Once a survivor.   Now a warrior.

AlonAcorn comes across as a flint stone which our hands had been carrying 600,000 years ago. The AlonAcorn is a hand sized piece of foam with deep finger indentations. To use, simply secure it with velcro straps, and then crawl on the floor or use it during various yoga postures, such as downward facing dog.…

Nearly 6 1/2 years ago, I was in a catastrophic massive stroke. Stuck in a medical coma, I didn’t know where I existed. Now, look: I am a Stroke Hero. I even know where my flight tickets, my core is handing my backpack & I’m fluent in non-verbal communications (traveling through Thailand you have to…

Six years ago, I had a car accident. My seat belt ruptured my artery. And a blood clot went up the artery into my brain. A couple of months after that, I had a stroke. The doctors put me in a medical coma. When I came out of the coma I couldn’t remember my name.…

It’s not uncommon for “normal” people without a damaged brain to have difficulty with word retrieval.  There are several phrases for this such as Deja-vu, tip-of-the-tongue, and stuttering.   Dr. Karin Humphreys, of Canada’s McMaster University, states “the more we think about the missing word, as we are inclined to do, the more it eludes…

Montage “is a technique in film editing in which a series of short shots are edited into a sequence to condense space, time, and information” in a movie. It infects us because the hero is triumphant since s/he takes her or his time which is NOT showed by the use of the montage (except from…

After a stroke, damage to the brain can block messages between muscles and the brain. This causes arm and leg muscles to cramp or spasm (spasticity), kind of like a bad charley horse. This will limit your coordination and muscle movement, however spasticity treatment is effective. This post-stroke condition makes daily activities such as bathing,…

I knew about aphasia after reading Oliver Sacks’ book, The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat. But, seriously, having aphasia is like playing a 1980 arcade game. Things became much more fun when I found a website that suggests video games for people with aphasia. Paste the link in your browser and enjoy!…

Now, after my touring twenties, I’ve finally come to a place in my career that I feel happy. My job is flexible, technical, creative and fun. I love what I do. I make patterns and prototypes and I manage the sewing production for AlonTree- a company based out of Asheville NC. While Asheville is not…

I feel like a 14 year old sashaying over grass in her high heels. I’m trying something different today; wearing sandals without my ankle brace. I’m walking around my home as I do the dishes, climb the stairs, stand up from my office chair, and hop up on my bed. While walking outside, my foot collapsed…