Let’s be real, life can be tough, sometimes overwhelmingly so. This stroke survivor story isn’t just about what I lost, but about how I found purpose after everything fell apart.
Before my stroke, I didn’t handle hard days well. By 9 AM, I was already ready for the day to end. I often slipped into a “poor me” mindset, convinced that my life was harder than everyone else.
Negative thoughts consumed me. I believed no one liked me. I thought I was worthless. I feared my husband was going to leave and that my kids didn’t want to be around me. I judged myself harshly. Some of those thoughts were rooted in truth. This was not because of anyone else, but because of the choices I was making.
Instead of leaning on friends or family, I leaned on alcohol. I isolated myself. I slowly began to believe I was beyond saving. In the days before my stroke, I went to bed by 6 PM. I prayed for God to take the pain away. I wasn’t asking for a better life. I was just asking for the pain to stop.
A Stroke Survivor Story of Reinvention
And then something happened that changed everything.
I suffered a massive hemorrhagic stroke that left me in a coma for an entire month. Read more about this here. When I woke up, I was in a rehabilitation hospital, terrified, confused, and overwhelmed by guilt. I wasn’t home. I wasn’t with my family. I didn’t recognize my body or my life.
The rehab halls smelled like antiseptic and coffee, and machines beeped softly in the background. I had undergone a craniotomy. It is a surgical procedure that involves removing a portion of the skull to access the brain. And half my body no longer responded the way it used to. Everything felt foreign, including myself.
One day, a nurse said something to me that I will never forget:
“This is your time to invent who you want to be and what you want out of life.”
That sentence cracked something open inside me.
I realized I had a choice. I could give up… or I could fight for a new future.
For the first time, even in the middle of all that fear, I felt a strange sense of peace. My life had been torn apart, but maybe, just maybe, this was also a chance to start over.
I made two promises to myself that day:
- I would never give up.
- And I would choose a positive outlook, no matter how hard things became.
Learning to Live Again
Rehab was brutal. Every morning at 6 AM, an occupational therapist would wake me. They helped me get dressed and brush my teeth. They also watched me eat so I wouldn’t choke. My words were sometimes jumbled or forgotten, but I was grateful I could still speak at all.
Then came hours of therapy: physical, occupational, and speech. These sessions pushed my body and brain to do what they once did effortlessly. By 4 PM, I was exhausted, but my day wasn’t over yet. That’s when stroke support group began.
Those meetings changed me.
Listening to other survivors share their fears, frustrations, and tiny victories made me feel less alone. We understood each other in a way no one else could. We laughed. We cried. We encouraged one another. Healing didn’t feel so impossible when we were walking through it together.
And something unexpected started to happen…
I was becoming happy.
Physically, I was at my lowest. Mentally, I was struggling.
But emotionally and spiritually? I was stronger than I had ever been.
That’s when I realized my purpose:
to help others keep going when life knocks them down.
This blog was born from that decision. I wanted to take what nearly broke me. I aimed to turn it into something that might help someone else. It might help them survive their own storm.
Coming Home to a New Life
I left rehab on December 23, 2018. This was about two and a half months after my stroke. Real life came rushing back in.
I was anxious. Depressed. Overstimulated. Everything felt fast and overwhelming. I had my stroke right before moving to a new state. When I came home, even my house felt unfamiliar. New town. New routines. New limitations. Nothing was the same.
And for a moment, I wondered if I had been foolish to think I could make a difference at all.
But then I remembered what that nurse had told me. It was my time to invent who I wanted to be.
So I chose to see this season as an adventure.
Like one of those home renovation shows, only instead of fixing a house, I was rebuilding myself.
Still Becoming
Every day is still a challenge. But every day is also an opportunity. I’ve learned that strength can come from vulnerability.
That purpose can be born from pain. And that even the darkest seasons can lead us somewhere meaningful.
My journey is far from over, but I am no longer afraid of it.
If you’re reading this while in a dark place, I want you to know something. Your story is not finished.
You may not see the path forward yet, but neither did I. And somehow, step by step, light found me again. If this stroke survivor story resonates with you, know that you’re not alone — and neither is your pain
What’s Next
The biggest challenges were still ahead of me, ones I never saw coming.
Watch for my next blog post: How to Rebuild Your Life After a Stroke (or Any Major Trauma)
Let’s Connect
Share Your Experience
- Have you ever gone through something that completely changed your life?
- Can you relate to the feelings of isolation or self-doubt I described?
Self-Reflection
- What helps you stay grounded during difficult seasons?
- How do you begin reinventing yourself after a major life shift?
Advice & Support
- What would you say to someone going through a health crisis or big life change?
- Are there books, podcasts, or tools that have helped you heal?
Your Story
- Have you experienced a season of resilience or transformation?
- Where have you found strength and support?
I would truly love to hear your story.
Thank you for being here and walking this journey with me.