The doctor described here is ABSOLUTELY APPALLING! Suggesting she accept her disability; that tyranny of low expectations is vastly present in the stroke medical world, and YOU need to squash that like a bug. I'd demand the hospital president fire that despicable doctor!
Piecing a life back together: Stacie’s stroke recovery and the power of writing
Stacie Broek remembers the initial shock: “I couldn't
walk, talk or feed myself,” she recalls. When asked simple questions
like what she wanted for lunch, she could only respond with a single
word: “One. One. One.”
That was the beginning of Stacie’s long
story as a stroke survivor. Her stroke was caused by a carotid artery
dissection, a dangerous condition that can occur at any age. It came out
of the blue when Stacie was 46 years old, living in Japan with her
husband, raising their 3 children, and enjoying a full and healthy life.
It was 2019, just before the COVID-19 pandemic.
“My body just betrayed me. It took away my sense of security and it threatened my life,” she recalls.
Following
the stroke and urgent, lifesaving brain surgery, Stacie and her family
returned to Switzerland, where they still reside today. There, her
passion for writing and the support and confidence of her therapists
helped her to successfully overcome her condition.
Stacie Broek remembers the initial shock: “I couldn't walk, talk or feed myself,” she recalls. When asked simple questions like what she wanted for lunch, she could only respond with a single word: “One. One. One.”
That was the beginning of Stacie’s long story as a stroke survivor. Her stroke was caused by a carotid artery dissection, a dangerous condition that can occur at any age. It came out of the blue when Stacie was 46 years old, living in Japan with her husband, raising their 3 children, and enjoying a full and healthy life. It was 2019, just before the COVID-19 pandemic.
“My body just betrayed me. It took away my sense of security and it threatened my life,” she recalls.
Following the stroke and urgent, lifesaving brain surgery, Stacie and her family returned to Switzerland, where they still reside today. There, her passion for writing and the support and confidence of her therapists helped her to successfully overcome her condition.
Learning to walk and read again
Stacie
was a writer before the stroke, which made it even more difficult to
experience agraphia (a loss of a previous ability to write) and
receptive language disorder. This was hard to overcome physically, but
also took a mental and emotional toll on her and her family.
After
some time, Stacie found a source of inspiration that gave her the
strength and motivation to move on. “I really believe that my passion
for writing saved me. After the stroke, I couldn’t speak and couldn’t
write. And through that passion for writing, I was completely focused on
my need to recover,” she explains.
Stacie's recovery was not just
about regaining physical abilities; it was also about reclaiming her
identity, her creative voice and her purpose. That meant reinventing
herself as an author exploring stroke and the techniques that can help
to improve the physical and mental health of stroke survivors. But,
before starting that journey, she had to relearn how to eat, walk and
speak.
During her first year of recovery, she spent more than
1000 hours engaging in different kinds of therapies, from physiotherapy
to mental health sessions. Even now, Stacie continues with her speech
therapy almost every day and remains a long-distance trail runner to
keep her body fit and her mind focused.
Stacie was a writer before the stroke, which made it even more difficult to experience agraphia (a loss of a previous ability to write) and receptive language disorder. This was hard to overcome physically, but also took a mental and emotional toll on her and her family.
After some time, Stacie found a source of inspiration that gave her the strength and motivation to move on. “I really believe that my passion for writing saved me. After the stroke, I couldn’t speak and couldn’t write. And through that passion for writing, I was completely focused on my need to recover,” she explains.
Stacie's recovery was not just about regaining physical abilities; it was also about reclaiming her identity, her creative voice and her purpose. That meant reinventing herself as an author exploring stroke and the techniques that can help to improve the physical and mental health of stroke survivors. But, before starting that journey, she had to relearn how to eat, walk and speak.
During her first year of recovery, she spent more than 1000 hours engaging in different kinds of therapies, from physiotherapy to mental health sessions. Even now, Stacie continues with her speech therapy almost every day and remains a long-distance trail runner to keep her body fit and her mind focused.
Road to recovery: every patient has a dream
Stacie’s
path to recovery was full of obstacles. In addition to overcoming the
physical and mental effects of her stroke, she had to navigate a
health-care system strained by the COVID-19 pandemic, which impacted her
rehabilitation process.
In one of her post-stroke appointments,
for example, a doctor told her, “You can walk, you can talk. Why don't
you just be happy with that?” It was a statement that left her stunned.
Of course, she was grateful for those abilities, but, in Stacie’s eyes,
that was just the beginning of the rehabilitation process. She had
bigger aspirations and a desire to fully regain her sense of self.
“Every
patient has their own unique journey, shaped by their personal goals,
passions and dreams,” she says. This understanding is at the heart of
her call for a more person-centred health-care system. She believes that
if doctors and health-care providers had more time to understand the
individual goals of each patient, better health outcomes could be
achieved.
It took time for Stacie to find a recovery path that
suited her. Speech therapy with a specialist who had personally gone
through a traumatic brain injury was a great help. “The trust my
therapist puts in me has been a saving grace. He knows what makes me
tick, and was able to keep me motivated all these years.”
Stacie’s path to recovery was full of obstacles. In addition to overcoming the physical and mental effects of her stroke, she had to navigate a health-care system strained by the COVID-19 pandemic, which impacted her rehabilitation process.
In one of her post-stroke appointments, for example, a doctor told her, “You can walk, you can talk. Why don't you just be happy with that?” It was a statement that left her stunned. Of course, she was grateful for those abilities, but, in Stacie’s eyes, that was just the beginning of the rehabilitation process. She had bigger aspirations and a desire to fully regain her sense of self.
“Every patient has their own unique journey, shaped by their personal goals, passions and dreams,” she says. This understanding is at the heart of her call for a more person-centred health-care system. She believes that if doctors and health-care providers had more time to understand the individual goals of each patient, better health outcomes could be achieved.
It took time for Stacie to find a recovery path that suited her. Speech therapy with a specialist who had personally gone through a traumatic brain injury was a great help. “The trust my therapist puts in me has been a saving grace. He knows what makes me tick, and was able to keep me motivated all these years.”
Reducing the risk of stroke
Stacie’s
story serves as a powerful reminder that effective recovery is possible
with the right support, and it’s not a one-size-fits-all process.
Today,
Stacie has dedicated her writing career to advocating for better stroke
prevention and emphasizing the need for a more holistic approach to
rehabilitation, focusing on emotional and personal fulfilment. Her true
recovery began when she was able to write again, to reclaim her voice
and identity. For her, that was the key.
“We all have the
potential to take the broken bits and piece them back together again,”
writes Stacie in her book about facing a stroke and regaining a full
life. For her, those scattered pieces have come together to form a new
picture, offering her readers hope and strength even when it seems too
difficult to go on.
Stacie’s story serves as a powerful reminder that effective recovery is possible with the right support, and it’s not a one-size-fits-all process.
Today, Stacie has dedicated her writing career to advocating for better stroke prevention and emphasizing the need for a more holistic approach to rehabilitation, focusing on emotional and personal fulfilment. Her true recovery began when she was able to write again, to reclaim her voice and identity. For her, that was the key.
“We all have the potential to take the broken bits and piece them back together again,” writes Stacie in her book about facing a stroke and regaining a full life. For her, those scattered pieces have come together to form a new picture, offering her readers hope and strength even when it seems too difficult to go on.
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