Nancy (from Art class) is also the editor of THE SAVVY SURVIVOR, a publication of the SDRI COMEBACKERS NEURO CLUB which meets at Alvarado Hospital in the Rehab Center. She interviewed me for their spotlight and it was published in the May newsletter:
Madelyn doesn’t fit the profile of a person likely to have a stroke. She is 47 years old, with normal blood pressure, weight, and cholesterol. She’s athletic and a vegan. However, on June 3, 2010, in the middle of the day, Madelyn was having trouble typing and went home from work early, took a nap and was reading. Her husband, Larry, came in and saw she was upset and couldn’t talk or stand. Her face was noticeably drooping on the right side and she couldn't answer his questions. Somehow he knew it was a stroke. He called 911 and they took her by ambulance to Alvarado Hospital. Madelyn said she remained conscious and confident that the stroke wasn’t life affecting. She laughed as she said that, acknowledging that Larry was not as confident as she was. There, she was fortunate to be treated by neurologist Sean Evans, MD. He told her that her stroke was caused by a dissection of the carotid artery, normally caused by an auto or surfing accident. He told her that it was an unusual fluke, only happens to one person in San Diego a year, and that she was the lucky one.
At the time of her stroke, Madelyn was working two jobs: the All Vegan store and as a real estate assistant helping three realtors. She just resigned at the All Vegan store so she could work more hours at the real estate office. The agents have had three different assistants since Madelyn’s stroke and have a new-found appreciation for how much she did.
Despite some remaining stroke effects, Madelyn is making tremendous strides in her recovery. Her stroke was a left brain stroke, which affected her right side and speech. She has expressive aphasia, sometimes not thinking of the word she wants to use. To improve her speech, she challenged herself with Dr. Seuss’ tongue twisters. She’s put together 500-piece jigsaw puzzles to work the “noodle” (mind). Her walking has progressed from being in a wheel-chair to hemi-walker to using a walking stick. Madelyn had to relearn to write with her left hand by checking out grammar school books from the library on how to print and write cursive. While still an inpatient, Leo Madrid introduced Madelyn to Laura McCormick’s art ability class. That happened within the first three weeks after her stroke. From that day on, Laura told Madelyn that she had a natural talent—even with her left hand. The fact is that she never painted since high school. Madelyn continues to be a star pupil in after-care art sessions.
For Christmas, the class painted poinsettias on glass plates and Madelyn decided to hand paint a poinsettia on her Christmas cards. She intended to paint “a few”. Over the month of December, “a few” turned out to be 20 hand painted cards.
Madelyn’s enthusiasm for recovery has taken her to the Challenge Center gym in La Mesa. She attends a class there that helps participants relearn balance. She enjoys the physical exercise as well as the social aspect of the Challenge Center. Another member, Pete, told her that things take time and a stroke teaches you patience.
She finds the interaction with other stroke survivors inspiring. Seeing their progress has enabled Madelyn to say “I don’t have a crystal ball, but it helps me to keep a positive attitude, to see the progress of people a few years after their strokes.” She has learned focus on the here and now. Her final thought: “Right now, I am sitting with one of my cats on my lap and life feels good.”
