I am an occupational therapist (OT) who specialized in stroke rehab. I continued my education by having a stroke in 2004 that paralyzed my dominant right side. I still walk with a brace and cane, regained only partial use of my hemiplegic hand, and still have slurred speech when I am tired.
I live alone. I am divorced and was not able to have children. My two middle-aged bachelor brothers live 800 miles away and two life-long friends live 1,200 miles away. My parents are dead. Thank goodness I have a small army of local friends.
I had a stroke one year after I completed a doctorate in cognitive psychology. Stroke recovery was my last major learning experience so I wrote My Last Degree: A Therapist Goes Home After a Stroke. My sense of purpose grows as I give presentations at state OT conferences and OT schools. I live in New Jersey, U.S.A.
