Thanks Jean and Asha for the feedback.

In respone to Asha's inquiry I will introduce myself and tell my whole story.

Just remrmber, you asked!

It was early in the morning(3am?) on april 30, 2004 I woke up because I had to go to the bathroom. I couldn't get out of bed. We lived in New Jersey at the time, so it was still cold at night and we still had flannel sheets on the bed. I thought I was just tangled up in them. I finally fell out of bed on the floor. When my dear husband figured out that I couldn't move he called the paramedics. They took me to the emergency room where they decided I had a TIA. It resolved and I was normal again so they sent me home. My husband needed to go to Boston to pick our son up from college as it was the end of the semester. He left and my 14 year old daughter( the cheerleader)stayed at home to watch over me.

Well I fell out of bed again just as my husband called from Boston. My daughter called 911 and I was returned to the ER. Again I was diagnosed with TIA and resolved but they decided to admit me "for observation". Sometime that night while I was sleeping I stroked because I couldn't walk to the bathroom with the nurse the next morning. The docs didn't use TPA because they didn't know how long since my stroke(I was asleep). After many tests(angiogram, ct scan, MRI, etc) no cause was determined. No clot was ever found only hbp. I was 46 at the time with 2 children at home. I had just quit my job(bank teller) because I hated it and planned to return to work at the quilt shop( where I had worked and taught classes previously). It's been a long and bumpy road since then. I spent 1 week in the hospital with a 90 year old roommate . I spent 1 month in the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation again with a 90+ year old roommate. Kessler was great and I relearned to walk there. I slowly learned to use my left side again. Not much with my arm though I had OT. After I went home I went back to Kessler for outpatient therapy. It was there that my OT got me into a driver rehab course and I was recertified to drive.(after a month of lessons and outfitting my car with a spinner knob and a crossover for my turn indicators ) I feel fortunate to have recovered so much, but I won't be satisfied with my progress for a long time.

In 2005 my husband decided we should relocate to Houston, Tx to get away from the cold and snow that was so hard on me. That wasn't too bad for me, but it was difficult for our children. Our oldest daughter remained in Pennsylvania because she was in her Phd program and self supporting. Our son who was trying to transfer to another university decided to move with us and find a new school down here. He has and He is doing very well (much better than before). The move was the hardest on our youngest daughter( the cheerleader) because she is still in High School. She has sucked it up and made a new life for herself down here and is busy applying to college and cheerleading of course. I however have not yet made a new life for myself . I have gone to therapy and am enjoying having a swimming pool . I can't seem to drag myself out of the house to try to meet people. I feel very self-conscious about my disability and I want to be accepted for who and what I am, I don't want to be defined by what I am not or what I can't do. So, that's where I stand today.

Thanks for your support and interest ,

Marden