Shannon M.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
By: Shannon M.

Caregiver & Family

In November, my 53 year old mother had a terrible stroke on the right side of her brain. The whole left side of her body has been affected. She also has aphasia. The only words she can say are, "yes," "no," and "oh God." She is mentally there and working hard. She was in the hospital for over a week, then a sub-acute facility for five weeks, and now a rehabilitation center. She has slowly started walking again. Her speech has yet to show impressive improvements. She is a mother of four and has so many people fighting for her.

I have never expected to feel pain like this in my entire life. To see something so terrible happen to someone you love so much is something no one should ever have to go through. Doctors have said to me many times, "Take it day by day," and I try my best. I am only 23 and my parents are divorced. Two of my siblings live in Arizona, so a lot is up to my older brother and me. You hear about strokes, but you never understand how horrific they are until it happens to you. I was with my mother the day before, and to me she seemed happy and healthy. I saw her the next day and she couldn't walk, couldn't talk and had so many things taken away from her. If I could help anyone by raising awareness of strokes, I would be proud.

» Learn more about aphasia.