Hand In Hand

Bringing stroke care to those who do not have access is the mission for Stroke Association Support network- Ghana, which is a non profit, non governmental organization established by a small group of Ghanaians on 16th March, 2012. In Ghana, there are only 4 hospitals in the south of the country who provides stroke care to survivors. Stroke Association Support network- Ghana is working hard to change that. With its successful experiment, Stroke Association Supportnetwork- Ghana was nominated for the African Youth SDGs Award in the* LEAVE NO ONE BEHIND *category. Today, Dr Ben Jabuni, the president of Stroke Association Support network- Ghana will share with you their exciting progress and big dreams they work hard to turn into reality.

This is our second interview with Manny Gigante. As you recall, Manny was a hardworking young technologist whose dream was shattered by a stroke at the age of 29. He spent the next 2 years in a wheelchair. In 2005, Manny lost his son due to a tragic accident. None of this has kept Manny from reinventing himself. Now Manny enjoys his time coaching kids. He got out of his wheelchair. Manny is also working to start his new career In today's episode, listen to Manny sharing his insights on topics including the plateau and how survivors could reinventing ourselves.

Marty Zimmerman is a survivor. Five years ago at the age of 25 he suffered a hemorrhagic stroke due to a brain AVM. His left side was weakened, but much has returned since March 7, 2013. Marty wrote a book about the incident and my recovery. It is entitled "Life Interrupted - The Story of a Young Stroke Survivor." Marty lves in his hometown of Greencastle, PA. He graduated from Messiah College and earned a Master's degree in applied history from Shippensburg University in December 2017. Marty currently works as a part-time deli clerk at Kline's Grocery Store and as a part-time instructor for the Remfrew Institute. He is the oldest of three. Besides working Marty spends his time going to the gym, taking day trips, spending time with family, writing faith based poetry, sharing his story with groups throughout the area, reading, and studying history. Life is sweet again.

A brain aneurysm occurs when a weak spot in your brain’s arterial wall bulges and fills with blood. It may also be called an intracranial aneurysm or cerebral aneurysm. A brain aneurysm is a potentially life-threatening condition that can affect a person at any age. If a brain aneurysm bursts, it’s an emergency situation that can result in a stroke, brain damage, and even death if not treated immediately. Listen to Tracy Faulkner, a pharmacist and an aneurysm survivor tell you what she knows about aneurysm.

17 years ago, Marc and Harriet had a peaceful and beautiful life in Florida. Marc worked for Disney. He is also a broadcast enthusiast. He loved his studio. Harriet is a Pharm D in Pharmacy and a well-seasoned pharmacist. Their beautiful life was disrupted by Marc’s stroke, which happened totally out of blue. After that, they faced many challenges, including loss of job and lack of support. They never gave up. They tried out many things that can be helpful for other survivors and caregivers to know. Today, Marc and Harriet help out with the Young Stroke Organization to help spread what they have learned.

The Anat Baniel Method®/NeuroMovement® is an intervention that uses gentle movement to create new connections in the brain. For stroke survivors, NeuroMovment offers a way to tap into the power of neuroplasticity and re-map the neural connections lost in a stroke. This summer, Cam Compton had the opportunity to work with Tessa Thompson and Nadia Vizitei, two certified NeuroMovement practitioners working in St. Louis, MO. In this interview, Cam talks with Tessa and Nadia about what NeuroMovement is, how it was developed, and how it can help stroke survivors. Listen to Tessa and Nadia discussing this new method with our host Cam.

Ted Baxter has an extraordinary life. With his scholastic achievement, he managed to fund his own college education. He then built his new financial services consulting practice in Japan. All this changed when Ted was hit by a stroke at the age of 41. He had no warning signs, no TIA. He was healthy as a horse, an avid exerciser, and took great care of himself. But due to his job, he spent a lot of time on airplanes and including long airplane trips, and this could be a major cause of his stroke - which as he tells his story in the book, unbeknownst to him, he had a deep vein thrombosis or DVT in his right shin that broke loose. Listen to his story

Alison Shapiro was a successful business woman and a visual artist when she was hit by 2 devastating brain stem strokes in 2002 at the age of 55. This life changing event turned her into a leader, an author and educator in the stroke community. Alison not only recovered from the injury but published her inspiring book, Healing into Possibilities and her DVD, What Now?: Sharing Brain Recovery Lessons. A strong believer of neuroplasticity, Alison runs a website healingintopossibiliy.com and provides coaching information to people who are interested in leveraging mindfulness to recover from stroke. Alison is the cofounder of Strokefocus. In Sept 2012, Daniel suffered a brain stem stroke. Through the internet, Daniel found Alison who has been mentoring and coaching Daniel ever since. Daniel recovered remarkably well from the injury. In order to turn their experience into something that can help many people, Alison encouraged Daniel to start Strokefocus in 2014. Alison has been involved in a number o

Denise Bourne is a member of the Unlimited Possibilities. A local stroke and TBI support group in Atlanta which is the flagship group in Brain Injury Association of Georgia. Denise’s life took an unexpected turn 31 years ago. She was a Ph.D. student when suddenly everything was derailed by a Traumatic Brain Injury. Things were very hard. It seemed that no one could understand what Denise was going through. One day, Denise found the Unlimited Possibilities which changed her life. Today, Denise is very heavily involved in running the local group with friends who had similar experience. She is a strong advocate of local support groups to stroke and brain injury community. They are making a great difference.

Clem Sudder is a stroke survivor, a member of the Unlimited Possibilities. A local stroke and TBI support group in Georgia and a flagship group in Brain Injury Association of Georgia. Clem has played a very important role in helping Unlimited Possibilities grow. He offers some very unique perspectives on many issues around Stroke and TBI recovery. Encouraged by his fellow group members, Clem started a vlog. Currently, Clem is running an online support group. You can join Clem each Friday at 3 pm Eastern Standard Time. There is no cost. As long as you have a good internet connection, you can join via a smartphone, a tablet or a computer connected with a webcam and a microphone.

Naomi Beigel is a stroke survivor. On April 8 of 2010, she went in for a full hip replacement. This was not the first surgery she had after having aortic valve replacement done in 1989. Naomi was in critical condition for three days. Doctors were very concerned that she would not make it. Naomi realized her left side didn't work at all. But she was able to talk. During that time, a nurse who came to do her vitals asked if she was a stroke patient. Naomi said no. And the nurse told her she was now. A male nurse asked Naomi to tell her husband she had a stroke. NO doctor visited him for several hours when he arrived at the hospital. Initially, doctors told her husband she wouldn’t able to drive. They even canceled her car insurance. Naomi never gave up. She was very aggressive with therapies. She staid in the hospital for over six weeks. Since 2010 Naomi took on all kinds of occupational and physical therapies. She learned to set small and achievable goals. She worked through a lot of frustrat

Stroke does not discriminate. It does not spare the beautiful Mediterranean island nation of Cyprus, whose history dated back to 8200 BC. Stroke support in Cyprus had a lot to be desired. There was not a lot of social awareness around stroke. Government support was minimal. Marina Charalambous, a speech therapist decided to change it. She set up the Cyprus Stroke Association and started building support network ground up. It is not easy but Marina is making progress step by step. She helped a Ph.D. student who suffered a stroke to return to her study back in the UK. Listen to her interview with Cam and learn more about the stroke care in Cyprus.

Kathryn Dunning became a stroke survivor at the age of 35. She was an avid runner, participating in various races and marathons whenever she could. She was young, active and healthy – suffering from a stroke in her sleep was the last thing she was expecting. She later found out her stroke was due to a patent foramen ovale (PFO), a congenital hole in the heart. About 25% of the population has a PFO, and although most of these patients do not experience strokes, sometimes a blood clot can pass through the hole in the heart and up to the brain causing a stroke. This can happen to people of all ages and multiple times without the presence of typical risk factors. After her diagnosis, Kathryn underwent a procedure to close the hole in her heart and has now been stroke-free for 8 years. Since the procedure, Kathryn is able to run again and return to her normal lifestyle—the best gift of all. Now, she has made it her mission to raise awareness about PFO and share her experience with others so they can be their ow

Bill is a Generation X Stroke Survivor. He woke up on the morning of June 3, 2017, with a blood clot in his basal ganglia, which robbed him of the use of his left arm and leg. With a lot of work and physical therapy, Bill relearned how to walk, albeit with a nifty cane. His arm is getting better. Bill is optimistic that one day he’ll get my fingers back. Professionally, Bill is a corporate trainer and product evangelist, primarily focused on the technology industry. He has worked for some of the world’s largest corporations, including Toshiba and Microsoft. He has done media interviews at major tradeshows for broadcast around the world, and he has appeared on QVC multiple times. I’m always looking for new opportunities to speak, write, teach, and travel. Bill is a podcaster who drove the creation of podcast based training in US electronics retail. He is also a regular guest on the Caffeinated Comic podcast, a Chicago-based show covering the comic book, geek, and pop culture content and issues. Bill also ho

Rick was a successful business owner in Ontario when he was hit by a stroke in March 2015. He had no warning sign. He was very healthy except some back problems. When the stroke happened, he did not have bad headaches but a very severe back pain. Rick was rushed to the hospital and no one could recognize he had a stroke, although he could not balance himself and had to sit in a wheelchair. The doctors told him to see a heart specialist when another attacked made him unable to handle things with his right hand. At that time, a doctor identified that Rick was having a stroke. He was sent to hospital again. Rick spent 7 months in rehab. His wife has been very supportive since his stroke. But today’s medical care leaves a lot to be desired. Listen to Rick telling Cam how Rick has been handling his challenges and recovery.

Stroke Association Support Network- Ghana is a Non Profit, Non-Governmental Organization Established by a small group of Ghanaians. Established in 16th March 2012 by Rev Dr. Immanuel Alpha-Christ, Ad Adams Ebenezer, and Dr. Ben S. Jabuni, its primary purpose is to advocate, inform and educate the public to prevent stroke, support caregivers and help stroke survivors. Its board of Management and a President who are all volunteers. Since its conception 5 years ago, the organization focus on nurturing grass root community support across Ghana. Its campaigns focus on raising awareness of Stroke, a growing public health issue with devastating consequences in Ghana. Listen to Dr Jabuni tell us more about his organization.

Duncan Salloway suffered a TBI just from slipping while cleaning his driveway of snow. The driveway very slick from an earlier freezing rain then snow on top. It had a slope to it so standing was almost impossible. So Duncan was shoveling away and his feet all of a sudden were not where they were supposed to be and he landed on his head. He shook it off and finished his job and went for dinner. 5 years later it was noticed he could not walk in a straight line and he was shuffling my feet a lot. Duncan was also experiencing all kinds of pains . Then he took an MRI and found that he had Hydrocephalus or water on the brain. Duncan initially thought after the surgery, he would be ok. All that happened in 2008 when he was 48, rasing a family in a nice small town. It was told to him that it would be best if Ihe retired and his symptoms were getting worse. Duncan had plans to fly to a wedding in Vegas. He was then told that he needed to retire and NOT FLY. Should he take that flight, he might risk his life due t

Stroke changed Amy Edmunds' life. Amy changed how stroke is viewed around the world. As a cryptogenic stroke survivor since 2002, Amy Edmunds established YoungStroke, Inc. as an outcome of her graduate studies in 2005 to benefit other survivors and their caregivers. As an NIH-funded researcher, Amy evangelizes the unmet needs of young adult stroke survivors on such global platforms as the World Stroke Congress and the International Stroke Conference. She serves as the first American stroke survivor elected by international peers to the Board of Directors of the World Stroke Organization. Last year, she launched Young Stroke Editorials as a quarterly publication to ignite discourse about stroke support organizations helping young adults who experience a stroke.

The 9th Annual Stroke Awareness Picnic sponsored by Orange County Stroke Rehab Network is coming on May 5th at UC Irvine Medical School Campus. We had the unique opportunity to interview Dr Steven Cramer, co-founder of the Orange County Stroke Rehab Network. This year the theme is Living Well After Stroke. Listen to Dr Cramer and the progress his network is achieving.

A father of five, and a former basketball player, on December 23, 2014, Lee suffered from his first stroke. He woke up incoherent and unable to speak. Lee had no idea what was happening. He willed himself to his feet and called out to his wife to no avail. It was only until Lee was halfway down the stairs that his wife saw him. He will never forget the fear and horror that he saw in her eyes. His wife quickly called 911 and he was transported to the hospital. Lee experienced two more strokes by Christmas morning and by the New Years my journey began. The progress for the former college basketball player has been slow, painful, confusing, filled with self-doubt and denial at times. These obstacles have placed Lee in a position to help other "stroke warriors" who are trying to cope with life after a stroke(s). Today, he counter stroke with LIFE, LOVE and HOPE! Lee discovered the key to rehabilitation is to live life pass its limitations, love people pass their limitations, and have faith pass your limitations