Category filter: Recognizing & Dealing with Health Issues > Stroke

Your Life Can Change In An Instant

Bill McCracken went to bed one night feeling like a 40 year old and woke up the next day feeling like a 90 year old. A stroke will do that to you. But that doesn’t mean life is over. For the past few years, it’s been such an honour to work as a Community Navigator with people Read more…

Communicating post-stroke: Tools for coping with aphasia

I recently returned from the Canadian Stroke Congress in Vancouver. The congress was a four-day event all on stroke; from prevention to treating stroke in hospital to long-term recovery in the community. There were representatives from all over the country sharing research, programs and ideas. One of the workshops I attended was on aphasia. Are Read more…

Role reversal a common feeling in caregivers

“I feel like I’m the parent now and my mother is the child.” It’s a statement I hear by many a worried and stressed out caregiver caring for an ailing parent. When my father had his first of three strokes, a defining moment in how he was cared for is forever etched in memory. We Read more…

Life is never the same after a stroke

Stroke is the leading cause of long-term disability in Canada, with 6,500 strokes occurring in B.C. every year. Whether you’ve had a stroke or know someone recovering from stroke, it becomes quickly apparent that life will never be the same. After my dad had his stroke, he couldn’t practise law again. He wasn’t able to Read more…

7 Steps to Stroke Recovery

7 Steps to Stroke Recovery The Stroke Recovery Association of BC is a provincial nonprofit organization, whose mission is to help stroke survivors and family caregivers post-stroke. The NEW “7 Steps to Stroke Recovery” video provides 7 ways for long term recovery. To ensure you don’t miss a segment, subscribe to their newsletter at strokerecoverybc.ca. Read more…

Recognize the signs of stroke – and know what to do!

When working with stroke survivors, it’s not uncommon for me to hear, “I didn’t even know I was having a stroke” until it was too late. I don’t know about you, but given the physical, emotional and cognitive impact of stroke, prevention is pretty high up on my list. Although I’m not a medical expert Read more…

A personal story – and some facts – about strokes to kick off Stroke Month

My Dad and I always got a kick out of seeing if people could figure out which of the following statements about us were fictitious: 1. We both celebrated the same birthday. 2. We both had brain surgery. 3. We both had webbed feet, making us exceptional swimmers. We got even more of a kick Read more…

Living proof that stroke recovery is possible

  I was going to write about stroke prevention for today’s column. Then I met Ben. Ben is a 44-year-old father, self-made cook and a community support worker. Ben had a stroke in 2008 at age 37; his kids were 12, 9, 6 at the time of his stroke. I met Ben through my work Read more…

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“You are amazing! What I tried to do in 2 months, you did in 1 week. You’ve helped us navigate the system, made sense of Mom’s disease, and gave back her independence and control. Thank you for making such a difference in Mom’s life and giving us, her family, complete peace of mind.”

– Mike G., Nanaimo, BC

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