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Dionna Zupparo | The Christian Reeve Podcast #221 · The Christian Reeve Podcast

• 0:00
  Well, hello and welcome to another episode of the Christian
• 0:03
  Reef podcast. Today's guest is a podcaster
• 0:06
  content creator, a stroke survivor and disability Advocate
• 0:10
  Diana's will Paro, welcome to the show.
• 0:12
  How you doing Good. How are you?
• 0:16
  I'm very good. Although, I always look forward
• 0:18
  to doing podcasts and my show like the the mo of the show
• 0:22
  pretty much is sharing like life stories going into depth on that
• 0:26
  and just kind of, I don't know I mean I suppose in many ways it's
• 0:30
  kind of like a show that when you listen to it, maybe you walk
• 0:35
  away, feeling inspired or you look at life a little bit
• 0:38
  differently, you know? And I personally always get
• 0:43
  something from it so that's why I Look forward to doing it.
• 0:45
  And as I mentioned of camera, obviously we plan to do this
• 0:48
  show some time ago. I have questions here from one
• 0:52
  of my followers who sent them in.
• 0:54
  He was eager to get some questions in as well.
• 0:59
  I'm happy to just jump into this really if you yeah, yeah, cool.
• 1:03
  Let's do it. So Let's start heavy.
• 1:09
  Okay? Right?
• 1:10
  Yeah. So you suffered a stroke at age
• 1:15
  14? Yeah.
• 1:16
  Before we get to that I just want to kind of just like
• 1:20
  reflect on that for a second because I think generally
• 1:22
  speaking when most people think of a stroke and young people
• 1:26
  like all that people generally. Yeah I mean there's some sure
• 1:33
  again I'm not an expert on these things but generally it can be
• 1:35
  Be from pre-existing heart conditions, it can be a genetic
• 1:39
  thing or whatever. It could also be as a product of
• 1:42
  Lifestyle. But generally, that's something
• 1:44
  we attribute to, to older people.
• 1:48
  I wondered. Do you have, you found out like,
• 1:51
  why you experience this stroke at such a young age that what
• 1:55
  now it was unknown and it was unknown and yeah.
• 2:05
  I wanted to like if they've would have may be considered
• 2:08
  like if they haven't already like conducting research on that
• 2:12
  like, you know, one forward we already dead but you did for my
• 2:17
  stroke and it was unknown like I tested it and tested it again.
• 2:24
  And - what kind of tests did you do to a blood test and genetic
• 2:32
  testing and stuff like that and - - you know, In your bio that
• 2:44
  you sent over to Muir said that you actually died three times in
• 2:50
  the operating room. Yeah.
• 2:52
  Because it like my Brain swelled so much.
• 2:59
  And I had a craniotomy Could you just explain that a little bit
• 3:05
  for our viewers that might not be familiar with what?
• 3:07
  That is. A craniotomy is a piece of bone
• 3:14
  removed. Oh, wow.
• 3:16
  Okay, that's actually saved your life then.
• 3:19
  Yeah. I think if I remember correctly,
• 3:25
  when I originally put out the message regarding like because I
• 3:28
  was looking for guests. Some time ago, I was I was
• 3:30
  discussing how quite a few people on the show discussing
• 3:34
  near-death experiences and I'm curious because obviously, I
• 3:37
  want to kind of cover your experiences and what this has
• 3:40
  led to and everything in a bit more detail.
• 3:43
  But before we get there, I just want to kind of explore when
• 3:47
  you're out. you know, when your declared dead temporarily Did
• 3:56
  you see anything? Was there anything that you
• 3:58
  recall maybe that you saw while you were out?
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  A lot of people and stories online, sort of indicate that
• 4:09
  it's quite common to experience, for example, like a white light
• 4:13
  at the end of a tunnel or, you know, something like that.
• 4:16
  Yeah, it was a tunnel. Yeah.
• 4:22
  Yeah. Wait tunnel.
• 4:25
  How did it feel? I honestly it was I was passed
• 4:33
  out and with medicine and on the table dying, right?
• 4:41
  Yeah. And I not remember it at all.
• 4:49
  Oh I see as in so it's kind of one of those things that when
• 4:52
  you look back now it's like this was it was like hazy memories or
• 4:56
  if you had to get it back, okay. Okay.
• 4:58
  Yeah, she said that might be From a control my perspective or
• 5:03
  is that more just as you say like the drugs just knocked you
• 5:06
  out kind of thing both. Because trauma, like, I have
• 5:13
  post-traumatic stress disorder now.
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  Because, okay. I was in the ambulance four
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  times and just seeing ambulance like rides.
• 5:28
  Well, animal Animal. No sorry, I have Aphasia as
• 5:36
  well. Aphasia is a loss of speech
• 5:40
  after a TBI or stroke. Wow, okay.
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  I didn't read write or speak after just putting it out there.
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  What was the question TBI ambulance?
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  Rides. Yes. just I have e modified car
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  and driving like on the road and seeing sirens and stuff going by
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  and triggered me and cry a lot on the road and I had therapy
• 6:24
  for it and now I'm fine now but it was really Frustrating.
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  It's amazing how the human brain works with regards to these
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  things because it's like you know many years ago I think I
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  think now we're kind of getting to the point where it's truly
• 6:45
  understood just just the impact of things like PTSD and what
• 6:48
  that means as you just labeled are, you know, it's something
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  that can contribute something else and then it puts you back
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  in that state. And of course, when you're
• 6:57
  experiencing trauma, head on your body and your mind except
• 7:01
  your do things to protect. You and then of course when you
• 7:04
  find the scenario that feels even remotely similar to that,
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  it's obviously triggers that those responses and again, your
• 7:12
  body trying to protect you but from a conscious level it's like
• 7:15
  how do you even begin to like manage that?
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  I mean it's very difficult and I will say just on a side note as
• 7:22
  well. Ambulances and just please cars
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  Etc but really really loud like piercing like I'd real my God
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  like I understand that. Got to let people know like out
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  the way it is an emergency but like does it have to be quite so
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  painful? I mean sometimes I would down
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  the street and I'll hear it. And I have to just stop for like
• 7:43
  a couple of seconds and just winced with pain because it's
• 7:47
  just a German that if your desired impact is for people to
• 7:51
  get out the way. I mean it like I don't know.
• 7:54
  It's that way. Yeah.
• 7:55
  Because everyone's just gonna be paralyzed like, yeah, it is.
• 8:00
  Yeah. Anyway.
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  Let's, um, let's walk a little bit through the rehabilitation
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  process, so this happens and presumably, your enhanced
• 8:12
  hospital for quite some time. I would imagine after
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  afterwards. How long, how long were you in
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  hospital for? It was two weeks like at the
• 8:22
  hospital and I transferred to the rehab for six weeks.
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  And then I was home after so, walk us through, like, what the,
• 8:34
  what the rehab look like, how did they help to kind of build
• 8:39
  you back to a place where you could kind of Feel more like
• 8:44
  yourself again. Well, first day of like rehab.
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  I was stuck in bed and I was paralyzed on my right?
• 8:56
  Yeah. And they The second third,
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  fourth, I was up and in a wheelchair and then I was going
• 9:18
  to therapy and stuff for my hand and my leg.
• 9:26
  And then I Yeah. And then yeah, I had a afo brace
• 9:37
  on my leg. A fo Grace is a Well, can I show
• 9:48
  you bushka? Op explain it for the listeners.
• 9:57
  That's just, okay. That's the quite make it out, I
• 10:05
  see. Okay oh it looks kind of What I
• 10:10
  see is a bright white screen right now.
• 10:13
  Kind of a metal brace. It's very blurry.
• 10:21
  We might have to just include that afterwards maybe include
• 10:24
  movie a link to the image afterwards but from what I could
• 10:27
  make out was kind of like a metal.
• 10:29
  A metal brace at the bottom. Exactly yes just a breeze
• 10:35
  because I have but drop foot. Drop is a Nero like thing.
• 10:46
  Not regular walking on my right. Just legs.
• 10:54
  This, there's so much to unpack here.
• 10:56
  I mean, okay, I know. No, I mean, I think, I think
• 11:00
  that then there's a couple of things because, okay, your age
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  14, Hmm? This is like, a really heavy
• 11:07
  experience for anyone at any age to deal with, but being a
• 11:11
  teenager, you've got all these different things.
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  You've got school. You've got, well, I usually a
• 11:17
  while I was in like the higher classes as well, okay?
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  Like, I was kind of smart as well and I was involved with
• 11:32
  cello playing in the swimming team, as well, from what I read.
• 11:36
  Yeah. And I was in soccer, dance
• 11:44
  basketball track and field and swimming.
• 11:50
  But we kind of a dress that I want to kind of understand where
• 11:53
  your head and immediately after this has happened.
• 11:57
  So kind of you know because I say that just on a side note not
• 12:01
  yeah. Anyway by comparison but I
• 12:03
  suffer from a disorder called sleep paralysis and it really
• 12:08
  like it's I'm terrified of that. I'll be honest.
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  So I can only imagine what it was like kind of being in a bed
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  and you're paralyzed right but like it because with sleep
• 12:19
  paralysis it lasts temporarily. You wake up and then it goes
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  away but this is like All the time, right?
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  So, it's what's going through your head at this point?
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  Well, are you saying like immediately after my stroke or
• 12:35
  in the rehab? Yeah, let's do like a timeline.
• 12:39
  So, immediately after it happens.
• 12:43
  That's well, that's what for you that I was paralyzed on my left
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  and my right side. Okay, actually Because I don't
• 12:56
  know why but it was totally paralyzed and I had no speech.
• 13:08
  gone and the EMTs rushed me to the hospital and I was wheeled
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  down to go to the MRI machine and I passed out in the elevator
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  to go to the MRI machine given that you couldn't obviously tell
• 13:36
  the doctors. What was wrong?
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  Do you know how? You know how they figured it
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  out? Like my scans.
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  Okay. Yeah, so there, when they were
• 13:46
  bringing you in, I guess they were kind of blind in a sense
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  because until they got those scans exactly.
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  Yeah. Like immediately it, like, Rush
• 13:59
  into the hospital and I had no voice no voice and I was in my
• 14:08
  bathing suit at the time and the nurse cut might be things to off
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  and that was so pretty. Like the bathing?
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  Wow. But hey now listen like that's
• 14:28
  painful to but you lose something you love like it goes
• 14:31
  right? Just naked and and braid.
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  I mean, okay, so how long is it till your family?
• 14:38
  Reached our sport? I mean that I mean that's kind
• 14:40
  of a good point to touch on as well.
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  Like you, yeah, it's a bunch of strangers there.
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  Did it? Did anyone who came with you in
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  the ambulance? And its really like my GP.
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  It coach. Okay, so you got someone there,
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  you know, at least, Yeah, and then my family was running late
• 15:00
  actually to the swim. Well, swimming sectionals, and
• 15:10
  my my coach, but varsity coach called my brother.
• 15:21
  Also, on the swim seem like different time and said, hey,
• 15:29
  Dianna is going to the hospital as strong and Mom said, oh,
• 15:36
  probably not eat or something. Just Hydrated and stuff.
• 15:45
  Oh, that's fine. And she doesn't, she doesn't get
• 15:49
  like the seriousness of the situation, just?
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  Yeah. Yeah.
• 15:53
  Just yeah. Yeah.
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  And it was. yeah, and then Like a half hour later.
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  I say, my family was in my room in the Ed and it was serious and
• 16:23
  then My dad was in the room and I stared at him blankly.
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  Not like man. Anyway, was it just kind of like
• 16:42
  a You just not like did you have a sense of what was going on?
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  Like, oh yeah, yes, you're fully aware.
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  Yeah, like cognitively was like with it but you panicking in
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  this moment or you calm, or I was calm and collected actually
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  but I didn't speak and my left and my right side was like numb
• 17:19
  as well. I mean, it was totally paralyzed
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  and Man, I know it's a lot to take your time though.
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  We don't have to push with this. I understand.
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  And yeah, just passed out in the elevators to go to the memory
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  machine and later the doctor told my family, she well, Dianna
• 17:55
  had suffered a major stroke. Yeah.
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  How did your parents take that news?
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  Did they my mom you know. Like it was She was on the
• 18:15
  ground like crying and it was like scary.
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  Anyway, yeah yeah, let's move it before.
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  It's so yeah. How how soon was it before you
• 18:37
  started to kind of receive or going to put this Frame?
• 18:41
  This better before you your body stopped?
• 18:45
  Kind of being paralyzed. Because obviously you mentioned
• 18:47
  there that both sides of your body will paralyze, you couldn't
• 18:49
  speak, can all do these things. I would imagine that these
• 18:53
  things slowly but surely over the coming weeks, came back and
• 18:57
  And such. But how long is that before you
• 19:00
  start kind of? Feel Again, couple of days later
• 19:07
  I had my left side not paralyzed.
• 19:14
  But yeah, and totally paralyzed on my right side.
• 19:25
  But I remember, I love Vanilla milkshakes and beaten.
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  And I do not like chocolate milkshakes and the speech
• 19:43
  therapist was in my room with a chocolate milkshake and I can't
• 19:55
  express it like I want vanilla. Yeah.
• 20:01
  Nah. Not talk and I drank it anyway.
• 20:06
  Oh man that was not good. Let's guess I'm guessing you're
• 20:12
  right-handed as well as you can like write it down or something.
• 20:15
  Exactly. Yes.
• 20:17
  I and I totally lost my reading as well and writing, I was
• 20:26
  totally mute. Eccentric, that's interesting.
• 20:30
  That you'd lose your ability to read in that scenario.
• 20:34
  Do you think it's just because you're mine was just at that
• 20:36
  point work in a bit slower or oil for know like it was totally
• 20:42
  gone, zero reading, not writing do anything.
• 20:51
  Now I am not 100% college-level reading yet as well.
• 21:03
  I'm getting there, but not yet. How many years has it been since
• 21:08
  11 and a half years ago, right? Yeah, I know.
• 21:16
  It's a nice. It's a journey, isn't it?
• 21:18
  So it goes in stages. Let's run it back to obviously
• 21:23
  when you're beginning your Rehabilitation, so run us
• 21:27
  through how you're feeling when you reach there because
• 21:29
  obviously you've got an out-of-hospital that's good.
• 21:32
  Now Begins the recovery process, where's your head up?
• 21:38
  I was pretty not with it because he having the trauma and stuff
• 21:47
  and It was. Well and I had surgery on my
• 22:01
  head as well. And the doctor took out the
• 22:10
  stables and stuff and I was in a helmet as well.
• 22:16
  Oh my God. Where were months months?
• 22:20
  Yeah. Were you ever able to tend to
• 22:22
  have to sleep like that? Yeah.
• 22:24
  Oh, well, no they haven't. The helmet removed for bed but
• 22:30
  yeah. But I Sammy's uncomfortable
• 22:31
  isn't it? Like you can exactly but a
• 22:35
  feeling I was like I was totally with it in my head like a full
• 22:44
  speech not like totally with it but can't speak.
• 22:51
  So what are you thinking in this time?
• 22:53
  What was going through your head?
• 22:53
  Like you thinking about This swimming and stuff and like how
• 22:58
  you going to get back to that? Or are you just happy to be
• 23:01
  alive? Alaska, what's going through
• 23:02
  your head at this point? Well, I It was so long ago,
• 23:16
  feeling. I was pretty depressed. at the
• 23:24
  time, because Going into the rehab and Seth like, why me why
• 23:34
  having so many good things in my life?
• 23:40
  Why me, and I was warming up to swim sectionals and I got out of
• 23:47
  the pool and I told my friends, like I am not feeling good, and
• 23:53
  I sat in a chair tenant seconds later.
• 23:56
  I Was on the ground and my speech was gone and paralyzed on
• 24:03
  my left. And my right, I didn't go into
• 24:08
  like the race. Like in a couple of minutes and
• 24:14
  I'm like why having the race and then having a stroke?
• 24:22
  What the hack? Yeah, but no God said now.
• 24:33
  That's a good point. Actually, like all these years
• 24:36
  later they're like, What do you make of that situation now?
• 24:41
  Like how you've sort of moved from it and, you know, like
• 24:45
  obviously, we'll get into that. What you've done?
• 24:47
  Is it as a result of this. But like, as far as like, how
• 24:50
  you feel about the whole thing, do you feel sense of anger or
• 24:55
  resentment? Or is it more a sense of Triumph
• 24:57
  because of what you've ever calm?
• 24:58
  Like how do you feel about it? I feel like in the beginning
• 25:07
  time I was really Really depressed.
• 25:12
  And then over time, I was kind of happy because I am talking to
• 25:19
  you fine and seeing the progress.
• 25:27
  And stuff over 11 years and total emu versus.
• 25:34
  Now I'm talking to you I mean I am kind of okay with it now if
• 25:44
  it and move on with it and stuff and oh man I yeah.
• 25:53
  I got it, man. And after off the cuff of this
• 25:56
  yesterday, actually I believe was the debut of the documentary
• 26:01
  that you've been working on which covers this experience.
• 26:04
  So talk me through what actually told me through how it felt,
• 26:08
  just kind of going to the premiere and seeing this unfold
• 26:11
  and what was that like for you. I am, it was I think of all
• 26:21
  because having my family and friends coming to the premiere
• 26:29
  was like really happy time and it was 85 people coming but it's
• 26:39
  on. Oh yeah.
• 26:42
  And I'm super thankful from yesterday so awesome.
• 26:53
  That's this book for a little bit like how this documentary
• 26:57
  came to be. So it covers obviously like like
• 27:00
  how is it constructed? How did they put this
• 27:02
  documentary together? At first they well what do you
• 27:11
  mean? So was it typically
• 27:14
  documentaries will even follow someone for a certain amount of
• 27:18
  time or? Yeah, you know I imagine with
• 27:21
  this it's probably a case of A lot of interviews about when it
• 27:27
  took place in your recovery process.
• 27:29
  Yeah, and then obviously years later how you're doing where
• 27:33
  you're at. So yeah, what can people expect
• 27:35
  when they when they hear it? Well, before during and after?
• 27:41
  Hmm, like its time before talking about, well, my mom and
• 27:50
  dad talked about like me in so much Sports and shallow playing
• 27:59
  and in the play and stuff like that and going to sectionals and
• 28:09
  having my stroke and stuff, and it was Everybody cried in one
• 28:19
  scene because my Dad cried in the talking about my experience.
• 28:31
  Everybody cried. The stand of lessor.
• 28:36
  And then after that, it was to me and I said, like, I am Diana
• 28:49
  and I am a stroke survivor but it was two years in the making
• 28:56
  actually because it was like, I think my mom and my dad's
• 29:06
  interviews first like 2 years ago and then and then, I think,
• 29:21
  My mine too. And then actually, I went to
• 29:34
  intense therapy out of state as well, and my Well, doctor talk
• 29:46
  about word table was on Zoom with me and Tyler a year and a
• 29:56
  half ago and really good Insight with that.
• 30:04
  So we'll see, ya won't you. Say has been the biggest lesson
• 30:11
  or take away from this experience for you with the
• 30:17
  documentary or in general in general you need to Fight for
• 30:23
  Your Life. Because I've been there, I've
• 30:28
  been through it and people like just keep going.
• 30:35
  Keep going, keep going. That is this?
• 30:39
  Yes, pretty beautiful perfect. Yeah, thank you Sharon.
• 30:44
  And yeah, biggest lesson from from the documentary as well.
• 30:47
  So it's a big undertaking. Mmm.
• 30:50
  Yeah. What was was the biggest lesson
• 30:52
  from that? That you got adjust?
• 30:58
  I say pretty well done with our part.
• 31:09
  Excellent, take away. I don't know.
• 31:15
  I don't know. It was like, like, after we
• 31:24
  haven't put it done and over with, I was in the car and I'm
• 31:29
  like, Did we really do that Breathe Again, stuff?
• 31:41
  I've always been a big fan of documentaries, just because it
• 31:44
  covers this, obviously, a certain portion of your life and
• 31:49
  it's reality, isn't it? You know, I mean, obviously I
• 31:52
  know that sometimes, you can skew reality and stuff.
• 31:55
  But for the most part typically documentaries are I really
• 31:58
  accurate interesting reflection of And a snippet into someone's
• 32:02
  life and you gain so much from it, you know, like I'm sure we
• 32:08
  people hearing your story. It's going to be very inspiring
• 32:11
  for them. Particularly if they're going
• 32:12
  through. Something similar to know that,
• 32:16
  you know, you can get four and you can be the other side, you
• 32:19
  could be talking about it and then like, Hey listen, it's
• 32:22
  okay. I got for it.
• 32:23
  So can you you know, exactly. And I am volunteering at the
• 32:28
  local brain. Injury unit, right?
• 32:33
  Yeah. See.
• 32:35
  So say you have a dream to set up like an intensive care clinic
• 32:38
  to help. Brain injury survivors.
• 32:41
  Yes they have no intense clinic in New York state well in us.
• 32:51
  And I went out of state for intense therapy and I feel like
• 32:59
  it was helpful. All so helpful because I had
• 33:06
  intense speech and language therapy over.
• 33:11
  Well Seven times. And it was super helpful and my
• 33:22
  reading not 100% College wall level, but like, I was like
• 33:30
  simple words. I got it.
• 33:34
  But with my clinic, I want to open up the intense Clinic here
• 33:40
  in Rochester, New York best of luck with that.
• 33:47
  Yeah. It's wanted to reflect a little
• 33:50
  bit on your recovery process from as far as, you know, your
• 33:54
  speech therapy and stuff like that.
• 33:56
  Like, it's one thing to obviously, to learn say
• 33:59
  language, for, to relearn something that you've lost all
• 34:03
  over again, right? Like Focus walk us through like,
• 34:06
  what that was like for you. And and also how what kind of
• 34:11
  things they got you to do to help.
• 34:12
  Get you back to where you need to be.
• 34:14
  Yeah, at first, I was totally milk. and I learned two words in
• 34:21
  the In the rehab first word was no first word useful.
• 34:30
  Yeah, not yes, but no. Yeah, and Mom the second word
• 34:38
  you get it. No Mom.
• 34:44
  Oh man, but just two words and then I was going home and stuff
• 34:53
  and I really learned names at first, I had like Hannah and Ron
• 35:04
  my uncle Ron and symbol words like Mom, Dad, Joe my brother
• 35:14
  and stuff and then just, Let's see.
• 35:23
  Yeah, like just simple things like having Well I didn't
• 35:35
  pronounce any thing and a learning how to, you know, like
• 35:44
  two or three years old. Having like a what is a make?
• 35:51
  Just like that over again and it was frustrating.
• 35:59
  But it's going to say that is it's very wet.
• 36:02
  He's like you know these things but then you're also having a
• 36:05
  teacher brain. These things again like exactly.
• 36:08
  Yeah. The board is it feel like is it
• 36:11
  like a blocker or something? Like your translators
• 36:14
  connections and there's and in my head like cat let's say and
• 36:20
  cat in my head I got it but not pronounce it correctly.
• 36:27
  It's like a dinner. A almost in a sense.
• 36:29
  Yeah, kind of kind of yeah, it's a brain at fart.
• 36:36
  I get it. I get it.
• 36:37
  I get it. I suppose.
• 36:41
  I don't know if this is any way similar but isn't as that people
• 36:43
  talk about things like brain fog and they talk about this concept
• 36:47
  of not quite being with it or the you you're trying maybe say
• 36:51
  to focus on something. Yes.
• 36:53
  So you just can't because it's just cloudy.
• 36:57
  Was it like that in any way? Yes.
• 36:59
  All the time. In the beginning time we are
• 37:06
  like how long until it kind of stopped feeling like that.
• 37:09
  Would you say, what do you mean? So as in that feeling of like
• 37:18
  brain fog, sort of goes away and you're much more with it?
• 37:23
  Yeah. In a manner of speaking.
• 37:24
  Yeah, that was like at least two or three years after my stroke
• 37:32
  Because I really learned how to speak over many years, not like
• 37:40
  day one, o speak again. No, 100th day, know, and like a
• 37:49
  train, like say train one day, but not the next.
• 37:57
  Oh wow. Okay, like having the word in I
• 38:02
  had but not like came out with it so that it's almost like
• 38:07
  muscle memory in a sense. You're kind of having to.
• 38:10
  Yeah. Yeah.
• 38:11
  Like get your memory to like, remember this stuff like it's
• 38:14
  like, come on, come on. Yeah, yes.
• 38:19
  Wow, II got to ask, like, how obviously?
• 38:24
  This affected your studies, your 14.
• 38:26
  So I know it's States. So we do a little bit
• 38:29
  differently here. We end Senior school education
• 38:33
  at 16, and then you have two years education, but you have
• 38:37
  choice where you do that, but I know in America is same as most
• 38:41
  places in the world, where it's up to 18.
• 38:45
  So how do you, how do you get through this?
• 38:48
  Like, you know me? Because obviously, it's as you
• 38:51
  said, you had to relearn to read.
• 38:53
  Write everything. Yeah.
• 38:55
  So what did you do? Did you get pushed back?
• 38:58
  Or did you just kind of power crew that had it work?
• 39:02
  A technically, I was in the, like, fifth year of school, but
• 39:12
  I had speech therapy in school as well.
• 39:17
  And the fifth year was halftime in like high school.
• 39:25
  And then like, and then I went to the local, College for a
• 39:33
  class as well. And at first, while I have a
• 39:41
  note taker as well, like, after my stroke throughout School in
• 39:49
  general, I have a note taker now.
• 39:53
  And, but at first, I was like, first day of town, that grade
• 40:02
  like walking in the first day, like back and I while the
• 40:14
  surgeon cut my hair off Foley and I had my leg brace, as well,
• 40:23
  and every buddy stared, like, I walk down the hallway and I
• 40:33
  didn't really speak because Like how are you today?
• 40:44
  That was not there, like I didn't say it and that was 10
• 40:53
  months after my stroke. I didn't really say that like
• 41:01
  three word sentence at all. So were you able to retain
• 41:10
  friendships at all? Oh well, I was pretty popular.
• 41:17
  Happy Oller before and Zero friends.
• 41:25
  Well, I lied like three after. So they just a lot people just
• 41:33
  step back like yeah and one. Well ex-friend. before my
• 41:46
  stroke, I was like friends with him and like, two days after my
• 41:59
  accident, my best friend was in school and he was talking to her
• 42:08
  and said, hey, do you wanna die? Thank God.
• 42:12
  Oh my God, what she told me. And I'm like, what the heck?
• 42:23
  No, I am fully a lie, some people are just real busy.
• 42:29
  Yeah sorry. I is that, ya know the way of
• 42:33
  putting it like I mean I will say this, I do understand okay.
• 42:41
  I think for maybe a lot of people when you're at school and
• 42:44
  you come back from that, they probably just didn't know what
• 42:46
  to say that because you just don't have that level of
• 42:48
  emotional maturity to do. Not know mean like yeah,
• 42:52
  everybody was like 14, 15 16. You're not kids.
• 42:59
  Exactly. Yeah.
• 43:01
  And I'm like, what about like a like person having a Rokk, not
• 43:11
  me particularly and like, feeling bad with that person,
• 43:20
  but not talk to him. Like, I mean more.
• 43:26
  As well. It like I don't really I don't
• 43:35
  know like switched roles, I don't know.
• 43:40
  Wow. I mean again, it takes a lot of
• 43:44
  emotional maturity. I think to put yourself in
• 43:46
  someone's place. I mean, you went in there.
• 43:48
  You have three people that stood by you.
• 43:51
  Yeah. I imagine those three people
• 43:53
  were people capable of doing that, you know?
• 43:56
  Yeah. Like it's I think it's a good
• 44:00
  metaphor for life as well. Isn't it like, you know, who
• 44:02
  your friends are when you go through something.
• 44:05
  Mmm. And I grew up really fast
• 44:10
  because I had to As well. So walk us through like you
• 44:21
  finish High School, you move forward.
• 44:22
  Like what is it? Like when you're going out say
• 44:25
  into the job world or university that kind of stuff like, how did
• 44:29
  you afford with that? I went to the local college with
• 44:39
  a note taker as well throughout Like School in general.
• 44:48
  And I had Two classes in college, because my mental
• 45:00
  capacity was like, just two classes.
• 45:05
  That's it for now and then and then like a couple like one
• 45:16
  half, two years after that. I switch over to three classes
• 45:23
  and then After that. Couple of years later, I
• 45:30
  transferred to a different college.
• 45:34
  And then I had Oracle asses, and I graduated in public health
• 45:46
  last year. Congratulations under grad.
• 45:50
  Yes, thank you. And then now, I am in my
• 45:55
  Master's right now. In disability studies.
• 45:59
  That's right now and I am not technically going to work like
• 46:06
  still because I am fully invested with school right now.
• 46:14
  So you think it maybe you might go down the research path.
• 46:18
  Maybe possibly I don't know. I think because one thing I've
• 46:24
  noticed about survivors of Say, life-threatening illnesses or
• 46:30
  events Etc. Is that the types of avenues
• 46:35
  people tend to go down our research or, you know, it's a
• 46:39
  public speaking or you know, like Eva sharing the experience,
• 46:43
  trying to inspire others on trying to get to the bottom of.
• 46:46
  Hey what can we learn about this?
• 46:47
  How can we help others kind of thing?
• 46:49
  And obviously, you've already mentioned that you're doing
• 46:51
  things like trying to set up intensive care, clinics to help
• 46:55
  with these things obviously. Studying.
• 46:57
  You're studying disabilities. So like do you have like a say
• 47:01
  like an end goal in mind while? Yeah, I want to advocate for
• 47:11
  Others and influenced, our and stuff and public speaking as
• 47:22
  well. But the main goal in life is
• 47:29
  having the open up the clinic, but that is like years later.
• 47:40
  Will happen. I believe it, I think.
• 47:43
  Yeah. All right.
• 47:46
  I got some stroke related questions that come from a
• 47:50
  follower of mine. Thanks Velma.
• 47:52
  And as you always sends out, awesome questions.
• 47:54
  And this, this is just read the email, when she sent me this
• 47:57
  10th of March, 20, 23. So, as a while ago, but I've
• 48:02
  sifted through got some good questions here from her, one of
• 48:05
  them, stood out to me. What would you say?
• 48:08
  Stroke, sufferers and patients are in most need of.
• 48:13
  So break this question down a little bit so let's say
• 48:19
  Initially when it happens and then also long-term recovery.
• 48:26
  Well, long term One Insurance. My dad had not right now, but in
• 48:34
  the like, in the past but insurance company had just 20
• 48:43
  therapy sessions over one year. Yeah, in New York State, and and
• 48:54
  it was frustrating because he having like so much therapy and
• 49:01
  stopped it, because of, in insurance.
• 49:10
  Insurance problems are really bad in like but us because I
• 49:18
  paid well, not particularly me, but my parents paid out of
• 49:24
  pocket to go to the intense therapy for me because it was
• 49:31
  like fifteen thousand dollars for one therapy session.
• 49:38
  I watch American health care bill is for a lot, but that's
• 49:44
  insane. How much is this?
• 49:45
  So how long would a session be? It was over three weeks.
• 49:52
  It was like four hours of intense therapy just won a limb
• 49:59
  or may speech. And then having like two hours
• 50:06
  of homework, Work each day for three weeks.
• 50:13
  Yeah. And including like airfare hotel
• 50:18
  like easy 25,000 but you said like looking back to that
• 50:29
  question. Can you have that question again
• 50:33
  please? Yeah.
• 50:34
  Also from let's say from like when it initially Things.
• 50:38
  Is there anything that people are most need of?
• 50:42
  Like? So the way the way I take this
• 50:44
  question is meaning like resources and obviously if you
• 50:47
  as you've said they're a big thing is tackling it so maybe
• 50:52
  it's more affordable or more accessible.
• 50:54
  That's certainly part of it. But is there anything else maybe
• 50:58
  from a resources perspective or support perspective or in many?
• 51:02
  Well, well more awareness is Really good.
• 51:10
  Because More and more people young having a stroke any like
• 51:20
  stroke and research about it as well.
• 51:27
  But it is like what do you mean like therapy portion or like in
• 51:35
  general? I think it's just general
• 51:38
  General like yeah, what do you need most?
• 51:42
  Yeah, I mean Initial like stroke like having therapy every day
• 51:51
  for months and but with not particularly a therapy portion.
• 52:03
  But resources like I have now access VR x axis.
• 52:13
  Svr is paying for all of my schooling and it is not in my
• 52:22
  pocket and with my accident like Go into access VR and they paid
• 52:36
  for my computer gas. Money.
• 52:39
  To go to college in back textbooks in all tournament
• 52:46
  format because I can't read. like 100% yet and listening to
• 52:57
  my books in like Class. And that is the big issue and
• 53:07
  they paid for my education Xin, my car as well, so awesome.
• 53:15
  But with that like more insight to everything because I am
• 53:25
  volunteering again in the brain injury unit right now, well,
• 53:30
  right now, but every Friday and like I I talk to the patients
• 53:40
  about like access VR and stuff. Not like the therapist and like
• 53:52
  including driving again after a incident as well.
• 53:59
  They have mon occasions like really like intense monk, ations
• 54:08
  in the car. Not my car.
• 54:13
  But in general and like more insight more Yeah, like I go.
• 54:26
  You're saying, yeah, there's always more that can be done to
• 54:29
  kind of improve. Exactly.
• 54:34
  Exactly. I mean, anyway, a couple of
• 54:40
  final questions for you completely, unrelated to what we
• 54:43
  spoken to today. Mmm, so good about today.
• 54:46
  So, what's the biggest life lesson you've learned so far?
• 54:52
  Life is so short and roll with it.
• 54:59
  And that the truth. Yeah, yeah.
• 55:03
  Yes crazy as well. As I get older, it's getting
• 55:06
  increasingly more and more and more and more like that.
• 55:09
  And of course, I hear stories from wonderful people like
• 55:12
  yourself as well. And it, it kind of reinforces
• 55:15
  that in my mind of like, doing as much as you can as often as
• 55:19
  you can and really just making the most of every day and that
• 55:22
  doesn't necessarily mean like oh every day I got a clown Mount
• 55:26
  Everest or something. It's just like You do you do
• 55:29
  with passion everything you do you do with love or you just try
• 55:33
  to make the most inventive yet Mass.
• 55:36
  Yeah well not the negatives about life positive in life and
• 55:47
  yeah absolutely final question for you.
• 55:51
  Do you have any upcoming projects or some final thoughts
• 55:54
  that you'd like to share with our listeners or projects?
• 56:01
  The 10 growing my Tick Tock. Yes.
• 56:09
  And then Yeah, I am. We are having a podcast.
• 56:17
  Yeah, the odds Stroke of Luck podcast.
• 56:20
  Yes. Yeah.
• 56:23
  Just eat episodes for now and then possibly in the fall,
• 56:30
  having the second season and then Just in my Master's for now
• 56:39
  and I'm planning my wedding. Congratulations, thank you.
• 56:45
  After my schooling ends and then yeah, I mean Yeah, yeah listen.
• 57:00
  It's been an absolute pleasure. Having you on the show.
• 57:03
  Thank you so much for sharing your story and just kind of
• 57:06
  going for everything with us. It's been a real pleasure having
• 57:08
  you on. Thank you, my pleasure and to
• 57:13
  all the listeners of the Christian re podcast.
• 57:14
  I hope you enjoyed the show, hope you find it as inspiring as
• 57:17
  I do. Because I know I love to do this
• 57:19
  show and Never failed to be expired.
• 57:22
  Inspired by these wonderful people.
• 57:25
  Thank you so much for listening for watching and until next
• 57:28
  time. See you in the next one.