Free First Person on the Last Page | August 01, 2010Stroke Memories Donna (Beaubien) Budzenski, MA, CCC-SLP Author Notes Donna (Beaubien) Budzenski, MA, CCC-SLP, is a speech-language pathologist working with pre-schoolers in the Muskegon public schools in west Michigan. She also has worked with adults in hospital and rehabilitation settings. Contact her at debudzen@gmail.com.Donna (Beaubien) Budzenski, MA, CCC-SLP, is a speech-language pathologist working with pre-schoolers in the Muskegon public schools in west Michigan. She also has worked with adults in hospital and rehabilitation settings. Contact her at debudzen@gmail.com.× © 2010 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Article Information Special Populations / Attention, Memory & Executive Functions / First Person on the Last Page First Person on the Last Page | August 01, 2010 Stroke Memories The ASHA Leader, August 2010, Vol. 15, 55. doi:10.1044/leader.FPLP.15092010.55 The ASHA Leader, August 2010, Vol. 15, 55. doi:10.1044/leader.FPLP.15092010.55 View Article Figures Tables Supplemental Data Supplements Multimedia Share Email Twitter Facebook Pinterest Tools Get Citation Citation (Beaubien) Budzenski, D. (2010). Stroke Memories. The ASHA Leader, 15(9), 55. doi: 10.1044/leader.FPLP.15092010.55. Download citation file: RIS (Zotero) EndNote BibTex Medlars ProCite RefWorks Reference Manager © 2018 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association × Alerts User Alerts You are adding an alert for: Stroke Memories You will receive an email whenever this article is corrected, updated, or cited in the literature. You can manage this and all other alerts in My Account The alert will be sent to: Confirm × Sign In or Create a free account to receive alerts. × Graphic Jump LocationThe back of my head was excruciatingly painful. Someone’s arm and hand moved in front of me when my husband was on the other side trying to help me sit up. I gasped. Who was sitting next to me? It was my own arm and hand that had moved. It also appeared to be strangely moving out of sync with what I had expected to see. Fear gripped my heart as I considered that I might be having a stroke. I knew exactly what a stroke was because of my work as a speech-language pathologist treating adults who had experienced the trauma associated with a stroke or head injury. During the winter of 2007, I sustained a large intracerebral hemorrhage, followed by a week in the intensive care unit (ICU), five weeks of physical, occupational, and speech-language rehabilitation, and then home-based and outpatient therapy. Prior to the stroke I was a happy, healthy, active, woman with a full-time job as an SLP. I was married and had one child in college and two in high school. What caused the stroke? Some believed it was due to high blood pressure, and others thought it was due to a congenital blood vessel malformation that started leaking. Fortunately, I didn’t die; but while in the hospital I found myself diagnosing deficit areas, one at a time. I tried to read, but couldn’t. I stared at the clock in my room, but couldn’t figure out the time. I couldn’t eat, walk, or use the bathroom independently. I was unable to grasp a pencil. My right side was paralyzed. I had word-finding difficulties and although I could recognize faces, I couldn’t remember names. I couldn’t recall the sequence of events for bathing myself. I had hemianopsia and lost half of my visual field. Rehabilitation began in ICU after I was stable. At first progress was slow, but after a short time I gained some movement in my right side. Soon I was able to grasp things in my hand. My writing began as weak wavy lines on a marker board. As I continued to recover, I discovered additional things that I couldn’t do. Initially everything was overwhelming and unbelievable, but the recovery would be nothing short of a miracle. Eventually I regained the use of my limbs, although I still have mild spasticity in my right leg. My vision returned. I learned to drive again and returned to work. I am extremely grateful to those who provided my medical care and intervention services, in addition to the encouragement, love, and prayers received from so many people in my life. Having a stroke has changed my perspective on my work as an SLP. My compassion is even greater as is my motivation to help others communicate. 0 Comments Submit a Comment Submit A Comment Name Comment Title Comment Could not validate captcha. Please try again. You have entered an invalid code Submit Cancel Thank you for submitting a comment on this article. Close This feature is available to Subscribers Only Sign In or Create an Account × FROM THIS ISSUE August 2010 Volume 15, Issue 9 ‹ Issue › ADVERTISING DISCLAIMER|ADVERTISE WITH US Related Articles More Than a Story: My Life Came Back to Life American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, March 2018, Vol. 27, 464-476. doi:10.1044/2017_AJSLP-16-0167 Intensive Treatment May Improve Verbal Communication in Patients with Post-Stroke Chronic Aphasia The ASHA Leader, November 2017, Vol. 22, 15. doi:10.1044/leader.RIB2.22112017.15 Swallowing Exercises in Patients Post-Stroke: What Is the Current Evidence? Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, March 2017, Vol. 2, 4-12. doi:10.1044/persp2.SIG13.4 Brain Imaging Could Predict Aphasia Post-Stroke The ASHA Leader, October 2016, Vol. 21, 14. doi:10.1044/leader.RIB2.21102016.14 What Factors Predict Who Will Have a Strong Social Network Following a Stroke? Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, August 2016, Vol. 59, 772-783. doi:10.1044/2016_JSLHR-L-15-0201 ADVERTISING DISCLAIMER|ADVERTISE WITH US Related Topics Special Populations Attention, Memory & Executive Functions