Before and After Stroke Essay

Submitted By mbraun0493
Words: 471
Pages: 2

In the case of Megan Timothy, a woman in her late 50s suffered a stroke, which left her with serious aphasia, and struggling to regain her quality of life. Before her stroke she was an actress, a cook, and very athletic. In her youth she and a friend had gone down the whole Mississippi river on a raft they had made. She had also been the owner of a bed and breakfast, where she cooked, it was known for its wonderful wedding cakes. In her later years, not long before her stroke she went on a 10,000-mile bike ride around Europe completely alone. However, the day she returned to the United States, after the death of her mother, she suffered a stroke leaving her with serious aphasia. After her stroke she was institutionalized, she couldn’t speak at all except for the words chicken and a few obscenities. Doctors told her she would probably never talk, read, or write ever again. Determined to make a full recovery Megan concentrated on getting out of the institution. Eventually, two of her friends managed to get her discharge and helped her get on the road to recovery. Megan worked furiously, determined to get her life back. She went multiple times a week to therapy, and then spent 12-14 hours a day on her own dedicated to getting back her speech and literacy back. Her speech gradually returned, however reading was much more difficult. Using Harry Potter, both the print version and audio version, she retaught herself how to read through laboriously repeating each sentence back, then listening to the tape till gradually it made sense. She moved on to many more books, although still reading at a child’s level. Finally, after being sufficiently satisfied with her ability to read, she presented herself with the task of writing a book. She was frustrated with her inability to write the words