My name is Debby. I am 54 years old and had an ischemic stroke on Memorial Day, 2000. I am lucky that I really do see improvement every day, thanks to some intensive rehab and the love and support of my family. My whole world changed that "holiday" weekend and in many ways for the better. I was just about to graduate college, with a degree in human services and my youngest was to graduate high school in June, it was finally MY TURN. I had my future all planned out and I was ready to see the world! WHAM!! Boy, did things change. Here I am, still in the small town I grew up in and always hated, dependent on my beautiful sister and kindest brother. I never realized before how blessed I really am. No longer do superficial things have any meaning at all and for the first time in my life, I really do "see" now. Hard as it's been sometimes, I really wouldn't change a thing now. I think God wanted me to "be still and listen. "God bless all of you stroke survivors, and know there was a reason things happen the way they do.

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