Summer 2016

Music lights up the whole brain, “like the sky during a fireworks display,” said Kyle Wilhelm, MA, MTBC in the Music Therapy Services department of West Music. This seems to bring delight as many survivors experience firsthand.

Music therapists do not try to improve a person’s ability to sing or play an instrument — that is the job of a music educator. Music therapy is used to improve three areas of functioning with survivors: motor, speech and cognitive.

For stroke survivors, outdoor sports provide opportunities to challenge yourself both physically and mentally due to an unpredictable and changing environment. Meeting new challenges can be empowering to a survivor.

Vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) — also known as vascular dementia — affects thinking, memory, the ability to shift focus and more. There is no cure, but it may be that a heart-healthy lifestyle can help prevent it.

For Phyllis Weiss, a 65-year-old survivor from Winthrop Harbor, Illinois, each sound she painstakingly — but patiently — forms is a triumph. In her quiet, halting delivery is an underlying strength and vitality. Qualities that carried her through an entire year of silence.

Survivor, Quenby Schuyler, had never been a particularly grateful type of person. After her stroke, her take on gratitude changed.

Life-altering events force us to look back on our lives. That was especially true for me during the first four months after my hemorrhagic stroke in 2013 at age 44.

Getting back to traveling can give families dealing with stroke a fresh perspective by going with others who share similar challenges. While traveling post-stroke can be challenging, going with a group can offer “a safe place to explore new boundaries for both the caregiver and the survivor,” said cruiser Laura Latham.

Of course I knew how to swim, but what could I do now with one arm and one functioning leg?

Stroke Survivors Empowering Each Other, Inc. (SSEEO) offers support but isn’t your traditional stroke support group. Founded in 2004 by survivors, caregivers and other stroke stakeholders as a patient-support advocacy group, SSEEO has grown into a nonprofit that provides advocacy, support, education and resources to stroke families.