<h1>Sherry L.</h1>
<div class="location">Homestead, Florida</div>
<div class="date">2025-02-01</div>
<h2>Once I get that done, I would like to get an RV and drive. Drive all my sewing machines and do a sewing show.</h2>
<p>I've always been more stubborn. Like if I want – If I think – I can get better, I will get better. But aphasia was hard. It was real hard. It was hard at first, from my stroke, with the animals (two dogs and a cat), because I had to learn how to walk them. I learned that I could walk them because another girl learned to walk from her stroke with her dogs. And if she could do this, then I could do this. But it was hard.</p>
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<td><em>A gift I made in December</em></td>
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<p>With aphasia, I didn't have anyone to look to because I didn't even know there were other people with aphasia. I didn't know anybody, only what I learned on my own. At first, I would say a couple little words, just very few words. So I learned everything since my stroke basically on my own. I learned I couldn't read, but I could do audiobooks. At first, the television really bothered me a lot. It made me fatigued a lot because of the noise. Then I could watch television, little bits at a time.</p>
<p>It wasn't until the pandemic that I got an email from Lingraphica telling me they were offering a couple little classes on Zoom. But I didn't know how to use Zoom. My husband never used Zoom either, but he knew that I had to get online and figure it out. So I did. And I logged into Virtual Connections, one of the classes jointly organized by Lingraphica and ARC. This was in March 2020, about a week after they started Virtual Connections.The first Zoom call I had was a coffee chat with Dr. Katie Strong. Katie is a speech language pathologist (SLP) at Central Michigan University.</p>
<p>At this time, there were only three of us in Virtual Connections. We didn't have planned activities. Instead, we were all in our pajamas with coffee trying our best to chat. But we would meet up every week and the group slowly grew. In September, Katie asked if she could help me share my story with others. She encouraged me to speak up and learn my story. I'm glad that happened. Because it showed me the value of my words.</p>
<p>I was one of six that got to share my story. I was assigned one of Katie's students as a partner, and I worked with them from September to spring of the next year. They wrote down what I had to say and recorded what I had to say. I wrote down what I wanted to say if I could, and I would
email it to my partner. They would then adjust it. And I saw how they did it online. And then Katie would jump in or Bri or Avi, two other members of the Virtual Connections team. They would put their revisions up on a board and share it. And then I would read from it.</p>
<h1>So I did my story. I had over 130 people who sat in on the day I spoke. And then my story had to change, because the next year my sister had a stroke.</h1>
<p>My sister and I were close – we would talk every day during my stroke. She would call me every morning and talk – talk like crazy. I wouldn't say anything because I couldn't talk. And then one day I said, I'm going to speak. And then I started trying to talk.</p>
<p>I was two years in on my stroke at this time when my sister had hers. Katie was a real good encouragement during this time because she called me one day and we talked on Zoom and she made a list of things I needed to ask the doctor. She helped me get the courage to tell the doctors, "Listen, give my sister a chance, because I've had a stroke and I'm still here. She has a stroke, and she can still be here."</p>
<p>And I think that if I did not speak up, my sister wouldn't be here today. It was hard for me to speak too, because I was just learning to speak. And I would watch her on the video screen. Whatever they were doing to her, I could watch through Zoom. And I think that during that time frame, with her having a stroke and me recovering from my stroke, I learned a lot of independence.</p>
<p>My journey would also be incomplete without mentioning Jackie Hinckley. Jackie has worked across the board for Voices of Hope, an aphasia support group. I met her through Nova Southeastern University, when I wanted to go to school to be a speech therapist. She invited me to the Florida Speech Association conference. But it's harder for me with school now after my stroke, and I realized I would be 99 years old before I could finish my SLP degree. Jackie showed me that there were other ways that I could get involved.</p>
<p><img src="/static/img/sherry/Sister.jpg" alt="" onclick="window.openImageModal && window.openImageModal(this.src, this.alt)" style="cursor: pointer;">
<em>My sister knows that I love her</em></p>
<p>As I recovered from my stroke, I began to work on my own community of aphasia with Lingraphica, Voices of Hope, and Nova with Tambi Braun. I started an in-person stroke group called Aphasia Gatherings that meets at the community center, and also a Zoom book club that is in session every Monday, like clockwork. I made my friend Rebecca my co-host. I have several friends in the book club that are really getting better.
The book club is really into mysteries right now. Mysteries and mysteries. Everyone learns differently. Some learn with their device. They tap in the device, and some have a different form of aphasia. I think for Wernicke's it is really hard, but we give them each a chance to read out loud. For instance, Larry reads small passages but his reading comes out like numbers instead of words. But I can understand his numbers. We give everyone a chance to read.</p>
<p>When I first met Larry over 2 years ago, he was having a real hard time speaking. I met him when he was 6 months into his aphasia. And now his speech has gotten a lot better. It's not in his reading – all his reading is really just all numbers. But when he's speaking, some words come out where they didn't before. So I think he's getting better.</p>
<p>Ronlyn had a stroke before me. She has gotten a lot better, but her thing is, she loves songs. So I learned that if I asked her to sing it out loud, it's easier for her to explain while singing it than saying it. So I say, "Use your song voice, Ronlyn, sing it out loud." So I give them options.
Some people also have a hard time with jokes. Some of them do not understand at all. Like a very simple joke, something that's like black and white. "What does that mean? I don't get it." So Rebecca and I try to throw in a joke one session, every time. Little jokes, and we also learned
that if we do more, we have questions. But we also learned to get them talking. "So when were you in high school? What was your favorite sport?" Some open-ended questions to get them more active. All of them have gotten better, and I am like, "I knew you could do it!"</p>
<p><img src="/static/img/sherry/AA.jpg" alt="" onclick="window.openImageModal && window.openImageModal(this.src, this.alt)" style="cursor: pointer;">
<em>Aphasia Awareness Month</em></p>
<p>Since my stroke, my life has gone through even more changes. For instance, Tambi Braun's aphasia support group is rebranding to "TOGETHER we are BETTER Brain injury support group," a suggestion that I made. Some of us have brain injuries, some of us have had strokes, and some have cancer, and I've tried to move them all along and help them get better. Because I feel like I'm in a boat and there's a bunch of sinking people, so I have to fish them all in instead of letting them flounder in the water. If I'm going to get Better, they're going to get Better too.</p>
<p>Recently, I found out that my sister is getting better too. Her husband took a picture of her eating a sandwich. She had it in her hands. She was actually feeding herself instead of him feeding her.</p>
<p>I don't know exactly what's going to happen next in life but I want to get my daughter graduated, but I want her to grow as well. I don't want her to just graduate the home not knowing what she's doing. So once I get that done, I would like to get an RV and drive. Drive all my sewing machines and do a sewing show.</p>
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<td><em>Stitching in the ditch</em></td>
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Sherry L.

Sherry's Story

<h1>Trish Hambridge</h1>
<div class="location">Dunedin, Florida</div>
<div class="date">2025-06-29</div>
<h2>Let me take you on a journey with my aphasia.</h2>
<p>17 years ago, I worked for Apple as an AppleCare Project Manager in California. Besides lupus, I was healthy in every other way. When I wasn't working, I played sports: curling; basketball; softball; soccer; golf. You name it. To give you a picture of how active I was, I made it a goal to shoot a basketball in every state. I did this in 15 years.</p>
<p>At this time, I lived in a two-story apartment. Every day, I would commute by car to work. Until one day: May 6th, 2008. When I was getting ready for work on this particular day, my right side became weak.</p>
<p>"Where's Trish???" my coworker Alberto must have thought when I didn't show up. Back in the day, it was meetings meetings meetings, so it was odd when I didn't show up. After a few hours, Alberto came to my place. When he saw that my car was parked and knew I was home, he immediately knew something was wrong.</p>
<p>To reach me, he had to kick down my door. Instead of getting thanked though, he got reported to the police: my neighbor had thought he was a burglar. Because of this, Alberto was threatened by gunpoint when the police arrived. Fortunately, though, the senior officer on the scene realized what was going on and called an ambulance.</p>
<p>The ambulance took me to Good Sam Hospital. During this time, Alberto called our friend Delia. The two of them came to the hospital, but not before informing our other friends. Within a few hours, even more of my friends gathered at the hospital. I was very lucky to have so many good friends.</p>
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<td><em>Me and Alberto before my stroke</em></td>
<td><em>Me and Delia after my stroke</em></td>
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<p><img src="/static/img/trish/Gang.jpg" alt="" onclick="window.openImageModal && window.openImageModal(this.src, this.alt)" style="cursor: pointer;">
<em>Me and the "gang"</em></p>
<p>At the Good Sam Hospital, the doctors found that I had a severe stroke in the left side of my brain. It meant that parts of my brain, such as where language is processed, had died due to a lack of oxygen.</p>
<p><img src="/static/img/trish/Brain.jpg" alt="" onclick="window.openImageModal && window.openImageModal(this.src, this.alt)" style="cursor: pointer;">
<em>My brain scan</em></p>
<p>Delia called my sister Cynthia, who then told my parents what had happened. My parents decided that they would fly from where they live – Niagara Falls, New York – to San Jose, where I lived. But on the way there, my mother was so worried about me on the plane that she passed out. Funnily enough, she ended up being a patient at Good Sam Hospital as well, in a room in my hall.</p>
<p>I was also very fortunate to have a good college friend named Karen who was a speech therapist. Because Karen was very knowledgeable about aphasia, she was able to help me accept the fact that I had aphasia and explain to my family and friends what it was. With Karen's help, I got good support from my family and friends which was grounded in understanding.</p>
<p><img src="/static/img/trish/Karen.jpg" alt="" onclick="window.openImageModal && window.openImageModal(this.src, this.alt)" style="cursor: pointer;">
<em>Me and Karen on a cruise after my stroke</em></p>
<p>After one week at Good Sam, I was transferred to Mission Oaks Hospital for rehab. When I first went to Mission Oaks, I could only say five words. "Yes" or "no" were two of them, but sometimes I would say the opposite of what I meant. When I meant to say yes, sometimes I would end up saying no. As a result, my answers were unreliable; I might know the word but another one would come out.</p>
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<td><em>All About Trish Hambridge (written by Karen)</em></td>
<td><em>Me with my team at Mission Oaks: Karen (my friend and a speech therapist), my occupational therapist, and my physical therapist</em></td>
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<h1>I felt broken, but I was determined to work on my recovery. Slowly I mended, step by step, inch by inch. To help, my dad stayed at my place for 9 months.</h1>
<p>The next step of my journey began when I went to the University of Michigan Program, a suggestion Karen had made. With their help, I was able to read, write, and speak a little.</p>
<p>At the University of Michigan, there were two events that really helped me. The first was meeting other people with aphasia: watching them eat lunch in a breakroom made me truly realize how long the road to recovery was. But, I was lucky to have a great speech therapist who was there to help. They taught me helpful things to say like "Hello, my name is Trish. I have a speech problem called aphasia."</p>
<p>I spent 6 weeks with the University of Michigan before going back to San Jose. Here, I started speech therapy with another speech therapist. Despite relearning a lot from my speech therapist, it wasn't enough.</p>
<p>A year after my stroke, I was terminated by Apple because I couldn't talk well enough. Rather than give up, I looked for other ways to grow.</p>
<p>In the years after my stroke, I shuffled between Silicon Valley, Michigan, and New York. I shuffled through 11 different rehabs – about 22 speech therapists – and all of them have been very helpful.</p>
<p>Two years after my stroke, my driver's license was reinstated. I've since put it to good use. Recently, in 2020, I even went on a big road trip with my mom and my dog, Punk. We traveled from Dunedin, Florida, to Rochester, New York, with six pit stops where I visited my mom's friends.</p>
<p><img src="/static/img/trish/Boat.JPG" alt="" onclick="window.openImageModal && window.openImageModal(this.src, this.alt)" style="cursor: pointer;">
<em>Me after my stroke, driving (a boat)!</em></p>
<p><img src="/static/img/trish/Mom.JPG" alt="" onclick="window.openImageModal && window.openImageModal(this.src, this.alt)" style="cursor: pointer;">
<em>My mom's 85th birthday</em></p>
<p>I also got involved with the stroke and aphasia community as more than just a patient: I attended stroke conferences and ability fairs. I also rediscovered technology as my friend.</p>
<p>I went to Burke rehab in White Plains, New York for a study to assess <a href="https://youtu.be/AnD9p3OCbck" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the effect of tDCS</a> in conjunction with robotic training. I also volunteered at O'Connor Hospital with another stroke survivor. We visited new stroke patients and talked with them about their hopes for recovery. Sometimes, the patients would feel mad or sad – or both. This inspired me to share my <a href="https://stroke-survivor-strategies.blogspot.com/search/label/iPhone%2FiPad" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">tips and tricks</a> on a Stroke Survivor Strategies blog for when patients feel overwhelmed.</p>
<p><img src="/static/img/trish/Burke.JPG" alt="" onclick="window.openImageModal && window.openImageModal(this.src, this.alt)" style="cursor: pointer;">
<em>Me at Burke!</em></p>
<p>I went to the 2013 Aphasia Recovery Connection (ARC) conference and met the Aphasia Lunch Bunch, people with aphasia who meet during lunches to socialize together.</p>
<p>In the next few years, I didn't stop. I went to the 2013 ARC conference, 3 ARC cruises (April 2014, June 2015, March 2016), the Ohio ARC Retreat (August 2014) and ARC U Boot Camp (October 2015, March 2017).  At the 2017 ARC U Boot Camp, I made a video called "<a href="https://youtu.be/x3ueXWAC-P0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Yike! I had the yips for aphasia</a>."</p>
<p>I was inspired by my experiences with ARC and wanted to create a similar community for people that lived near me. With one of my speech therapists in Silicon Valley, I started an aphasia support group called Chit-Chat Aphasia group. I created the Bay Area Aphasia Circle for people with aphasia to meet others in the Bay with aphasia.</p>
<p>I started looking for a house to buy in the Bay Area, but it was too expensive on disability. I decided to move to Florida. I reached out to my friend Ann who I had met through an ARC cruise: "I'm moving to St. Pete or Tampa. What do you think?"</p>
<p>"Dunedin," she said. So I moved to Dunedin, Florida, with help from my dad and Ann. It's warm most of the year, it's cheaper than California, I have support for aphasia. Most importantly, it's also where the Voices of Hope for Aphasia community is located. Voices of Hope changed my life, which I share more about in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kn5stllkUpM" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">this video</a>.</p>
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<td><em>Voices of Hope cruise</em></td>
<td><em>More Voices of Hope</em></td>
<td><em>Halloween at Voices of Hope</em></td>
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<p><img src="/static/img/trish/Art.jpg" alt="" onclick="window.openImageModal && window.openImageModal(this.src, this.alt)" style="cursor: pointer;">
<em>Art I made with Voices of Hope</em>
I got my condo, my new Florida driver's license, and set up my relationships with new doctors. I finally felt at home again.</p>
<p>Of the many groups I worked with, one of the most important has been Voices of Hope for Aphasia. When I got a puppy dog, Voices of Hope voted on her name. Punk!</p>
<p>However, I still couldn't speak well at the time, and "Punk" was hard to say. I had to rely on cues to help. Do you know the movie, Dirty Harry? In my mind, I would repeat, "hey, say it, Punk". I learned to train Punk commands with a <a href="https://youtu.be/V1iIeUQslIc" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">P2Go app</a>, an augmentative and alternative communication app (AAC). P2Go has illustrations of different commands, which I could click on. The app would then say the command: "Sit!" Or, "do your business!"</p>
<p>Everywhere I go now, I take Punk: a Voices of Hope session; my doctor's visit; restaurants; walks at Braemoor Village. I'm not alone in my love for Punk. In 2019, Punk became the mascot for Voices of Hope.</p>
<p>I speak about recovery from my stroke with SLPs, students, the public, and people with aphasia. With the Voices of Hope team, I help St. Petersburg city employees learn more about what aphasia means.</p>
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<td><em>Employee training at St. Petersburg</em></td>
<td><em>Me in the news with Punk!</em></td>
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<p>I have attended 9 conferences with ASHA and Aphasia Access Leadership Summit. I have spoken at 3 of these ASHA conferences and 4 Aphasia Access conferences. In November 2022, I was part of a panel for an ASHA conference with Dr. Jackie Hinckley and Denise Lowell, a friend who also has aphasia. The panel was titled, "Twisties, Yips, and Hope: What People with Aphasia Want You to Know About Mental Health." Three years later, I will soon be presenting my own topic with ASHA, titled "A Person with Aphasia Speaks: An insider's advocacy perspective and what SLPs should know." I am also planning to attend the upcoming ROSA conference.</p>
<p><img src="/static/img/trish/ASHA.JPG" alt="" onclick="window.openImageModal && window.openImageModal(this.src, this.alt)" style="cursor: pointer;">
<em>An ASHA conference in New Orleans</em></p>
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<td><em>An Aphasia Access conference</em></td>
<td><em>Another conference in Orlando</em></td>
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<p>After attending the Project Bridge Conference, I am now part of a team that develops qualitative research questions for people with aphasia. With this team, I have worked on a <a href="https://pubs.asha.org/doi/10.1044/2024_AJSLP-24-00351" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">project exploring post-traumatic growth in aphasia</a>. I also joined another <a href="https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3474697" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">project for ARC</a> to test <a href="https://www.aphasiagamesforhealth.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Aphasia Games for Health</a>.</p>
<p><img src="/static/img/trish/studycircles.JPG" alt="" onclick="window.openImageModal && window.openImageModal(this.src, this.alt)" style="cursor: pointer;">
<em>A study where I was one of three participants</em></p>
<p>This doesn't mean that I'm not scared. I still am. But I've learned to accept my stroke and aphasia and work with it. I believe that when people with aphasia feel positive emotions, their speaking comes with fewer struggles, and they feel more hopeful, relaxed, and self-confident.  Read more about the science behind this <a href="https://aphasia.byu.edu/0000018e-0628-d1be-a9ae-eeeec0c90000/aphasia-friendly-how-positive-and-negative-emotions-affect-naming-pictures-for-pwa-pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">here</a>.</p>
<p>A person with aphasia has much more difficulty speaking when they feel negative emotions, which is enhanced when they are tired and in a loud space. While anxiety causes anticipation and fear, holding hope leads to anticipation and trust in yourself.</p>
<p>Keep a positive attitude! Hope! Open yourself up to change! Own it! Find other people in the same situation and connect with them.</p>
<p>Katarina Haley, PhD, CCC-SLP, described it well in an Aphasia Access Zoom meeting: "Aphasia is a tough blow. It interferes with communication, social connection, psychological well-being."</p>
<p>I wanted to help, so I founded the <a href="https://nationalaphasiasynergy.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">National Aphasia Synergy</a> (NAS), a nonprofit organization that promotes an aphasia community led by peers. I currently continue to serve as the president of NAS.</p>
<p>Our strength is in sharing the stories of wins and challenges. NAS is driven to encourage optimism and positive outlook in people with aphasia. The unique part of NAS is that we are run by people with aphasia. Our website is intended to be a live storage of resources for people with aphasia.</p>
<p><img src="/static/img/trish/NAS.JPG" alt="" onclick="window.openImageModal && window.openImageModal(this.src, this.alt)" style="cursor: pointer;">
<em>Me with my National Aphasia Synergy team!</em></p>
<p>We stay happier and healthier when we have opportunities for meaningful contribution and control over the things that affect us.</p>
<h1>We can do it.</h1>
<h2>Some tips and tricks below.</h2>
<p>For more, <a href="/resources#trish-tips-and-tricks">read here</a>. I have also made a <a href="https://youtu.be/mv2AAYQQuu8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">separate video</a> with more tips.</p>
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<li>Use The Buddy System</li>
<li>It helps you feel safe</li>
<li>People with aphasia can visit the community with a friend/family as back up support
Teach your "back up" person the <a href="https://www.aphasia.ca/family-and-friends-of-people-with-aphasia/family-sca/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Supported Conversation</a> developed by Aphasia Institute of Toronto</li>
<li>Teach your friend to wait until the person with aphasia wants help</li>
<li>Teach them to ask the person with aphasia if it's ok to help out in that situation</li>
</ul>
<p>Please, do it.  Please! It can really help to have a friend along! Practice, practice and practice…</p>
<p>Dr. Roy Hamilton, a neurologist at the University of Pennsylvania, said the following in the podcast "Brain Friends": "Neuroplasticity is also the bedrock". To hear more of this podcast, which was hosted by two-time stroke survivor Angie Cauthorn and Dr. Seles Gadson, click <a href="https://brainfriends.buzzsprout.com/1959705/episodes/13953043-neuroplasticity-part-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">here</a>.</p>
<p>Another neuropsychologist, Donald Hebbs, said that "neurons that fire together, wire together."</p>
<p>If one tool doesn't work in a conversation, I pull out another approach from my communication toolbox and strategies. If it still isn't working, change your communication toolbox or strategies.</p>
<p>Many years ago, I realized that the existing aphasia cards weren't helpful for me.  So, I created my own Aphasia card. I used it and tweaked it.  And now it's good for me.</p>
<p>Win Win. It's a win for strangers = Win for you</p>
<p>Use the aphasia card with other tools in your toolbox.
If one doesn't work, try something else.
Keep trying! And tweak your toolbox.</p>
<p>aphasia card and whiteboard = Win</p>
<p>aphasia card, pictures, and talking = Win</p>
<p>aphasia card and talking = Win</p>
<p>aphasia card and having your buddy = Win</p>
<p>Rock on!  Thanks.</p>
