Jessica :

you are great artist. for me my first stroke anniversary was hard, but since it was in feb & I felt immense love of my hubby for me we made my stroke anniversary as our valentine date, & since then I look forward to my stroke anniversary valentine day combo. I bet if you look hard you might find some positives coming out of this seemingly negative event. look for it & you might find it.

Asha

Jessica

My mom will also be coming up on her one year stroke anniversary in Dec. I know it will be tough for her and the family. She really loves Christmas and it will never be the same for her. I feel panicky when I think that we are approaching a year and she hasn't regained as much as we hoped she would have. I also feel grateful that she is still with us and that she is making progress even if it is slower than we hoped for. I will try to focus on the positives as best as I can. I will keep pushing her, encouraging her, praying for her, and hoping and believing. I hope you can do the same.

Jessica, welcome to the blog community, a safe place to say what you need to say and get some feed-back from others. We have both survivors and caregivers blogging here, we are all in it together, this long journey to the "new normal".

I can see why you would feel the way you do and I guess the sewed up lips showed me the lack of self-advocacy, the darkened eyes the incapacity to see what the future holds. But some of that insight will come to you as you progress through your recovery.

Welcome, I will look forward to getting to know you better.

Sue.

Keep thinking of how far you have come since Christmas and how much farther you will have come by the time Christmas gets here this year! Think positive thoughts and that you are a survivor and got a life to live!!

thank you! i really wasnt shure if i could make a party of it. i thought i would be strange. i would like to plan something special and i will keep thinking of what that may be.

Because of Bob's vision problems, he can't read by himself, so I'll ask, are you able to read? If so, we are finding this book written by a stroke patient to be full of wisdom, "A stroke of Genius". I downloaded the free Kindle ap to my laptop and got the kindle version for only a few dollars. I'm able to make the words big enough and 2 colunms so Bob can try to follow the words as I read out loud. His insight was very helpful in understanding Bob (yourself) and on attitude. I'm thinking it was also one of the books that you can read a little without buying. Try it, it really helped our thinking

Ray had his stroke on Super Bowl Sunday, lucky we're not big sport fans! Christmas must be hard.

Hi Jessica: For Christmas eve, the memory of your stroke must be hard--but don't despair. You are young and have many years of recovery ahead of you. This will be my 3rd Christmas since I stroked, and while the holidays are hard for me--having no family--I'm 72, and very glad to be alive and well enough to experience them! All the best, Henry

You all give me so much hope. i am able to read although i am lazy about it. i think i am craving some literature about this subject so it will be very interesting. Thank you Sandy.

You know my body probably likes to rest and allow sickness on holidays because this Labor Day weekend I got strep throat haha. i was so thankful and gave my doctor a high five because my head was hurting so bad that I thought it might have been a warning sign of a stroke to come. i smiled through the pain because never once did my pain go up to a 10 like when i stroked and shouted 13 15 to the doctors lol. I was able to walk and take care of myself. This illness was a reminder that I’m even lucky to be able to be alive and sick.

Bring on Christmas eve, Christmas, New Year, and life. i am ready

Jessica, welcome to the blog community, a safe place to say what you need to say and get some feed-back from others. We have both survivors and caregivers blogging here, we are all in it together, this long journey to the "new normal".I can see why you would feel the way you do and I guess the sewed up lips showed me the lack of self-advocacy, the darkened eyes the incapacity to see what the future holds. But some of that insight will come to you as you progress through your recovery.Welcome, I will look forward to getting to know you better.Sue.

Jessica, I can appreciate your drawing. I hope your self portrait is enhanced by the members of this blog and you start to see yourself as a warrier with tremendous courage. I am new to the site and plan to help others and get the needed help I seek. Advocacy is paramount in recovery and once you leave the hospital and sometimes not in the hospital, the advocacy seems to dissipate. That is why sites such as these are helpful.

Hostsue, I liked what you said about the "sewed lips showed ...lack of self advocacy." It hit home for me when I felt that the professionals were not listening. Thank God for physical therapists who basically saved my life.

Guess what!

I’m going to have a art exhibit Strokeaversary party. I will try to make at least two more things and invite my friends to see the finished product. I fell like that gives me a good goal and a fun way to let people know that my stroke will always be a part of me. I can also let the paintings be my voice.

Thank you all i wish i could invite you to my party and ask for you to shair your art too. i would love for you to post any pictures of things you have worked on.