Hi Melik,
My name is Denise and I read your article. The article was very well written. When I first read your article and saw your picture, you were smiling and did not look like you had a brain stem stroke at all. I found myself becoming jealous because of your looks and because after a brainstem stroke, you were able to write and talk about it.
I quickly overcame the jealousy and thanked God that you are in the shape that you are in. The reason for the jealousy is because my husband had a brainstem stroke at the age of 44. He is now 47. You both had the same kind of stroke but my husband was not as fortunate. He was left paralyzed from the shoulders down and he is also ventilator dependent.
I care for my husband at home. I have nurses who care for him when I work and when I am at home, I care for him myself.
Reading your article over and over again humbled me a great deal because I learned from it that my husband is truly blessed as well. He cannot move, talk, or do anything that he use to do but he is alive and he did not have any memory loss. He communicates by nodding his head up and down for yes and side to side for no.
I use to get bitter sometimes when I see people who have had a stroke and are able to talk and walk. It does not matter to me if they walk with a limp or slur there words, at least they have something.
I will continue to pray for you. I shared your article with my husband. He enjoyed it. I did tell him that I was jealous and he shook his head no. I know that it was wrong but that’s how I felt at the time. Please forgive me.
In closing, thank you for being so inspiring. You changed my whole outlook on my husband’s situation.
Denise
Lansing, MI