About StrokeUSA.com
I had a stroke that attacked the midbrain and thalamus regions of my mind. My entire right side was paralyzed. I was clueless then scared and as I quit declining, I said "I will get better!"
It switched to, "When will I get better?"
I would not shut up and I was not an especially nice person about 'getting better,' either. Cantankerous as all get-out, I was convinced I would be better in three or four days, then three or four months. Nowadays I am used to getting a little bit better a little bit at a time.
Why Did I Start StrokeUSA.com?
I had a stroke and used the search engines. The only thing I could find that was not preventative was a little story by Ed Jelks. He had not lost his sense of humor, either.
I figured the reason I could not find what I was looking for was because of one of two things: 1) Maybe people with strokes did not want or were unable to contribute, or 2) Maybe people that put up sites like I wanted did not understand search engines.
Since I have been involved with the Internet since 1997, I felt I had a chance at beating number two.
Men! How Much Do They Talk, Anyway?
Men do not talk to one another about weakness of any sort. I didn't let anyone see me and did not reach out to anyone else who had a stroke. Still, I wanted to know when I would get better. Junko, my wife, says that women talk about things that men do not. If so, that is great and wonderful - but I'm still glad I am a man.
I would rather read a book or visit a web site. I'm figuring that a lot of folks are like me.
I wrote most of a book called (obviously), "When Will I Get Better?" So far, no one has jumped up to fight off their rivals and yell, "Let me be the publisher!" Until publishers want me more than ice cream on a hot sticky day, I'm creating a web site. It doesn't look like the web sites I used to do, of course. For now, it will do.
StrokeUSA's Goals
Seriously, one goal is to create a forum so Caregivers and Stroke Survivors can ask questions anonymously. Another goal is to encourage Caregivers to participate equally. A stroke does not 'belong' just to the person that had the stroke, but to the people who had to put up with us dastardly fiends and our antics, too.
Our other goals are to provide information and educate, but to be less formal than other places. Hopefully, I'll never lose my sense of humor!
Stroke Bloke