A Year and a Half Strokeaversary

This week I found this old alarm notice on my phone. It brought me back with a jolt to my four months in hospital from September to December 2024. As I deleted it I said a prayer of thanks that, as much as I appreciated their care, I’m no longer at St Martha’s Regional.

In a minor coincidence, this week I also heard that the unpublished collection of “stroke poems” I wrote in the hospital was shortlisted for the Writers Federation of Nova Scotia‘s “Rita Joe Poetry Prize”! Rita Joe was a famous Mi’kmaq poet. It’s an honour just to be shortlisted. I have the privilege of being friends with several extremely talented poets, but have never published poetry myself. I’d love to share these poems with other stroke survivors and carers, so fingers crossed!

Eighteen months since my stroke, already! The reminders that popped up spurred me to write an update. Only, what to report?

#NoPlateau

Quite early on in my recovery, local physios warned me not to be disappointed when I hit the “plateau” at six months or so. But at the same time, they kept being pleasantly surprised at my determined progress. Sara developed the pep-phrase “HASHTAG NO PLATEAU”! I still haven’t hit one and don’t plan to.

I thought of calling this post “and then, one day, you’re putting on your belt using your left hand.” Or: “and then one day, you walk down the stairs and realize you didn’t hold the handrail.” Both statements are true in just the last two weeks. The idea that I could now be twisting my left arm around my body to dress, or to towel myself off after a shower, is an answer to prayer. For the first time since my stroke I can convincingly squeeze shut my grip exerciser. I can now actually “walk” a short base line on the guitar with my recalcitrant left pinkie. My hard-working Halifax Occupational therapist Lindsay is giving me more complicated wrist exercises on my phone’s Tenzr physio app, like tracing the entire alphabet in the air with my left fist. Miracles never cease. (Sara encouraged me to do it in Greek. Okay, not all miracles materialize.)

But the truth is, I also could write: “and then one day you’re stopped by a colleague to talk in the parking lot, and after just an extra 60 seconds in the cold, you suddenly need help to the car.” Or: “when you’re tired you still slur words, and once after climbing a bunch of stairs you lost your balance in front of a group of students and almost fell sideways into the wall.” Those statements are true also.

In a nutshell, THAT’S how it’s going. I’m grateful beyond words that my recovery continues even now, a year and a half after my stroke. Every day I have just an incremental bit more strength and flexibility and control in my left hand and arm. Every week my balance and my ability to crouch down and stand and walk improves very slightly. I mostly know this from others like Lindsay, who only see me every month or so and are amazed at my progress. Every week there are several new #StrokeFirsts I can celebrate when Sara and I read through all the slips we put into the weekly gratitude cup. Every week I’m surprised by what I can do. And less and less by what I still can’t.

Like the saplings

Sort of like Spring, my recovery is happening in bits and pieces. I almost felt like my old self again – and certainly felt a kinship with the earth – when I took a walk around the property this week. Like me, the saplings Sara planted while I looked on seem to have cheerily survived.

The stones I dumped by the inlet last summer need spreading, but it’s not yet the time.

A wild-seeded pine will almost only pop up where there is already a birch, so perhaps the birches are “parenting” the saplings? Some creature left its scat nearby but I’m not sure what kind it is, and I don’t have an app for THAT yet…

The brook on one side of our property is doing well, and this week the robins reappeared. Their singing is a joy, and might be the reason Theodore the reformed barn cat is crying so sadly to go outside for the first time since he so gleefully adopted us and moved in.

The sunset of my fellowship

There’s only a year left in my renewed Father Edo Gatto Fellowship at StFX, so I’m busily checking off my Gatto Chair goals. A big one happens this week. As soon as I knew I would be translating my historical research on the fourth century Saint Paula to fiction, I wanted to talk to other academics who do this. It’s finally happening this week! Sara will be moderating the webinar conversation, “Novel Research: Meet Four Historians of Religion Who Write Fiction.” I’m excited to talk about writing with these scholars I admire. You’re welcome to join us: register here!