to care and exercise our weak side of the body. It's a very dark world as we look out at others with no disabilities we can see and notice. It feels like we have been taken away from society and left to suffer greatly!

Therefore at the rate of 750,000 stroke each year the hospitalization, therapy and care for survivors will be a big part of medical expenses like new born babies are now. There is no end in sight for stroke care of all ages in America.

However, life is just the opposite, we are still alive and what I call a second chance at living with our loved ones. No one really knows what a survivor feels like accept another survivor. Care giver sense the feelings we have and are there by our sides every step of the way urging us to feel better, get better and live the best life we can with what we got left after the stroke.

Strokes happen in many cases and for many reasons. There is no set age to suffer a stroke as some people have been led to believe. Strokes will be around for a time to come as our knowledge about strokes get a bit wider and our acceptance is more understood. It's very hard for us to accept a stroke happening to us because we felt so strong as a normal healthy person! So we wonder why it happened to us and we don't know why or why now?