Podcasts about Stroke recovery

EWOT for Stroke Recovery: The Affordable Alternative to Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Brad Pitzele did not set out to become an oxygen therapy equipment maker. He set out to survive. After years of battling significant health challenges, conventional medicine had given him answers that kept failing him. He tried around 200 treatments. Some helped. Many did not. Then he found EWOT Exercise With Oxygen Therapy, and something finally shifted. Brad’s journey is not the same as a stroke. But what he discovered about oxygen, inflammation, and cellular energy maps directly onto one of the most stubborn obstacles stroke survivors face: the feeling that the brain has gone offline, that the body is running on empty, and that the path back is either impossibly expensive or simply does not exist. In Episode 407 of the Recovery After Stroke podcast, Brad shares what EWOT is, why it works, and why he now makes affordable EWOT systems through his company, One Thousand Roads, specifically so survivors do not have to remortgage their homes to access oxygen-driven recovery. What Is EWOT? EWOT stands for Exercise With Oxygen Therapy. The concept is straightforward: you breathe high-concentration oxygen through a mask while exercising even lightly, and that combination pushes oxygen into parts of the body that normal breathing cannot reliably reach. Most people assume oxygen therapy means a hyperbaric chamber: a pressurized tube, a clinic, a course of treatments costing tens of thousands of dollars. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is effective. Brad describes it as “a heroic treatment.” But it is also inaccessible for most survivors, financially and logistically. EWOT operates on a related principle without the chamber. The key mechanism is not about oxygenating red blood cells; they are already carrying close to their maximum load under normal breathing. The target is the blood plasma. Plasma does not carry oxygen efficiently under resting conditions, but during exercise, even light exercise, blood pressure and circulation increase enough to force dissolved oxygen into the plasma. That plasma can then reach the micro-capillaries, the tiny vessels that feed tissues deep in the body, including areas of the brain that become inflamed and oxygen-starved after a stroke. The Post-Stroke Energy Problem One of the most commonly reported and least-explained symptoms after stroke is fatigue that does not go away, no matter how much a survivor rests. Most survivors are told that is just part of it. Brad’s framework centres on mitochondrial dysfunction. Mitochondria are the energy-producing structures inside cells. After stroke, the cells in and around the affected area are often not dead; they are in a kind of low-power state. Brad describes it as a “brownout”: the lights are on, but dimly. The mitochondria are not producing energy at full capacity, and one significant reason for that is insufficient oxygen supply to the tissue. “The cells that are offline after a stroke are not all dead. Some of them are just starving. Oxygen is part of what feeds them back.” — Brad Pitzele, Episode 407 When EWOT increases plasma oxygen during exercise, it can reach those inflamed, under-oxygenated micro-capillaries that larger vessels cannot access. The result, for some survivors, is a gradual improvement in energy, cognition, and physical capacity, not because the therapy is miraculous, but because it addresses a specific physiological deficit that conventional post-stroke care often does not target. EWOT vs. Hyperbaric: What’s the Real Difference? The honest answer is that EWOT and hyperbaric oxygen therapy are not equivalent. HBOT delivers oxygen under pressure, which drives it into tissue more forcefully. For certain conditions, particularly in acute or severe cases, hyperbaric oxygen has a stronger evidence base.  But for many stroke survivors in the subacute or chronic phase of recovery, access is the defining variable, not theoretical ceiling. A home-based hyperbaric unit costs $50,000 to $75,000. A clinical course can run to $60,000 or more. EWOT systems are available for under $2,000.  The question Brad puts to survivors is not “which is better in a lab?” It is: “Which one can you actually do, consistently, at home, over the months and years that brain recovery requires?” Consistency matters more than peak intensity in long-term neurological recovery.  Starting EWOT With Deficits EWOT does not require running on a treadmill. The exercise component can be a stationary bike, a recumbent bike, or simple seated leg movements with one limb strapped in. The goal is to raise circulation enough to push oxygen into the plasma, not to hit a cardiovascular fitness target. For survivors exploring this option, Brad’s team has built a specific resource at onethousandroads.com/stroke-recovery with a listener discount of $100 to $500, depending on the package. There is also a broader introduction to EWOT at onethousandroads.com/pages/exercise-with-oxygen-therapy. Recovery Is Possible — And It Does Not Have to Be Expensive If this episode resonated with you or if you want to explore more conversations about recovery options that do not require a second mortgage, Bill’s book, The Unexpected Way That A Stroke Became The Best Thing That Happened, is available at recoveryafterstroke.com/book. And if the Recovery After Stroke podcast has been useful to you, you can support it financially at patreon.com/recoveryafterstroke. Every contribution helps keep the show going and these conversations accessible to survivors around the world. This blog is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Please consult your doctor before making any changes to your health or recovery plan. EWOT for Stroke Recovery: The Affordable Alternative to Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Why pay $60,000 for hyperbaric oxygen? EWOT brings oxygen therapy into your living room — and could help the brain cells that are only offline. One Thousands Roads Exercise With Oxygen Therapy (EWOT) YouTube Channel Highlights: 00:00 Introduction and Background 05:37 Challenges in Stroke Recovery and Treatment Options 13:45 Understanding Oxygen Therapy and Its Mechanism 15:51 Oxygen Toxicity Explained 19:24 The Importance of Oxygenating Blood Plasma 24:53 Oxygen and Mitochondrial Function 31:16 Adapting Exercise for Stroke Survivors 38:27 Cost and Accessibility of Oxygen Therapy Devices Transcript: Introduction – EWOT for Stroke Recovery Brad Pitzele (00:00) like many of your listeners, when you have a medical issue that isn’t treated by traditional medicine and you’re desperate to get your life back, you’ll try just about anything. You, the lens it goes through is like, Well, how bad can this hurt me? BIll Gasiamis (00:15) Welcome back to Recovery After Stroke. I’m your host, Bill Gassiamas. Today’s guest is Brad Pitzele, founder of 1000 Roads, who overcame significant health challenges of his own and along the way discovered the science behind exercise with oxygen therapy. In this conversation, we get into how increasing oxygen saturation in the blood, specifically in the blood plasma, can help reach the inflamed microcapillaries. That are blocking oxygen delivery to cells in the recovering brain. We talk about mitochondrial dysfunction, post-stroke fatigue, and why Ewatt is worth understanding as an accessible alternative to hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Before we get into it, if you’ve found value in this podcast and want to support it financially, you can do that at patreon.com/slash recovery after stroke. And if you haven’t yet read my book, The Unexpected Way That a Stroke Became the Best Thing That Happened, it is available at recovery after stroke dot com slash book. Here’s my conversation with Brad. BIll Gasiamis (01:19) Brad Pitsley, welcome to the podcast. Brad Pitzele (01:22) Thank you so much. BIll Gasiamis (01:24) Thanks for reaching out and ⁓ connecting with me to educate me on another thing that I can bring to stroke survivors that could potentially help them in the rehabilitation side of their brain. The the thumbnail that people found on YouTube is probably gonna have E W O T on it somewhere. E what. And it sounds something like something out of that ⁓ space war out of out of what is it? Brad Pitzele (01:53) Star Wars. Star Wars. BIll Gasiamis (01:54) Star Wars. Like the Ewok, right? And it doesn’t really mean anything to me. But before we descri tell people what Ewok is, ⁓ tell me a little bit about your background, the work that you do and how it is you came to be on the podcast today is for s for for the specific discussion that we’re gonna have. Brad Pitzele (01:58) Yep. Sure. ⁓ yeah, so I ⁓ I I’m an e recovering engineer. I like to joke. I spent my first decade of my life engineering. later on in life, I left engineering and went into different pursuits and I became chronically ill, had a variety of medical issues, ⁓ cancer, autoimmunity, and eventually Lyme disease. And I was in really bad shape. And a doctor recommended I look into either hyperbaric oxygen or this exercise with oxygen therapy, EWAT, that almost no one had heard of, and I’d never heard of it. ⁓ I I I had tried like everything to get better at this point. I was many years in special diets, ⁓ all sorts of supplements and ⁓ all sorts of modalities and things. And nothing really worked. There was nothing in a matter of fact, some of the medications I took actually gave me cancer. So it kind of forced me on this road to try something different. ⁓ and eventually I found my way back to health through exercise with oxygen when so many things weren’t working. ⁓ and actually later paired that with ⁓ red light therapy. ⁓ and along the way I started because I’m an engineer and I’m inquisitive, I like It was Lyme disease is kind of a do-it-yourself disease. ⁓ so I started digging in and pouring into research, not just on Lyme disease, but autoimmunity, ⁓ chronic illness, ⁓ trying to figure out what the heck was going on with me. And so ⁓ what I found about exercise oxygen therapy along the way was really fascinating to me. and about a year into using it, I went back to that same doctor and he was kind of shocked. At my turnaround, and he was like, What did you use? Did you do oxygen? And I said, I did. And he was like, Who’d you buy it from? I want to tell my patients about it. And I said, I didn’t buy it, Doc. I actually ended up making my own. And he was kind of surprised by that for obvious reasons. And then he said, Well, gosh, would you consider making it for my patient? And so, my patients, and so that’s how we got into this business back in two thousand eighteen. We launched one thousand roads to kinda make exercise with oxygen therapy accessible to people who are dealing with chronic health conditions. BIll Gasiamis (04:39) Okay. And it stems from science, right? There’s scientific data that backs up this exercise with oxygen therapy. Before you go into that a little bit, we don’t have to go deep into it, but we can just ⁓ chat about it. ⁓ when I talk to stroke survivors, they get stuck always with what should I do? What should I do? What should I do? They want the The blue pill, take that one, everything gets fixed. I mean, stroke is not like that, right? And it’s and it’s stroke is also a you’re on your own kind of thing. Because once you get out of the acute phase, once you get sent home, the ⁓ follow up and the medical fraternity doesn’t have a system to kind of say to you, we can’t help you. Speak to that guy. ⁓ that guy might not be able to help you, but but there’s a guy over there. Brad Pitzele (05:09) Yeah. Challenges in Stroke Recovery and Treatment Options BIll Gasiamis (05:33) Like there’s none of that. And stroke survivors need podcasts. They need ⁓ people selling all sorts of crazy stuff that they will almost try almost all the time. They’ll try everything. And then they’ll pick and finally stumble into one that helps and gets them a result. But before we talk about all of that, what I want to do is also go back to what you said about ⁓ a year later, you went to your doctor, he was stunned at the result. We can’t put that down just to eat what? We can’t put that down just to exercise with oxygen therapy. Give me the brief steps on the other things that you also attended to because people miss that. Brad Pitzele (06:15) Yes. Yeah. I well, here’s what I’ll tell you. I started I started to get arthritis in my hands in like 2010 or eleven. and then I started taking traditional drugs for it. And one of the side effects of the drugs is higher risk of cancer and specifically melanoma, which I developed in two thousand thirteen, I wanna say, maybe two thousand fourteen. And that kicked me off the traditional medical path. ⁓ to your point, you don’t you don’t in the stroke recovery, there’s not a traditional path. There it was a traditional path, but it was clear that it was a you know it was a choice between cancer and autoimmunity, and neither one seemed great to me. ⁓ from there I tried so many things, Bill. I did s I actually made a list recently and looked at it because I had it like just off the top of my head, I came up with 200 different things I did try. We’re talking special diets. Eating all sorts of weird, strange things, all sorts of supplements, antibiotics, because it’s Lyme disease, herbal protocols, ⁓ ozone treatments, sa various different types of saunas, ozone sauna, infrared sauna, ⁓ heat steam saunas, ⁓ colonics, coffee enemas, ⁓ weird stuff, you know, you’d never think you’d do. I mean BIll Gasiamis (07:39) You are committed Brad Pitzele (07:42) ‘Cause like many of your listeners, when you have a medical issue that isn’t treated by traditional medicine and you’re desperate to get your life back, you will you’ll try just about anything. You the the lens it goes through is like, Well, how bad can this hurt me? Like like ’cause I know where I’m going right now. For me at least it was a I was just like this gradual step down. It was like I knew like I I couldn’t do this. I had a young family. so, you know, that doctor, I remember him saying, like, look, Brad, we’re trying all these things, we’re gonna get you on thyroid medications and get that right, and we’re gonna do this. ⁓ there on that list of 200, there were about eight things that gave me any kind of benefit that I could identify. ⁓ But I remember he’s like, Brad, we’re gonna take out the big dog. We’re gonna do this ozone treatment. And it’s a special kind where we remove the blood from your body, we inject ozone, put it through UV light, and put it back into your blood. And this helps everyone. Like if nothing else works, this helps, but it’s really expensive. So we’re saving it, kind of. So he he did it. He’s like, do a course of three of them. And he’s like, You might feel bad after it the next day because it kills a bunch of stuff and might you might feel toxic. Or you might feel better. We’re not sure. And give it a few days. And like I did all three of them, I never noticed a difference. And it was ⁓ the most depressing, scary part was like going through that. So when he said go do oxygen, I was like, Okay, like I’ve done everything else. I’m just gonna check the box so the doctor knows that’s not gonna work, so we can go try to find something else. ⁓ And I didn’t believe it was gonna work. I I you know, I didn’t jump on the the bandwagon gung-ho. I was, you know, kind of kicking and screaming. And that was part of the reason I built my own, is because at the time they were so expensive and the they were five to twenty-five thousand dollars. And I was like, I just can’t spend, you know, ten thousand dollars on an experiment. I just can’t do that. ⁓ And he also suggested maybe hyperbaric and that was like fifty or seventy-five thousand dollars. And I was like, geez, if I knew this was the the blue pill, as you said it, if I knew this was the blue pill, I’d go mortgage the house and I’d go do it because like then I could work full and I could do all the things, I could be present for the family, but ⁓ I couldn’t. BIll Gasiamis (10:05) And and and you know what? And it’s not, and and the reason it’s not for a lot of people is because you need to have penumbras the brain from a stroke survivor perspective that are recoverable and that you can bring back to life that are offline, not dead by ⁓ cell death because of the stroke. And there’s no diagnostic process in the majority of the people I’ve spoken to, you can’t diagnose somebody and then work out whether they’re a candidate, and that really Brad Pitzele (10:20) Yeah. Right. BIll Gasiamis (10:33) Pisses me off to somebody gonna have to spend 50 grand to find out if they’re gonna get a result, right? The s the guys that who I’ve interviewed about hyperbaric oxygen therapy, ⁓ Viv clinics, ⁓ those guys will do a thorough diagnostic beforehand to determine whether somebody is a candidate. And whatever that costs, even if it’s five grand, I don’t know what it does cost, but even if it’s five grand, at least you can go, you’re not a candidate, don’t spend any more money. Brad Pitzele (10:38) Yeah. Right. higher yes, you have a higher level of certainty before you spend the money. BIll Gasiamis (11:04) Yeah. And if you do do it, you’re doing it for the other ⁓ non-brain related benefits that you’re gonna get from hyperbaric oxygen therapy. And that’s totally up to you. But it’s not the thing to supposedly fix the arm or the leg that doesn’t work, or to ⁓ repair the damaged cells in your brain. So that part really frustrates me. And if I’m gonna spend that much money, then there’s the opportunity cost as well. It’s like Brad Pitzele (11:33) Yes. BIll Gasiamis (11:34) Now I can’t spend that somewhere else. Brad Pitzele (11:36) Exactly. That was me too. It was like you you knew you had and I was like, man, if I spend this kind of money on it and it doesn’t work, like nothing’s worked for the last, I don’t know, almost ten years at this point. Like how many of these shots do I have in the cannon, right? Like you you know, now I’m I’m depleted and I’m still sick. And that’s even i and you know this, when you’ve got a chronic health condition, sometimes the psych psychology of it all is just as hard as the condition. And If you’re like, wow, now I don’t have money. I feel trapped. There’s nothing I can try. Then hope starts to dwindle. And I say like hope is is like the most potent weapon in recovering from a chronic health condition. It’s a double-edged sword because like you’re s afraid to get hope up because you’ve been let down. But it’s also the thing you need. You ha like when when you start losing hope, and I and I’ve been at that point, it just gets incredibly dark. ⁓ and incredibly scary. so I I think that was part of it. I just wouldn’t allow it. It was the financial part. I you’re right. You only have so many shots out of the bow. But it was also like if it doesn’t work and I am depleted financially you know, I don’t like that that brings me to a a level of hopelessness I I’m not sure I can confront. BIll Gasiamis (12:53) Yeah. And then in order to get back up, you’re getting back up, you’re financially depleted, you’re energetically depleted, your health is depleted. And it’s like, my God, that is a that is like the lowest place that you can find yourself and to get back up is a lot harder. And yet people have still done that, but I know the task is harder. I’ve been in a similar sort of situation. Brad Pitzele (13:12) Yeah. We all love we all love reading that inspirational story. No one wants to live it if they can avoid it, I’ll tell you. Understanding Oxygen Therapy and Its Mechanism BIll Gasiamis (13:23) Avoid it. Yeah, a hundred percent. ⁓ so so you’ve tried all this stuff, you’re unwell, and then somebody says to you, try oxygen. Now, what I imagine when I hear oxygen is get a can from the local gas supplier, ⁓ pop pot in a tube, put it on the back of your chair, wheelchair. You know, I’ve seen a lot of older guys who have got it, and then they’ve got oxygen attached to their face and they’re breathing in oxygen. What specifically did your doctor tell you to get and if you didn’t get what he suggested, like w what did it look like for you? Brad Pitzele (14:00) Yeah, so the challenge with bottled oxygen is number one, it’s almost impossible to get. number two is when you exercise, you can take in a massive amount of oxygen, and that’s part of what makes the the therapy really cool. So y you and I sitting here, maybe we’re taking in three liters of oxygen a minute, okay? ⁓ three liters of air a minute, maybe something like that. ⁓ When you’re exercising, you can easily take in 50 or 60 liters. So it’s a massive multiplier. So you need something that’s going to give you a large amount of oxygen. Now, there’s two ways you can get oxygen in your home. One is that bottle you mentioned, and then you’re always refilling it, and you can imagine lugging one of those things around. ⁓ the other way is there’s a device called an oxygen concentrator, and all you do is you plug it into the wall. And it turns the it purifies the oxygen in the room. So, you know, at sea level, the oxygen in the room has 21% oxygen and it can purify it to 93%. Now, the challenge with these devices is they put out either five or ten liters of oxygen in a minute. So not enough to exercise with. If you were to try to exercise with it, you would also be sucking in this air at 21% and diluting it. ⁓ and so what you do is you take this device and you fill a large reservoir, it’s about a thousand liters, ⁓ and you fill it up. using this device and then you hook up a hose with a mask on it and then you breathe through the mask while you do a fifteen minute exercise session. BIll Gasiamis (15:41) Okay. A reservoir, ⁓ water tank. Oxygen Toxicity Explained Brad Pitzele (15:45) It well it it’s like it looks like a big pillow. So it’s like six you know, two meters by two meters, sort of ⁓ big pillow, six feet by six feet for us still on Imperial. And you fill it up so a thousand liters and it’s you know it’s it’s thin film and so it’s not a a rigid body of something, and then yeah, it’s a bag. BIll Gasiamis (16:06) It’s a bag. Like a bagpipe, a massive bagpipe. Brad Pitzele (16:10) There you go. BIll Gasiamis (16:12) Okay. Okay. W I’m sure there’s an image of that, right? We’ll put it on the screen. People can see it while we’re talking about it, trying to work out what it is. Okay. So this thing is something that you accessed and you used specifically for yourself, how many years ago? Brad Pitzele (16:16) Yeah. Yeah. I’ve s I’ve been using it for a decade straight now. BIll Gasiamis (16:33) Okay. This stuff’s been around for about a decade. This Brad Pitzele (16:37) It’s well, the the research on it goes back to the nineteen sixties and seventies. This it’s really fascinating. actually some of the early research goes back to the turn of the ⁓ twentieth century, the nineteen hundreds. So in the early nineteen hundreds, a gentleman named Otto Warburg won a Nobel Prize for proving that he could turn any cancer or any regular cell into a cancerous cell by depriving it of oxygen. ⁓ and so there’s this really well-established linkage between oxygen and cancer. Even today, a ton of research on that. So in the 1960s and 70s, there was a a German physicist and prolific inventor named Manfred von Arden. Now, and he started to want to do research on Otto’s work, and he he actually started doing research on exercising with oxygen as an anti-cancer protocol. And some of the research he found was really fascinating. what without getting overly technical, basically it our circulatory system, obviously, this is really relevant to stroke, ⁓ people deal in strokes, is as you get down into the the end runs of your circulatory system, there’s capillaries and they’re like thinner than a human hair. And this is where your nutrients and your oxygen are actually exchanged with the cell. And what he found is as we age naturally this inflammation builds up on the lining of our capillaries. And it actually causes the capillaries to swell shut so that now none of your red blood cells can get by. Now, I mean, this is how exquisite our body is designed. ⁓ our capillaries are actually thinner than a red blood cell. So under the most healthy of conditions. A red blood cell actually needs to fold up like a taco to get into our capillaries and deliver that oxygen in the last mile of our circulatory system. So any swelling in that capillary can cause a blockage. And now all the cells downstream are not getting oxygen and in a sufficient quantity. And so they kind of go into what they what he kind of referred to as like a brownout, right? Like it’s a low energy state. They’re doing anaerobic respiration to get some energy. Maybe some of the smaller red blood cells might squeak by here and there and give a little bit, but they’re not getting the full oxygen they need. And what he found is by doing this procedure, just a few times he had very elderly people with very inflamed ⁓ capillaries. He was able to re-establish normal blood flow. And the reason is is oxygen is incredibly anti-inflammatory. ⁓ and a lot of research on that we can go into a little bit later. The Importance of Oxygenating Blood Plasma So, number one, it causes this anti-inflammatory reaction inside these inflamed capillaries to reopen them. But it also does something really amazing that he discovered is when you’re doing this procedure, ⁓ it causes the oxygen to not just attach to our red blood cells like it always does, but it also saturates our blood plasma, which is this clearish liquid that our red blood cells ride on. And Our blood plasma is a thousand times thinner than a red blood cell. So if you imagine these blockages, red blood cells are not getting through, but obviously the blood plasma can get through as long as it’s like as thin as water. So as long as there’s any opening there, and it can immediately deliver oxygen downstream, both to cause an anti-inflammatory impact in the capillaries, but also to all those cells that are starving. And so you can obviously, as we’re talking through this, you can kind of see how this fits folks who are dealing with various different strokes ⁓ and how that can help them as well. BIll Gasiamis (20:32) Yeah. Okay. I d before we spoke I did a little bit of research and found ⁓ as well that there’s some there’s a lot of relevant data with regards to oxygen and ⁓ increasing the oxygenation in the blood. you so tell me a little bit about oxygen. I I don’t understand exactly what that is. I’ve heard of people becoming ill. Because of too much oxygen, ⁓ ill because of not enough oxygen. So what is what what is becoming ill of too much oxygen and why is ninety nine percent saturation not that? Brad Pitzele (21:18) Yeah, yeah. ⁓ good question. So oxygen toxicity can occur if you get too much oxygen under certain circumstances. So if you’re in a hyperbaric chamber too long, it can cause oxygen toxicity. And basically that’s when oxygen gets trapped in your bloodstream and it can’t get out. and You can actually get it without hyperbaric. So hyperbaric is oxygen under pressure. You can get it at normal barracks. So if you were just sitting on the couch breathing oxygen, you could eventually get oxygen toxicity. Now, it would take over twenty-four hours. So if you were breathing just pure oxygen, no exercise, sitting on your couch for 24 plus hours, it starts to get into the risky zone. When you’re doing exercise with oxygen, that’s actually one of the cool things about it that because of the synergies of exercise and oxygen, it’s impossible to get oxygen toxicity for two reasons. one is that reservoir is only a thousand liters. it’s not a high enough dose that you could get a oxygen toxicity. It is a massive dose, it’s about the same amount of oxygen you take in in a day, and you can take it in in 15 minutes, but it’s not more than. And the second reason, even if we could make our reservoir 10x, 100x, and you could exercise nonstop, you still couldn’t get oxygen toxicity because when you’re exercising, your body produces a massive amount of carbon dioxide gas. And that goes into our bloodstream and it increases pressure in our circulatory system. And that actually forces the oxygen out of the circulatory system and into the cells. So it works as a protectant as well from oxygen toxicity. So that’s oxygen toxicity. It’s a real risk. ⁓ Most of the time it’s a very controllable risk. You know, if you’re doing hyperbaric, they’re gonna keep you in there for so long so that you’re not gonna be at risk generally. ⁓ if you’re assigned to do oxygen while you’re stationary at home, they have protocols to make sure you’re not doing it, you know, twenty-eight hours nonstop sort of thing. ⁓ or they have you wear a cannula where where you’re also taking in air and it’s diluting it. ⁓ and in exercised oxygen therapy, it’s not really possible because of the massive amount of carbon dioxide. ⁓ now, not enough oxygen. So if you if you want to measure your oxygen in your blood, the way they normally do it is a device called the pulse oximeter. You can get one for 20 bucks off Amazon. What it does is it looks at how much how many of your red blood cells are saturated with oxygen. And what you’re gonna find in most folks. Is it’s close to a hundred percent. It’s ninety-eight percent, it’s ninety-six percent, ninety-seven percent. ⁓ there’s not a lot of room in our blood for more oxygen. So that’s why it’s important that ewak can actually oxygenate our blood plasma. The same with hyperbaric does the exact same thing, it oxygenates our blood plasma. So BIll Gasiamis (24:26) Okay. I think before you go on, that’s the key ingredient. It’s oxygenating the plasma as well. Where where previously you’ve got let’s say ninety seven, ninety eight percent saturation of your red blood cells. What we’re doing is adding that little bit of extra oxygen into the space where the plasma is. That’s kind of the key difference. Brad Pitzele (24:36) Yes. And there’s two reasons why it’s important. so normally, just for comparison, you and I sitting here, maybe 2% of all the oxygen in our blood is in our plasma, so it’s not very much. ⁓ but under these conditions of IWAT and hyperbaric, we can saturate that blood plasma. And it’s important for two reasons. One, obviously, it increases the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood, but that’s the more minor one. The more major one is that the blood plasma can get into let’s just say the nooks and crannies, smaller spaces in our body where inflammation is blocking off access of red blood cells to downstream cells. And so it can deliver a dose of oxygen where it normally is not able to get. BIll Gasiamis (25:40) You you’ve spent a lot of time on this topic by the sound of things. ⁓ and that’s really awesome. So before we talk about how to actually use a device, how to get a device, how to how to behave while you’re using a device, I wanna understand like how Oxygen and Mitochondrial Function Brad Pitzele (25:52) Yeah. BIll Gasiamis (26:02) How you notice the difference in yourself? Because a lot of people ask me what I did in my own stroke recovery. And Brad’s experience is going to be different from the stroke survivor’s experience. My experience was ⁓ I’ve got nothing from the doctors other than let’s monitor your bleed, let’s give you brain surgery. I mean, that’s not nothing. That’s amazing. Like I’m very Brad Pitzele (26:05) Yeah. Yes. BIll Gasiamis (26:31) Grateful for all of that. That removed the the blood vessel that was leaking that was going to potentially kill me. ⁓ so the immediate risk was gone. And then what what I mean I I got nothing is the specialists did their specialty and then I got nothing because they don’t do nutrition, they don’t do exercise, they don’t do meditation, they do brain surgery. And it’s really important for stroke survivors to understand that when you go to a doctor, a neurologist, whoever. Brad Pitzele (26:55) Yeah. BIll Gasiamis (27:00) They do a specific thing, and once they’ve done it, they can’t do anything else. And you need to get over the fact that you ⁓ might feel disappointment at the at that I don’t know where to go next, and they don’t know where to send you. Okay, they’re not trained and they cannot legally send you elsewhere. That’s why you’re kind of on your own. So I did meditation, I did nutrition, I did all this kind of stuff and Brad Pitzele (27:16) Yeah. BIll Gasiamis (27:27) Somebody who’s interviewed you is Dave Asprey. I would I’ve been following Dave Asprey and a whole bunch of other guys ⁓ probably since around 2012, 2013. And what I learned was how do I reduce the inflammation in my brain? And I had that one area of inquiry, the one area of inquiry that I could personally impact positively by taking out inflammatory foods from my diet. And before that it was, you know, ⁓ processed white bread, it was alcohol, it was cigarettes, ⁓ it was all the stuff that you get in a packet that doesn’t really help to nourish the body, right? So I went back to basics. We’ll call it just for the simplicity of the explanation, we’ll call it protein, ⁓ vegetables and basic carbohydrates like rice or potato. And then what I found was that inflammation decreased, and that was a game changer in how I experienced my brain. And it was a game changer in how quickly I improved neurologically. But just so that people know, it wasn’t the be all end all, it didn’t remove the damaged cells that still are in my head that mean I experienced my the left side of my body in a completely different way than my right side. I’ve got numbness, proprioception issues. I’ve got ⁓ tingling, I’ve got burning, I’ve got ⁓ spasticity, you know, the muscles are tight. So all that stuff is still there. But I have a better experience of the rest of my body and brain because of the things that I took out. But what I didn’t have was the link between exercise, which I do, light exercise, because I’m a stroke survivor. I can’t. use the left side of my body like I used to. so I would do exercise ⁓ like riding an electric bike because it’s easier to pedal, like walking and like doing very light weights at the gym. ⁓ but I didn’t have that oxygen part of the the therapy. And that’s kind of why I interviewed the guys about hyperbaric to understand how oxygen supports how mimicking i a hypoxic brain in the chamber supports ⁓ so how how does like what’s the next part like how does that support the brain to heal let’s give stroke survivors an understanding so that they can kind of grasp that I know we spoke about how oxygen gets into the ⁓ into the red blood cell we spoke about how it gets into the plasma but like Brad Pitzele (30:15) Yeah. BIll Gasiamis (30:20) Why is that the next step? Brad Pitzele (30:21) What’s it too? Yeah. It’s a good question. I think you’re right. I you know, we don’t I will say we don’t try to go out and pitch like exercise with oxygen therapy is a panacea or it’s everything for everyone. Even the name of our company, ⁓ one thousand roads, is about paying homage to everyone’s own healing journey and recognizing everyone’s unique journey. So I’ll say that, but So I’ll say that, but what I found about oxygen was in IWA in particular. What was fascinating to me was for me when I was dealing with Lyme disease, which similar to folks who are dealing with the stroke, there’s a variety of different symptoms and s from different causes. And I was trying to treat all these things with different protocols, different supplements that and I found that when I started digging into oxygen, I was shocked at how many of them came back to it. So when you have A stroke, often there’s a lot of ⁓ emerging research about mitochondrial dysfunction. And this is interestingly, mitochondrial dysfunction. Now ten years ago when I was researching it, no one heard of it or cared about it. And it’s really burst onto the scene because you’re gonna find it ⁓ At the heart of so many chronic health conditions, right? ⁓ you’re gonna it’s actually they’re looking at it in cancers, ⁓ chronic illnesses of all sorts, Alzheimer’s, all sorts of cognitive and ⁓ autoimmune conditions, etc., etc. So ⁓ you have this disrupted mitochondria, right? So there was a period of time when your cells were not getting enough energy, whether it was a hemorrhagic stroke and Blood wasn’t being delivered to those cells, so no nutrients, no oxygen, or an ischemic stroke where they were just cut off ⁓ because of a clot or whatnot. And so they were not getting nutrients. In each of these cases, what happens immediately when the cell runs out of oxygen, like I was talking about that brownout, it goes from aerobic respiration to anaerobic respiration. And anaerobic respiration, ⁓ it’s It only can produce 5% of the energy as aerobic. So the cell is in a low energy state, which is the first problem, which means it doesn’t have energy to repair, it doesn’t have energy to take out the trash, detoxify. so it’s kind of stuck. But also ⁓ it creates a lot of metabolic waste. So it creates lactic acid, it creates free radicals, all these things produce more inflammation, like you were talking about. So Now we’ve got these mitochondria, which are dysfunctional. They don’t have the energy to repair. They don’t have the energy to take out all these dead cells or ⁓ you know, all these other byproducts of the immune system and the natural kind of response to this damage, which then leaves more of it hanging around to produce more damage, and they’re producing more damage themselves. So it’s kind of like this swirl, and it’s ⁓ you know, it’s a downward swirl, if you will. ⁓ so When you can re-oxygenate the mitochondria, the first thing you’re doing is you’re giving them the energy to do whatever it is they need to do. ⁓ and that can be the immediate like feeling sharper, like, ⁓ I feel like I can get my thoughts together quicker. ⁓ it can be, ⁓ I feel like I’m more in control of my emotions. And I I don’t feel like sometimes I have a disproportionate emotional response to something. It can be I I don’t have that brain fog. ⁓ you know, that sort of thing. Or I literally have energy. So our brain actually consumes like 20% of all the oxygen in our body. And it’s only like two percent of the mass. So it’s like punching 10x its weight, right? So when your body starts running low on oxygen, it starts conserving. And the one of the things it tells you to do is like cool it, like stop using your muscles. You’re tired. You need to just sit there and veg out. BIll Gasiamis (34:06) Mm-hmm. Brad Pitzele (34:27) while our mitochondria try to catch up. And so that’s often that chronic fatigue that folks with a variety of health conditions, including stroke, feel, which is their bodies like, stop using energy, we don’t have enough. We need to redeploy it for something else more pressing. And so When you can reestablish normal oxygenation, it improves energy. ⁓ it improves sleep, it improves memory. and the the cells have energy to start repairing and detoxifying. ⁓ and then obviously I always think it’s cool because we’re pairing it with oc with exercise. And there’s so much research on the benefits of exercise. You mentioned it was so important, Bill, in in your healing journey. And you know, we know how important exercise is for a stroke survivor. Well, now we’re pairing it with oxygen and we’re using that exercise to catapult more of that oxygen around the body through the circulatory system while your blood vessels are dilated and opening up. So if you’re still dealing with blockages in your microcirculation, which most stroke survivors are. You’re opening them as wide as they they naturally can at that moment, and that’s when we’re feeding more oxygen to them. So it works it kind of hand in hand in that respect. BIll Gasiamis (35:48) All right. Now one glitch. Stroke survivors often are struggling to get into the physical recovery, right? Because the body goes offline, one of the legs doesn’t work, one of the arms doesn’t work. It’s a real challenge, right? So how how can we benefit from that even though we are at just after the acute phase where there is not a lot of capability for Brad Pitzele (36:00) Yes. It’s perfect. Yeah. BIll Gasiamis (36:17) physicality and I I say that so that the stroke survivors listening know that what I’m leading to is that early on it’s probably harder to do ⁓ physical therapy, exercise, et cetera. But again, with time and hope, all of those things can improve. Right. So I I wanna put that out there for stroke survivors, but also like it’s a can it’s a it’s a constraint. Brad Pitzele (36:48) Yeah. And you know, because a lot of our customers are dealing with chronic illness, this is a question that’s not uncommon is like, yeah, but I can’t I’m not out here to run a mile, Brad. I’m like eighty years old and I’m sick or whatever it is. The really ⁓ the really cool thing about ⁓ Ewatt is that it will meet you where you are at. So there is something all of us can do. The goal is to increase your heart rate and your circulation. Cost and Accessibility of Oxygen Therapy Devices and breathe the oxygen. So there’s a few ways you can do it. you know, it doesn’t have to be banging it out on a treadmill trying to get your seven minute mile. ⁓ you don’t need to do that. We have folks, you know, depending on where they are, you can start with slow walking on a treadmill. You can start with calisthenics. You can start with stretching. ⁓ gentle aerobics in your living room. You can start by, you know, lifting weights. You could be sitting and lifting weights with the the hand that’s not. We have folks, and this is probably not so much for ⁓ stroke survivors, but maybe jumping on a ⁓ a rebounder, like a little trampoline if you’ve got the balance one with the handle. ⁓ we have people using under-the-desk pedal bikes, the ones you can get for $49 on Amazon while you’re sitting. BIll Gasiamis (38:03) Beautiful. Brad Pitzele (38:04) while you’re sitting in a chair. And then for the folks who can’t do any of that, we have we even have them doing what I call passive Ewatt, which is they will breathe the oxygen while they get in like a an infrared ⁓ sauna blanket. So infrared sauna will increase your heart rate. And so you will get some benefit out of it. And what normally happens, the the really cool thing about exercising with oxygen is The first thing folks notice, the very first benefit most folks notice when they start doing is the exercise is easier. So I always describe this like if you were ⁓ jogging on a treadmill at, I don’t know, pick a number, you know, four miles an hour and you put the mask on, you wouldn’t feel like you were getting the same exercise at four miles an hour. You you crank it up to four and a half, and then later you crank it up more. And Your endurance actually improves much more quickly than if you were just doing exercise alone. ⁓ and there’s a ton of actually research on you know Olympic athletes using it for performance enhancement, which is not what we’re using for in this, but it’s kind of a nice little side effect. So we have folks who come to us who who are out of condition. We’re not talking about the physical disabilities, but out of condition, we’re like, I couldn’t do. And they’re shocked at what they’re doing and they come back and tell us in three months, look what I’m doing, sort of thing. ⁓ But it will meet you where you’re at. So if you want to do passive Ewatt, you can do that for a while as you’re working and as you start to feel better. Then maybe you’re using the under desk pedal bike. And as you’re getting your balance back and feeling better, maybe it’s a a real stationary bike later or walking on a treadmill and so on and so forth. ⁓ the goal isn’t to bust hump and like try to, you know, get a new record. As a matter of fact, I find that for most folks that sets you back. You wanna kind of you wanna do within an envelope that you’re comfortable with because If we work out too hard, also we set ourselves back because in most chronic health conditions and in stroke, additionally, we talked about this fatigue that’s due to an energy deficit. So if you go out there and overwork, you’re just putting your body in more of a deficit and potentially putting it in more of an inflammatory environment. And we’re trying to do this at a level that’s in you know anti-inflammatory and helping you recover. BIll Gasiamis (40:30) I love that. I love your whole explanation. So in my what I was hoping was you were gonna say that I could just sit there and almost do nothing ⁓ as a stroke survivor, where I’m completely in in just, you know, like week three of the acute after the acute phase, and fatigue is a massive issue and energy is a massive issue, and I’m barely able to stay awake, ⁓ and all of that stuff. And then ⁓ you could do just I hope you I was hoping you were gonna say, But you said the equivalent of ⁓ chair yoga, you know, where all I had to do was just move an arm or move a leg and do something just to get me physically going and then it would benefit. That’s what I love about it. The under-the-leg pedal bike, ⁓ under-the-desk pedal bike is one of the best things because you can strap in your leg with the deficits if you have a leg that has deficits, and you can do all the or the majority of the pedaling with the other leg, which is strapped in. Brad Pitzele (41:07) Mm. BIll Gasiamis (41:29) And you don’t you’re not gonna fall over ’cause you sit in in a chair. ⁓ probably you’re doing it inside your house so the the temperature, the weather is always perfect and ⁓ and you don’t have to door for long, right? You only have to door for a few minutes to start with. Brad Pitzele (41:45) And you’re pulling that other leg around and it’s starting to fire inside here and rebuild those connections. And and as you know, exercise increases ⁓ brain drive neurotrophic factor, which is a growth factor in our brain for BIll Gasiamis (41:51) Mm. Brad Pitzele (42:00) neuroplasticity. So you’re getting you’re getting all of these benefits. So you to your point, for someone who’s if it’s my right leg’s not working and I’m strapped in and my left leg’s doing it, my right leg is firing and it’s firing those neurons at the exact time you have that B D N F as it’s called. So BIll Gasiamis (42:17) BDNF’s amazing. And I also interviewed ⁓ recently a gentleman who ⁓ had spoken about ⁓ Jack Clifford on episode 402 who spoke about kind of ⁓ a protocol that enables you to regenerate blood vessels around the area that’s injured ⁓ to increase the oxygenation and the blood flow ⁓ to potentially those areas where ⁓ brain is offline, not dead. ⁓ so all of these things, ⁓ the previous episode that I recorded with Jack, your episode right now, like all are things that you can do that support brain health, brain recovery, ⁓ overcoming all the some of the challenges that stroke causes. And what I love about this specifically is that you can do it from your house. and you don’t have to go anywhere, but there is a cost. So let’s talk about the cost a little bit because I I want to mention it because of the massive difference to hyperbaric, which can cost up to sixty grand if you go on the right protocol. And ⁓ that’s unattainable for most people, let alone a stroke survivor who just lost their ability to earn ⁓ and may not have sixty grand to splash. Brad Pitzele (43:48) Yeah. BIll Gasiamis (43:48) ⁓ so what is the cost of getting a machine, setting it up and putting it in your house? Brad Pitzele (43:54) Yeah. So we sell two different machines. ⁓ we have one machine that’s eighteen hundred and ninety-nine dollars and the other one that’s twenty-four ninety-nine. ⁓ that’s everything you need to get going other than the exercise equipment. and the machines last a long, long time. I think I You know, I think we actually we’ve been in business since 2018 and we had our first customer come back and tell us they wore out their machine like this year. So I have to stop saying we’ve never had one wore wear out yet. So we’ve had one. ⁓ so it it’s one of I think that’s one of the things that’s great about it is it’s something you can do in your house. It’s something that doesn’t take a lot of time. When I was dealing with my chronic health issue, I was joke around about the ceremonies of counting pills and doing this modality and doing that. And they all in stroke survivors, I think, recognize the same thing. It starts to crowd out your life. And then eventually you kind of throw your hands up. You’re like, I it might be helping, but I just don’t have four hours a day for all this stuff. Like I just I need to go on and and live my life too. So it’s something that ⁓ it’s 15 minutes. You do it three to five times a week in your home. ⁓ it’s a one time expense and then it’s you know, it’s something you’ll have for many, many years. BIll Gasiamis (45:12) I love it. Where are you located? Brad Pitzele (45:15) We’re in a Dallas, Texas area. BIll Gasiamis (45:17) Okay. And are these things easy to get and distribute throughout the United States and other places in the world? I don’t know I’ve never heard of it before. So are there other people around who who sell a product that’s similar or can you access them easily? Brad Pitzele (45:35) Well, we do ship worldwide. ⁓ we ship with US power, so people get a power converter we’ve sold to the UK, to Australia, to all over Europe, Asia, ⁓ South America, ⁓ and of course across North America as well. So ⁓ they’re readily accessible. Kind of our mission was You know, when the doctor asked me if I’d make him first patients, I I I I thought about what you were saying about how like spending sixty grand to find out if something’s gonna work. And I felt like I was taking advantage a lot when I was very ill. So we wanted to make something that was accessible to people who are chronically ill. They might not have the ability to earn money. They’re on a fixed in like I have a I guess a deep personal experience and empathy there sort of thing. So ⁓ that’s yeah. So we ship worldwide. BIll Gasiamis (46:27) Yeah. If somebody wanted to reach out to you just to get more information, to have a chat with you, to look at your website, where would they go? Brad Pitzele (46:35) They would go to 1000roads.com slash stroke recovery. We do. And you can find it at the bottom of that webpage, but it’s 1000 Roads HQ. BIll Gasiamis (46:42) And you have a YouTube channel. Okay. What kind of ⁓ things can people find on the YouTube channel? Brad Pitzele (46:56) you can find everything about protocols, benefits, ⁓ how to use it. ⁓ we hit have some customer testimonials and parts of that. ⁓ just talking about the science of it, people’s experience with it, et cetera, et cetera, different use reasons people use it. BIll Gasiamis (47:17) I think it’s very important to bring information like this to stroke survivors so that they can access things in their own home that’s going to make their life better. I wrote a book, The Unexpected Way That a Stroke Became the Best Thing That Happened, for the explicit reason to give people like a path forward, a journey forward as to how to ⁓ s how to kind of obtain the silver lining in stroke recovery. And when I wrote it ⁓ in 2018, when I started writing it, something like that, 2018, 2019, I was lacking a lot of the extra pieces that I could put into ⁓ the mindset chapter, for example, or the exercise chapter, or, you know, the nutrition chapter. And In the last five or six years, I’ve been picking up those pieces to sort of attach to those chapters because they’re really relevant. And with the exercise chapter, I think this protocol was the one thing that was missing because I made the point of how important exercise was. I didn’t make the point of how you can exercise and get more bang for your buck during that exercise by Increasing the amount of oxygen that you were getting into your ⁓ bloodstream. How would I have known that if I hadn’t come across the science, which I hadn’t? Plus, there’s only so much you can put in each chapter, but this is the perfect addition. Like, and I love it. So I can go on and on about how much I think this is amazing. Brad, I really ⁓ want to thank you for reaching out and joining me on the podcast. Thanks for the work that you do. I’m glad that you’ve been able to get your health back and now you’re helping other people. Brad Pitzele (49:06) Thank you so much, Bill. I appreciate you having me on. BIll Gasiamis (49:08) Well, that’s it for another episode of the Recovery After Stroke podcast. I hope you enjoyed this episode. Might be worth listening to it again. The science here is worth sitting with, oxygenating the blood plasma, reopening inflamed microcapillaries, giving mitochondria what they need to shift out of that low energy state. And the fact that it can be done at home at a fraction of the cost of hyperbaric oxygen therapy makes it worth knowing about. If you want to learn more, or explore the equipment, head to 1000Roads.com Stroke Recovery. Brad has arranged a discount for listeners of this show of between one and 500 dollars, depending on the package you choose. This episode pairs well with the episode 402 with Jack Clifford, which covers a protocol for regenerating blood vessels around the injured area of the brain. The two conversations complement each other. Worth going back to if you haven’t heard it yet. Now, if this episode was useful, please share it with someone who could benefit. And my book, The Unexpected Way That a Stroke Became, the Best Thing That Happened, is available at recoveryafterstroke dot com slash book. And if you’d like to support the show financially, I would love it if you could. You can go and do that via patreon.com/slash recovery after stroke. I’m Bill Garciamas. Thanks for listening. See you on the next episode. The post Brad Pitzele – How Exercise With Oxygen Therapy Brings Hyperbaric-Style Benefits Home appeared first on Recovery After Stroke.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT): Beyond the Bends—Wounds, Stroke Recovery, Radiation Injury, and Performance. Nicole Garrett, founder and COO of Under Pressure Hyperbarics, details hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). She explains how HBOT treats divers' decompression sickness by recompressing nitrogen bubbles and reducing inflammation, and how therapeutic benefits depend on reaching adequate pressure (commonly around 2.0 atmospheres or more; diver treatment may begin at 2.8). Garrett describes HBOT's history, FDA-approved uses such as diabetic wound healing, radiation injury, and sudden sensorineural hearing loss (often combined with steroids), and off-label use for stroke/TBI recovery, cognitive issues, autoimmune flares, Crohn's disease, athletic recovery, anti-aging research (including telomere findings), and adjunctive cancer care. She contrasts “soft” chambers with higher-pressure medical chambers, discusses treatment courses (often 10–60 sessions), safety and contraindications (ears, pneumothorax, retinal bubble procedures), and practical barriers like cost, insurance coverage, and facility/oxygen regulations.

Can Stroke Recovery Happen Years Later? The Griffith University Etanercept Trial Answers If you caught my recent video about UCLA's discovery of the first stroke rehabilitation drug that rebuilds brain connections in mice, you know the incredible excitement it generated. If you missed it, the link is in the description below. It's definitely worth a watch. Because of the huge response and the many messages from stroke survivors asking for more real recovery options, I wanted to take a deeper look at another breakthrough: The Griffith University study on using a drug called etanercept to help stroke survivors, not just weeks after a stroke, but even years later. And trust me, the results are eye-opening. Today, I'll walk you through what the study found, how it was set up, what it means for all of us, and where things are heading next. What Was the Study About? Researchers at Griffith University in Australia asked a bold and important question: Can etanercept help stroke survivors still living with chronic pain and movement problems, even many years after their stroke? They weren't looking for tiny improvements – they wanted to see fast, meaningful, life-changing results. This study wasn't designed for people who have just left the hospital. It was for survivors who had had their strokes at least six months ago, with some having had strokes over 15 years earlier. Why Did They Do It? Chronic post-stroke pain, or CPSP, is one of the most devastating outcomes of a stroke. It's not just muscle pain. It's deep nerve pain, constant, burning pain that regular medications like oxycodone or pregabalin often can't touch. Researchers now understand that this ongoing pain is often caused by inflammation in the brain, specifically driven by a chemical called TNF-alpha. Etanercept is a drug that's been used safely for over 20 years to treat arthritis and autoimmune conditions because it blocks TNF-alpha. The Griffith team wanted to test whether using etanercept to block brain inflammation could unlock recovery, even years after a stroke. How Was the Trial Set Up? This wasn't a casual or loose experiment – it was a carefully designed, professional clinical trial. Here's how it worked: 26 stroke survivors participated. Ages ranged from 30 to 80 years old. Strokes had occurred 6 months to 15 years earlier. Every participant had moderate to severe daily pain (rated between 4 and 8 out of 10). All had hemiparesis, or weakness on one side of the body. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups: One group received etanercept injections. The other group received placebo injections (just sterile saltwater). Each person received two treatments: One on Day 1 Another on Day 14 The injections were given near the neck in the perispinal space, allowing the drug to travel quickly to the brain. What Were They Measuring? The researchers focused on solid, measurable outcomes: Pain levels – using a 0–100 scale combined with a faces pain chart. Shoulder movement – measuring how far participants could lift their weaker arm. Sensation – testing for improvements in feeling hot, cold, and pressure. Cognition and fatigue – although big changes weren't expected here. Participants were monitored closely for 30 days after their first injection. What Happened? Here's what the trial revealed: Pain Relief 70% of the participants in the etanercept group experienced significant pain improvements. Pain levels dropped by an average of 24 points out of 100. 3 out of 10 participants experienced near-complete pain relief — often within 30 to 60 minutes of their first treatment! Meanwhile, the placebo group showed almost no change. Mobility Gains 9 out of 10 participants in the etanercept group regained more shoulder movement. 6 regained at least 60 degrees of motion. 3 participants fully regained 180 degrees — meaning full overhead shoulder motion. Sensory Improvements Many participants began to feel heat, cold, and pressure better on their affected side — a strong sign that nerve function was returning. Side Effects Only one major side effect was reported: one participant developed shingles and had to withdraw from the study. No other serious adverse events were recorded. What Does It Mean? If these results hold up in larger, longer studies: Stroke survivors could have a real option for reducing chronic pain and restoring lost movement. It could dramatically lower reliance on heavy opioid medications. Most excitingly, it shows that the brain may still be capable of healing years after a stroke — if inflammation is correctly targeted. However, it's important to remember: This was a small trial. Etanercept is not yet officially approved for stroke recovery. And the treatment doesn't work for everyone. But it's a huge, hopeful step forward. A Word About Dr. Tobinick It's important to acknowledge someone who helped make all this possible: Dr. Edward Tobinick. Dr. Tobinick was the first to use perispinal etanercept for stroke survivors back in the early 2000s. He was featured on 60 Minutes Australia in 2011, showing stunning recoveries that few thought were possible. Despite facing skepticism, lack of pharmaceutical company support, and high treatment costs, Dr. Tobinick kept pushing forward. Without his work, many stroke survivors wouldn't even know this therapy existed. You can find the link to that original 60 Minutes interview in the description. What's Next? Because of all the interest from our community, I'm reaching out to researchers at the Florey Institute in Australia. They’re currently working on new therapies for stroke recovery, and I'll update you on: Where their research stands What new options might become available And how close we are to real-world treatments for stroke survivors Stay tuned, as soon as I hear back, I'll share everything with you. Want to Dive Deeper? If you’d like to read the full Griffith University study, the link is in the description. The brilliant researchers behind this study include: Dr. Stephen J. Ralph Dr. Andrew Weissenberger Dr. Ventzislav Bonev Dr. Adrienne Goodman-Jones, and others from Griffith University and partner institutions. They deserve real recognition for pushing this research forward. Final Thoughts If you found this article helpful, Please subscribe, comment, and share this post with someone who might need hope today. And if you're listening on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, please leave a review. It helps more stroke survivors find this channel and this growing community. The post Etanercept and Stroke Recovery: Breakthrough Griffith Trial Results You Need to Hear appeared first on Recovery After Stroke.

A team including Takashi Shichita, a professor at the Institute of Science Tokyo's Medical Research Laboratory, has developed a drug candidate to suppress a type of protein that causes the rehabilitation-induced partial recovery of motor functions lost from a stroke to end after only about two months.

CoQ10 and Stroke Recovery: What the Science Actually Shows Your brain is the most energy-hungry organ in your body. It accounts for roughly 2% of your body weight but consumes about 20% of all the energy you produce. One of the key molecules driving that energy, CoQ10, quietly declines from your 30s onwards. For stroke survivors navigating fatigue, cognitive changes, and the long arc of recovery, that raises an obvious question: could supplementing with CoQ10 actually help? This mini-episode examines the peer-reviewed evidence — not marketing copy, not supplement industry claims, but what clinical research actually shows. What Is CoQ10 and Why Does It Matter After a Stroke? Coenzyme Q10, also known as CoQ10, or ubiquinol in its active form, is a molecule your body produces naturally. It lives primarily in the mitochondria, the energy-producing structures inside your cells, where it plays two roles: generating ATP (the cellular energy currency everything in your biology runs on) and acting as a powerful antioxidant that neutralises free radicals. When a stroke occurs, whether ischemic or hemorrhagic, the brain undergoes what is called ischemia-reperfusion injury. Blood flow is cut off, then restored. That restoration triggers inflammation and a surge of oxidative stress. Mitochondria in neurons start failing. Cells die not just from the original event but from the metabolic fallout that follows. CoQ10 goes directly to the site of that problem. If levels can be sustained or supplemented adequately, the theory is that it could reduce the secondary damage unfolding in the hours, days, and weeks after stroke. What Does the Clinical Research Actually Show? A landmark 2025 review published in the journal Nutrients analysed 12 animal studies and 8 human randomised controlled trials examining CoQ10’s effects on the brain. The findings are genuinely mixed, which is exactly what honest science looks like. In animal models, the evidence is consistent and compelling. Across Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and epilepsy models, CoQ10 supplementation produced meaningful improvements in cognitive function via reduced oxidative stress, decreased neuroinflammation, increased ATP production in the hippocampus, and reductions in amyloid plaque burden. In humans, the picture is more complex. Of the 8 human RCTs reviewed, 4 showed evidence of benefit in specific conditions. In Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, frontal lobe cognitive function improved significantly. In Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, 150mg daily for 8 to 12 weeks improved working memory and reduced oxidative stress markers. In one Parkinson’s trial combining CoQ10 with creatine, cognitive improvements were measured at 12 and 18 months. However, trials in Alzheimer’s disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment showed no significant cognitive benefit, even at high doses. There is also an unresolved question: whether supplemental CoQ10 can cross the blood-brain barrier in meaningful quantities. Indirect pathways improved cerebral blood flow, reduced systemic inflammation, and may account for observed effects rather than direct brain-level action. What This Means for Stroke Survivors The honest assessment: the research supports a biologically plausible mechanism. CoQ10 is depleted by the conditions that cause and follow stroke. Supplementation shows real benefit in some neurological conditions. Animal evidence is consistently positive. But large-scale human RCTs specifically in stroke populations are still limited. Two practical points worth raising with your treating team before starting CoQ10: Form matters. Ubiquinol (the reduced form) has significantly higher bioavailability than standard ubiquinone, particularly important for older adults whose absorption is lower. Drug interactions. CoQ10 can reduce the anticoagulant effect of warfarin, a medication many stroke survivors take. It may also amplify blood-pressure-lowering effects of antihypertensive medications. Take the research, not the marketing, to your neurologist or GP. Ask whether it is appropriate, given your specific stroke type and current medications, what dose the evidence supports, and how long a reasonable trial period looks like. For more evidence-based tools and conversations with people who have walked this road, Bill’s book is a good place to start: https://recoveryafterstroke.com/book Support the community on Patreon: https://patreon.com/recoveryafterstroke This blog is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Please consult your doctor before making any changes to your health or recovery plan. The post CoQ10 and Stroke Recovery: What the Science Actually Shows appeared first on Recovery After Stroke.

EECP Therapy and Stroke Recovery: Can a Cardiac Treatment Help Grow New Blood Vessels? When I first heard about EECP therapy in the context of stroke recovery, I was skeptical. It’s a cardiac device approved in Australia for stable angina and congestive heart failure. Stroke is not on the label. So why are we talking about it on a stroke recovery podcast? Because the mechanism is fascinating. And the research, while still emerging, is pointing somewhere worth paying attention to. In this episode, I sat down with Jack Clifford, a heart disease patient who discovered EECP therapy and began exploring its potential beyond its approved indications. What started as a cardiac conversation quickly became one of the most scientifically interesting discussions I’ve had on the show. What Is EECP Therapy? EECP stands for Enhanced External Counterpulsation. The treatment involves a set of pneumatic cuffs fitted around the calves, thighs, and buttocks. These cuffs inflate and deflate in precise synchrony with the heartbeat, inflating during the heart’s resting phase (diastole) to push blood back toward the heart, and deflating just before the heart contracts. The result is an increase in blood flow and a specific type of fluid shear stress on blood vessel walls. It’s that shear stress that makes things interesting. The Biology: Arteriogenesis and Angiogenesis To understand why EECP therapy might be relevant to stroke survivors, you need to understand two terms: angiogenesis and arteriogenesis. Angiogenesis is the sprouting of entirely new capillary vessels — the body builds small blood channels where none existed before. Arteriogenesis is different: it’s the remodelling of pre-existing, dormant collateral vessels into functional bypass channels. Think of it like upgrading a dirt track into a highway. The track was always there; the body just wasn’t using it. When blood flow is obstructed, whether by a blocked coronary artery or a stroke, the body can, under the right conditions, activate these collateral pathways. The shear stress produced by EECP therapy appears to be one of the triggers that stimulate arteriogenesis. By generating repeated waves of increased blood flow, the treatment creates the mechanical signal that tells blood vessel walls to grow and remodel. This is why cardiac researchers originally developed EECP for heart patients. But it raises a legitimate scientific question: could the same mechanism support blood flow recovery in the brain after stroke? What Does the Research Say? A 2026 meta-analysis published in the QJM: An International Journal of Medicine examined 15 randomized controlled trials involving 506 participants, looking specifically at EECP’s effects on functional outcomes in stroke patients. The results showed statistically significant improvements, with EECP outperforming control conditions on standard functional recovery measures. This is preliminary evidence, not a settled clinical consensus. The studies are relatively small, the methodology varies across trials, and EECP remains off-label for stroke in Australia. But for a therapy with a well-understood safety profile and an existing approval framework, 15 studies and 506 participants is not nothing. It’s enough to warrant serious discussion. What I Discussed with Jack Clifford Jack came to EECP as a patient, not a researcher. His experience with heart disease led him to explore the therapy, and he’s spent considerable time understanding the evidence base and connecting with practitioners. He’s not a clinician, and neither am I, but what we can do together is examine what the research actually says, what the mechanism actually is, and what questions remain unanswered. In our conversation, we discussed: How Jack first encountered EECP therapy and what led him to investigate it further The difference between approved and off-label use, and why that distinction matters What the shear stress mechanism actually looks like in practice The existing network of EECP practitioners and how stroke survivors might access the therapy The questions both of us still have about where the research needs to go Important Disclaimers   EECP therapy is approved in Australia by the TGA for stable angina pectoris and congestive heart failure (ARTG Entry 376470). Stroke is NOT an approved indication. This article and podcast episode are not medical advice. Speak with your treating physician before pursuing any treatment. This episode is not medical advice. It is a conversation about an area of emerging research that I find scientifically credible and worth understanding. The goal is to help you ask better questions, not to tell you what treatment to pursue. Where to Learn More ecplocator.com a directory of EECP therapy providers eecpbook.com is a dedicated resource on the treatment and its evidence base recoveryafterstroke.com for stroke survivors looking for a broader community Research cited: Zhao et al. (2026). Enhanced external counterpulsation for ischaemic stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis. QJM: An International Journal of Medicine. DOI: 10.1093/qjmed/hcag010. Therapy and Stroke Recovery: Can a Cardiac Treatment Help Grow New Blood Vessels? Bill Gasiamis sits down with Jack Clifford to explore EECP therapy, a TGA-approved cardiac treatment that may stimulate the growth of new blood vessels. Together, they examine the emerging research on angiogenesis, arteriogenesis, and whether this off-label approach holds promise for stroke survivors seeking to improve blood flow to the brain. Highlights: 00:00 Introduction – EECP Therapy06:06 Recognizing Health Issues and Seeking Help09:50 Hospital Experience and Heart Health12:12 Decisions Against Medical Advice16:28 Exploring Alternative Treatments18:06 Understanding Enhanced External Counter Pulsation (EECP)21:58 The Mechanism of EECP27:03 Personal Transformation Through EECP30:29 Lifestyle Changes and Holistic Health34:35 The Impact of Stress on Health38:30 The Journey of Writing a Book43:29 The Role of EECP in Heart Health48:21 Raising Awareness for EECP Therapy56:05 Exploring the Future of EECP Therapy Transcript: Introduction – EECP Therapy Jack Clifford (00:00)Mine was really severe. 100 % blocked in my widow maker, the left anterior descending. I’m 95 in my left coronary artery and in my right main, I am 80%. And I’m still that way today, but I can run a sub seven mile. Bill Gasiamis (00:16)Welcome to the Recovery After Stroke podcast. I am your host, Bill Gassiamus. Before we get into today’s interview, I need to share something important. The topic we’re exploring today involves a medical device called an EACP, Enhanced External Counterpulsation Machine. In Australia, EACP is registered with the Therapeutic Goods Administration for the treatment of stable angina and congestive heart failure. It is not approved for stroke. What we are discussing today is emerging off-label research, not a treatment recommendation. Everything in this episode is for informational purposes only. This is not medical advice. Please speak with your treating physician before pursuing any treatment, therapy or intervention discussed here. With that said, let’s talk about something that genuinely fascinated me when I started reading the research. Your body has the capacity to grow new blood vessels, not just small capillaries, but to remodel dormant pre-existing channels into functional bypass routes. Scientists call this arteriogenesis. There’s also angiogenesis, the sprouting of entirely new Both processes matter deeply for stroke because stroke is fundamentally a blood flow problem. Now here’s where it gets interesting. A cardiac therapy developed for heart patients, not stroke patients, trigger exactly this kind of vascular remodeling. And in 2026, a meta-analysis published in the QJM across 15 randomized controlled trials and 506 participants found that EECP produced statistically significant improvements in functional outcomes for ischemic stroke patients. Now, that’s not proof. That’s not a green light to go and get an EECP, but it is worth a serious conversation. My guest today is Jack Clifford. Jack is a heart disease patient who discovered EECP therapy while managing his own cardiac condition and who has since spent considerable time investigating its potential. beyond cardiac care. I should tell you, I was skeptical going into this conversation, but I’ve learned that skepticism without curiosity isn’t really skepticism. It’s just closed mindedness. So I read the research and then I sat down with Jack. So if you find this episode valuable, I’d love for you to grab a copy of my book, The unexpected way that a stroke became the best thing that happened at recoveryafterstroke.com/book. And if you want to support the show, you can join Patreon at patreon.com/recoveryafterstroke. And I want to thank everyone who is supporting me on Patreon, especially the people that have been around for a long time and the people who have just recently signed up. I very much appreciate it. And now here’s my conversation with Jack Clifford. Bill Gasiamis (03:19)Welcome to the podcast. Jack Clifford (03:22)Thanks, Bill. Great to be here. Bill Gasiamis (03:24)Let’s give the listeners a bit of a background understanding of why you’re on the podcast. You’re not a stroke survivor, but we have something in common as ⁓ somebody who has been unwell before myself and you in the past. Tell me a little bit about your journey to the podcast So we just kind of give people an understanding as to how it is that somebody who’s not a stroke survivor. Jack Clifford (03:34)We do. Bill Gasiamis (03:51)how we ended up chatting together? Jack Clifford (03:54)Yeah, absolutely. So the quick version here is ⁓ I was on the brink five years ago of having ⁓ unsentable emergency triple bypass surgery. And ⁓ I chose a different path, which we’ll get to. ⁓ But you you have some level of placking if you have a stroke, typically, depends on the stroke, but that’s typically the case. And in my case, I had placking in my coronary arteries. So it resulted in heart disease. Mine was really severe. 100 % blocked in my widow maker, the left anterior descending. ⁓ I’m 95 in my ⁓ left coronary artery and in my right main, I am 80%. And I’m still that way today, but I can run a sub seven mile. I can do some things that a guy that’s as blocked up as that should not theoretically be able to do. ⁓ Bill Gasiamis (04:49)All right. Tell me about life before the injury. What kind of work did you do? How did you go about life? What was generally a day like for you? Jack Clifford (04:59)Yeah. So I’m retired military guy. Um, so, you know, been in the military most of my life, um, retired about 10 years ago, a little over that. And, um, so I’ve always been a pretty fit guy. It wasn’t, you know, it wasn’t a fitness issue per se. Um, and, uh, I, I, I had kind of lost some of my self care because my wife had been going through some real significant medical issues that really required my full attention for quite a while. And because of that, really stopped taking care of myself in the ways I had in the past for about 10 years. And when we had just moved to Florida, I started trying to take care of myself again. And that’s when I discovered all these problems. Bill Gasiamis (05:44)So what does not taking care of yourself look like though? Jack Clifford (05:47)Gotta be in a couch potato and being on my computer way too much research and for ⁓ trying to help my wife get better and hold down a job at the same time and raise a family and all these other things that took the priority off of me in that sense that one should be taking care of themselves, meaning exercising, meaning eating the right foods, so on and Recognizing Health Issues and Seeking Help Bill Gasiamis (06:09)You know, caregivers tend to die before the person they’re caring for much more often. And it’s cause of that reason, right? Because time is really taken up by especially full-time caregiving with somebody’s in the house and they need caregiving. need care. The caregiver tends to neglect themselves in every way, shape and form and tends to ⁓ make it about the other person. And then the other person. Jack Clifford (06:14)I’ve seen that and heard about it. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Bill Gasiamis (06:39)seems to be doing okay, but the caregiver is struggling and doesn’t ask for help and doesn’t go and doesn’t go and get looked after. And then things tend to catch up with them and they become the ⁓ sickest person in that relationship. Jack Clifford (06:55)It’s like that whole put your oxygen mask on first on the airplane type thing, right? Like, you know, we can’t we can’t give what we don’t have to give Bill Gasiamis (07:01)Uh-huh. Yeah. So you, did you notice, did you notice the steady decline in your health? Did you kind of go, I’m not feeling right. I’m a feel a bit sluggish like 10 years down the track, or did it just creep up on you? then you got to this point. Jack Clifford (07:15)It really crept, it really crept. I, you know, like I had initially exercise induced angina, but it wasn’t much exercise that induced the angina. And then it very quickly progressed to trying to walk and getting out of breath and, know, at very basic walking speeds, just moderately paced, you know, anything anybody would do out in your neighborhood. ⁓ Bill Gasiamis (07:39)Did you know that you had an angina? Jack Clifford (07:41)I did, yeah. I didn’t have a big heart attack episode like some people have. I’m 100 % blocked. There’s no heart attack to happen, right? Because the stuff is, I’m so blocked that it’s just a pure blood flow issue. A lot of people don’t understand that that 50 % blockage is a huge risk for a heart attack because you’re gonna burst a plaque and then go from 50 % to 100 % like that. But you know about collaterals. And if you have collaterals in place, the blood’s not getting flowing this way, you’re gonna recruit some lead oval collaterals to be able to just get by with your activities of day living. But if you don’t push yourself, you don’t know that you don’t have enough blood flow to do these other things. Bill Gasiamis (08:22)Okay, so you got to the point where you were so unwell as far as the blood vessels around your heart were so unwell, they were so blocked that angina led to another escalation or something happened that got you to the point where you realized, okay, things are not good. Now, tell me what angina is exactly and what it’s like to have it. How do you experience it? Jack Clifford (08:39)Yeah. yeah, yeah. I’d love to talk about that. Bill. at its most basic, it’s a supply demand mismatch. So, you know, the blood flow that’s supplying your heart ⁓ is adequate for X, Y, or Z activities of daily living. You know, walking around the house, doing the dishes, you might have enough blood flow for that, but you don’t have enough blood flow to go run a mile or even walk potentially, you know, or Hospital Experience and Heart Health but it’s all about supply demand mismatch. And that’s about just the size of the pipes, you know, if they’re clogged up, how clogged up are they? And, know, ⁓ that’s, really it. So, and what it feels like is it’s scary because it feels like a heart attack. all like, what does a heart attack feel like? Well, there’s a thousand different sort of, ⁓ descriptions of it. ⁓ you know, radiating down your arm or nausea or something in your back, but. you know, if it’s right over your heart, it’s unmistakable. And that’s at least my presentation of angina. And I think it was a pretty typical one is, you know, I have this weird kind of deep pain. initially, when I, when I started, you know, run, trying to run and got it, I thought, ⁓ you know, I just pulled a chest muscle weirdly over my heart. You know, I’ll stop and let’s see if it goes away. I come back, you know, no, same thing. Okay. Still not better. Let’s do it again. Another couple of days later, so on and so forth. I was just kidding myself, but I didn’t know anything about the horror at that point. hadn’t had to research all this stuff and do all the deep dive. Bill Gasiamis (10:16)That’s the same crazy logic that stroke survivors put to, I’m feeling weird. I’m dizzy. I’m going to go and lie down. I’m going to rest. It’ll be better later. ⁓ I’m too busy. I’ve got to go to work. ⁓ I’ve even had stroke survivors where somebody’s telling them you maybe you’re having a stroke, you know, just tongue in cheek and they’re like, yeah, no, probably not. ⁓ it’s the same crazy logic that we say about things that are unfamiliar to us that we cannot potentially. Jack Clifford (10:25)Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. Bill Gasiamis (10:46)link to something so serious because we have no knowledge, we’re ignorant, right? Jack Clifford (10:47)Yeah. Well, yeah, I think that’s really part of the key there is like most times with something as sudden as what you’re talking about or what I’m talking about in my instance, because it was pretty, pretty sudden, you know, weeks and months. ⁓ We went from being these, you know, healthy people that felt like we were on top of the world to all of a sudden not. you you didn’t have a frame for what not looked like. ⁓ Bill Gasiamis (11:14)Exactly. Yeah. That’s such an important comment. We don’t have the frame for what not healthy looks like and therefore you don’t know what you don’t know. So you don’t take any action. You just brush it off. Okay. I hear you. All right. We got to the bottom of the stupidity behind a lot of my decisions as well to avoid going to hospital for a week, et cetera, the first time. ⁓ So you end up Jack Clifford (11:24)Exactly. That’s it. Bill Gasiamis (11:43)being really unwell on this particular date. Kind of what is that day like? Explain us. Jack Clifford (11:46)Yeah. Yeah. Decisions Against Medical Advice So I got tight. I, I, I’ve been a biohacker for a while. So that’s probably the only reason I’m here talking to you because I went off the beaten path really far off the beaten path to get to the place where I know what I know and I have to share what I have to share. ⁓ because I’ve been trying to help my wife get better for some significant issues, including a really bad traumatic brain injury. And some other things and doctors didn’t have the answers for those so we had to we had to kind of biohack our way out of some things I was comfortable back. I’m saying that to say my wife got me a Chili pad for my bed because you know been trying to biohack sleep for a while and the colder environments to sleep are you know better to some degree at least in theory ⁓ and so Yeah, correct Bill Gasiamis (12:32)Chili meaning cold, not spicy. Jack Clifford (12:37)Yeah, correct. A chili pad as in the cold. So it’s a device that just, you know, cools your bed off. And so I crank that down to 55. She got it for me for Christmas. So Christmas day Eve, I’m like hopping into bed, like I’m going to sleep really well tonight, you know, and I woke up at four AM like, Oh, you know, I thought that was the big one because it felt that way. I a dead sleep woke me up with, with intense chest pain. And I knew something was going on, you but I was kidding myself. I hadn’t talked to family about it. You know, I hadn’t shared anything about what was going on with anybody. So at this point I’m like, oh my goodness, you know, and I could be dying and have not had, you know, just been an idiot the whole time. So I rushed to the hospital and I didn’t have a heart attack. I just made it so cold that I made my heart work and that supply demand mismatch was happening all night long in my sleep. Bill Gasiamis (13:15)Mm-hmm. Jack Clifford (13:31)And so it got to this, you know, a giant, creeps up, you know, it’s like, can feel it. And then if you push it, you’re like, can really feel it. Well, you know, I woke up out of a dead sleep going from not feeling it when I went to sleep to, to feeling it to the extreme when I woke up. Um, but that’s when they gave me the, uh, the, uh, nuclear stress test with a treadmill test, right in the hospital. And it was, it was really bad. They can’t quantify your blockages with that, but they can tell you that, you know, you’re You’re kind of screwed. And I was like really screwed. Like it was 47, but they said I was one of the worst I’d ever seen. ⁓ yeah. So I had all weekend to think about it, you know, cause I was a Friday, fortunately, and they could, they weren’t going to do the heart catheterization until Monday and the doc, you know, I was signing consent forms for them to do bypass surgery and it was pretty clear that the odds of it getting stented was not really good, but that’s what you hope for. Right. And most people are like, we’ll just get a step. once then in you’re fine. And ⁓ in my case, it wasn’t looking likely. And my mother had had bypass surgery five years before that. And I watched her cognition after the bypass surgery just declined to the point where she’s in memory care now. And she had gone from being this vibrant book author of multiple books and you know, she was a hypnotherapist and she’s helped a lot of people in her life, done a lot of amazing things, but ⁓ she never. she never really came out of the bypass surgery as her whole self and pretty quickly was just completely not herself at all. ⁓ So I wasn’t ready to come back. Now she’s 76. Bill Gasiamis (15:03)How old? How old’s your mom? Yeah. I know with people that are older, ⁓ heart surgery can lead to cognitive decline and there is a link there. There is a number of it’s well researched. It’s a risk. ⁓ not one that you’re probably aware of and that they talk about much, but it definitely is a thing. so, okay. You’re, you’re you go to the hospital. They realize, ⁓ the Jack Clifford (15:15)Mm-hmm. Bill Gasiamis (15:37)charts are not looking good. ⁓ They do the tests. They suggest that what they can offer you is bypass surgery. your, and you’ve got a weekend, think about it and you, and you go home, do they go, do you go home with medication and joining the medications to keep the blood flowing with anything? What do they do? Jack Clifford (15:51)Mm-hmm. Where’d you go? Yeah, such a blessing. No, no, because I was leaving against medical advice so they weren’t going to help me, right? And I actually said to the doc, said, you hey, I’m new here because I just moved a couple of months ago to Florida. And I said, can I come see you? And I didn’t have a cardiologist. I didn’t need one before this. And he says, if you live that long, just walks out. So I was on my own at that point. There was no resources of institutional medicine. I had to go find resources myself. Exploring Alternative Treatments Bill Gasiamis (16:28)Wow. Things are pretty wild in Florida. If you live that long and he walked out. Jack Clifford (16:30)Yeah. Yep. That’s exactly what we said. It’s a very sobering moment for me. Yeah. Bill Gasiamis (16:35)And you walked out. Yeah, and you walked out. Far out, man. So what’s the thinking behind walking out of that? Because I understand ⁓ that there are very few things that, like my situation was different, right? But I’ll give you kind of my thinking behind the, I’m gonna walk out routine. It’s like, there is a part of me that sort of says, I don’t need to subscribe to all that medical stuff, all the nonsense. I wanna try and avoid the medications. I wanna do all of that. Jack Clifford (16:41)Yeah. Yeah. Bill Gasiamis (17:07)That means I’ve got to do some work to get to that point, right? I’ve got to make sure that I’m eating well. I’m sleeping well. ⁓ I’m exercising. ⁓ I’m not overweight. I’m not smoking. I’m not drinking. Like there’s a responsibility that goes with, don’t want to take that medication. Right. And one of the other things is that, ⁓ if it wasn’t for the medical industry, I would not be here recording this, ⁓ podcast. Yeah. So there’s this big thing, which is. Jack Clifford (17:31)Yeah. Double-head sword, right? Yeah. Yeah. Bill Gasiamis (17:37)They’re not fixed. My brain is not getting fixed unless they go in and take out the faulty blood vessel and potentially risk all the complications that, that I got the ones I got, but also the ones I didn’t get, which many people get, which is far worse deficits than what I visible on me. So, ⁓ I’m, you know, I’ve never met anyone in my time who hasn’t Understanding Enhanced External Counter Pulsation (EECP) who has been through the medical ⁓ system, who hasn’t benefited from it in a way that’s sort of sustained their life, supported their life, lengthened their life. Like everyone that I’ve interviewed has always gone through the medical system and has saved them, supported them, helped them, right? And you’re going to, the first place to get help you’re going to is a hospital, right? You ring up and you go, I’ve got to go. Jack Clifford (18:22)Yeah. Bill Gasiamis (18:31)to the hospital because I’m feeling like I’m having heart attack. You get there, they confirm it, and then the place that you go to for help is the place you walk out of. What’s the thinking? Yeah, yeah. You have the angina, the blockages. Yeah, you got all of that. Jack Clifford (18:41)Well, I didn’t have a heart attack. That’s a really important nuance point. you know, I’m sitting in the hospital all weekend. there was nothing at risk in an emergent moment for me. My heart wasn’t, you know, I wasn’t going to lose heart muscle if they didn’t do something. Like my mother’s instance was different. She had a heart attack. She probably needed the bypass surgery. It was really hard on her, obviously, like we talked about, but in my case, I had time, but they didn’t treat it like I had time, right? Bill Gasiamis (18:54)Okay. Okay. Jack Clifford (19:10)They treated it like, we’re gonna go in and take care of this thing for you rather than you have time to explore other options when I knew in fact I did. So it might be that getting bypass surgery is the right move for some folks, but it also might be the right move for you and me. We’ve already discussed that you take care of yourself so you never get in that situation. And yeah. Bill Gasiamis (19:32)Yeah. And this is not a interview about do as I say, this is not that interview, right? What this interview is like one person’s experience and what they did. That’s it. We’re not giving medical advice here. We’re not telling you what decisions to make. We’re not telling you any of that stuff. This has got nothing to do with advising anyone to do anything, but what it has got to do with is what either you discovered Jack Clifford (19:45)Yeah. Right. Bill Gasiamis (19:58)or you knew before and put into action or what you discovered after you left the hospital that weekend. So take us through the next sort of phase of I’m taking responsibility for this and I’m going to take advantage of something that is documented scientifically and proven. Jack Clifford (20:03)Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Mm hmm. Yeah. Yep. Yeah. And you know, like, so I’ll go into that phase, but, but I just want to share this thing because, know, you, you pretty much already told me when you first heard EECP, you like EECP what? Right. And most doctors are EECP what? Basically every patient is EECP what? And it’s, it’s just, it’s really not going to lie. really bothers me because this, this, this therapy is, is so well-documented. It’s, it’s, it’s FDA approved. It’s not controversial. Bill Gasiamis (20:25)Mm-hmm. Jack Clifford (20:43)⁓ it just anyways, okay. So, so, so yeah, so I leave the hospital and the only reason I knew about a EECP was because when my mom had her heart attack, I listened to a podcast by Ben Greenfield. He’s a pretty, you know, pretty high-level guy, right? And that had been, that was like 2015. And I just heard mention of it. was like, it was maybe like two minutes of the, of a 60-minute podcast at most, but I was like noted. So I looked into it from my mom. The closest provider was two hours away and you got to go 35 times and my mom isn’t going to drive. 35 times, you four hours round trip. It wasn’t gonna happen, so we moved on, but I just sort of knew about it. And when I say knew about it, I didn’t know, Bill, like what it actually did or how it worked. I didn’t look into it at that level. just, you know, like assessed the situation. I was like, okay, there’s something out there. That’s it. Okay, yeah. It stands for enhanced external counter pulsation. And you want me to go into a little bit about how it works? Yeah, okay, so. Bill Gasiamis (21:27)Hmm. And what is a ⁓ CP stamp? What does it stand for? Yeah, yeah, let’s do that, yeah. Jack Clifford (21:42)So EECP involves lying on a bed. From the patient experience, you’re lying on a bed. You have ⁓ cuffs wrapped around your calves, your thighs, and your hips. And inside those cuffs, there are little air bladders. Bill Gasiamis (21:55)those cuffs, are they like blood pressure cuffs? The Mechanism of EECP Jack Clifford (21:58)Yeah, like big giant Velcro blood pressure cuffs. Yes. Bill Gasiamis (22:02)Okay, so like they’re much bigger than a regular cuff, which is just over the bicep. Okay. All right. Jack Clifford (22:04)Yes. Yes. Correct. yeah, just that’s the right way to think about it. you you cinch them up, you’re getting really snug in this thing, but it looks like a giant pantsuit, you know? ⁓ And you lie on the bed and then you get a three lead EKG on you. It’s here, here, in here. And then in between heartbeats, the machine… inflates compressed air into those bladders at 1.3 psi to start with, which feels like kind of a gentle massage. And then the pressure can be increased in increments of 0.1 psi all the way up to six, which feels like the exact opposite of a gentle massage. However, if you go slowly, your body accommodates to that pressure and that pressure feels different, both over one session and over multiple sessions, meaning you might not get to six your first session, that’s unlikely, but as you do repeated sessions, you’ll increasingly get closer to six earlier in the treatment and be cumulatively more hours at those higher pressures. And what’s happening is all the blood, not all the blood, a significant amount of blood from your lower body is being pushed up in between heartbeats and it’s causing this phenomenon called sheer stress in your vascular systemically. And wherever there’s pressure differentials in the body, it’s giving a stimulus to grow. It’s saying the pipes are not big enough, you gotta grow. We’re trying to put through more than is gonna fit. The body’s like, wait a second, it’s not big enough. But growing things in the body takes time. And so you need those repeated sessions. Like I mentioned, T.R., before we started recording, it works just like cardiovascular exercise, but at levels humans can’t do on their own. ⁓ And so, yeah. Bill Gasiamis (23:52)That’s important to talk about. so just for a moment, we’ll talk about that. Like it works like cardiovascular exercise. So the idea with cardiovascular exercise is that what, does cardiovascular exercise do that’s similar to EECP? Jack Clifford (24:04)Sure. If you’re out running, when you hit that stride on your feet, you’re doing that same thing, right? You’re ⁓ sending blood up, right? And then your circulation, your heart’s beating twice as fast maybe than it normally is, or substantially more than you’re just sitting here heartbeat is. And that’s because the heart is responding to the environment around it and saying, I gotta get… a lot more blood, a lot more places. So I gotta work a lot harder. you know, is maintenance. So collateral blood flow. have alternate routes that we can use that lie dormant throughout our body. And those collaterals, if they never get used, they honestly, they get weaker and they close off, but they also can be reopened, you know? And then you can grow more of them. And… Bill Gasiamis (24:38)And what’s the result of that? Uh-huh. Okay, so there’s blood vessels that get less ⁓ blood flow because people are sedentary or people aren’t doing the type of exercise that would activate those blood vessels, for example. And then what in theory, not in theory, and then what happens in cardiovascular exercise, the body goes, we need more blood flow, let’s open up. Jack Clifford (25:12)Exactly. Bill Gasiamis (25:26)other areas where normally blood flow wouldn’t be required or doesn’t go. And EECP kind of mimics that mechanism. Jack Clifford (25:27)Yeah. Exactly. Yeah, but not kind of, it’s really important just to note, cause I don’t want, I don’t want any of your listeners thinking, well I’m just going to go run more. Right? I mean, by all means do that safely. You know, the dose always makes the poison with everything, but, but don’t think that you can, you can just go do this. You can do it to a limited degree with exercise, but you’re not going to grow, you know. that I didn’t have that before. And I like it because it shows you like the world of the possibly or it might be a little unsightly, but it’s feeding my brain. EECP has changed my cognition in addition to my heart, you know, my pelvis and my kidneys and my liver. you know, like it’s, it’s optimized blood flow systemically. Um, yeah. Yeah. Bill Gasiamis (26:19)Okay, so let’s go back to the cuff, the cuff that we put on and then what happens. Jack Clifford (26:24)Yeah. Yeah. So, so you just lie on the machine. Typically you do 35 hours on a machine for a course of treatment and one hour a day is a typical, you know, five days a week. That’s just typically you’re going to the doctor. There’s lots of other variations of that, but that’s the typical course. And that’s the most well-researched course. And, ⁓ you know, over time, usually about halfway through those 35 sessions, if you had angina, you’re going to notice a difference, but Personal Transformation Through EECP you know, they use this to treat dementia. It’s a well studied in dementia. There’s a recent study in the US that was profound, a year-long study, a hundred demented patients, roughly a hundred non-demented or a hundred treated patients. Everybody had dementia and a hundred CHAM patients, placebo. The demented patients that got an EECP, they all got better when we know dementia, people get worse in a year, right? They all got better, all of them. And yeah, so that’s like, you know, similar phenomenon erectile dysfunction, similar phenomenon kidney disease, similar phenomenon stroke recovery. So, you know, these are studies. I’m not making it up. It’s just literally like really well documented. It’s not. Bill Gasiamis (27:33)studies that we can get a hold of and put in the show notes, link to the show notes. Jack Clifford (27:36)Yeah, go to to EECPLocator.com and all these studies are there. ⁓ Yeah. So what I did is in the U.S., I, you know, it’s really hard to find. so I couldn’t find it. I had to, I had to call around and like, I could find a few doctors, none of them near me, but a few of them that would had machines, but they would only use them after everyone had failed stints and failed bypass and they had nothing else to offer them, which makes no sense. But that’s how the insurance reimbursements work. Bill Gasiamis (27:41)Okay. Jack Clifford (28:04)That’s the only time they’ll actually pay for it. So that’s what they say it’s good for, but that’s not what it’s good for. That’s just what they can get money for, I guess. but, so I had to drive three hours and take a chance on a doctor and stay in a hotel to get my treatments. And it was really difficult. I mean, I ended up buying one of these machines and got it at my house and I’ve just been using it for the last five years. So, you know, 35 hours was great, but I was pretty bad off. Now I got about 700 hours and, uh, you know, more hours is just greater stimulus to the body to grow vasculature, right? And I mean, I… Bill Gasiamis (28:38)how do you know that you’ve grown? I know there’s this ⁓ feeling or this change that happens in the person. ⁓ Like you said, dementia, ⁓ people who experienced dementia have a better outcome later or a change in the way that they’re brain working, et cetera. can you see the, is there a way to see the difference between the blood vessels and Jack Clifford (29:02)You can’t, you can’t image, could image on a, on a cardiac pet would be like the only imaging or I guess, you know, if I went back and did a stress test again, you would, you would be able to see, cause it’s not quantifying specific arteries. It’s, quantifying the total volume, but I tried that they were, actually wouldn’t let me, they said it’s not safe because you have it at a stent or a bypass. So I went back to the same place that I got it, you know, and I was like, literally they put me through the imaging machine. gave me the dye and then they got Lifestyle Changes and Holistic Health I went to go on the stress test and the same doctor was there and he refused to tell me to go. So I like, wanted to say, hey doc, let’s go for a run. Cause like, you’re not going to keep up with me, but you know, so I, I didn’t bother with that, but I’ve got my own, you know, I did my own little stress, stress test with a treadmill, right? I started, I was getting chest pain. I found out where I can induce angina and I try and say just below it, you know, so I know where it is, right? I was 2.2 miles an hour. That’s not a fast walk. And then after the first 19 sessions where I was staying in the hotel, I got up to 2.7. That’s a really big difference even if it doesn’t sound like a lot. And then I got my machine and I kept going. And then within a couple of months, I was starting to do a running stride. And I could keep that up, no angina. I know where angina would come in. I had time calculations and everything. And then eventually, now I can run. comfortably 6.5 mile an hour pace for quite a while, know, push it up to 14 miles an hour for 30 second sprints and you know, like all kinds of stuff. So, ⁓ Bill Gasiamis (30:38)How long before you break the two hour barrier for the marathon? Like was recently done. Maybe, maybe the more blood vessels, the more blood flow. Maybe you can get there. Jack Clifford (30:42)⁓ I got zero interest in that. Yeah. I think so though, I think those Kenyans should be ⁓ hopping on these EECP machines and they’re I mean, they’re already amazing but. Bill Gasiamis (30:58)Well, you want the Kenyans to just completely own marathon running for the rest of eternity. It’s unbelievable what they did. Right. Like I imagine that there is something else going on there, but I imagine blood flow, oxygenation, more blood vessels. Like it’s got to potentially be a thing. reckon if you do a check between the last guy, me, who’s going to like 50 hours before you get to the other side and those dudes, there would Jack Clifford (31:03)Yeah, yeah, it’ll just be a Kenyan Yeah. ⁓ Bill Gasiamis (31:27)definitely be a difference because they’re exercising all the time, right? Jack Clifford (31:31)Sure, yeah, they’re pushing the collaterals as wide open as, know, whatever, whatever a human can do on their own, they’re doing it to the max to, know, the same phenomenon that EECP is doing for folks lying down. You know, they’re doing it to whatever the max you can without the machine, I would say. Bill Gasiamis (31:48)So this is a bog standard human body task. Like it just does that all the time. I have heard the blood vessels can reroute in the brain when somebody experiences a blockage and then, and it’s not useful at the time of the blockage, obviously, and it causes potential cell death when somebody has a stroke. But then later on. Jack Clifford (32:11)If there’s too much blood, the revascularization, yeah. Bill Gasiamis (32:14)Yeah, so EECP can kind of occur naturally and then it can support as much of the surrounding tissue as possible so that it doesn’t all die off. ⁓ So what you’re talking about is just encouraging EECP ⁓ to happen more than it would normally happen by ⁓ inducing it through this device where people ⁓ get sort of strapped in and then Jack Clifford (32:23)Yeah. Bill Gasiamis (32:43)the machine runs, what does it run like a program? Explain how that works. Jack Clifford (32:47)Literally, it’s just air pressure. got different pumps to pump the calves, the thighs and the hips up. And then it’s really just about the timing, right? It’s got to hit it at the right interval of your heartbeat. So it’s at the right place in diastole where your heart is at rest. that timing is very, crucial. And that’s really… Yeah, it’s not, it’s very old technology. The machine I have was built in 2009. You know, they have new machines that are portable now that I’m working with some of the manufacturers to actually, you know, make these available in the U S because there aren’t any in the U S but they do have portable machines that don’t require a bed. You could get treated on your couch. You could get treated, you know, on your own bed, uh, lying on the floor, I suppose. Um, so, you know, we’ve, we’ve really like technology hasn’t Bill Gasiamis (33:19)Wow. Jack Clifford (33:42)slowed down. just China’s like taking this thing and you know, have a basically every Chinese hospital has several of these machines and they treat patients in the, in the room with us. It’s, part of their standard of care for all kinds of different, different diseases that they’re treating. You know, and it’s adjunctive to just about everything. There’s nothing that you couldn’t do EECP with, right? ⁓ yeah. Bill Gasiamis (34:03)Okay, okay, so. How do you experience your body differently now? And actually, let’s go back actually, how long has it been since you came across this, decided to get the first treatment, implemented yourself ⁓ at home and then how do you feel different now? Jack Clifford (34:08)Oof. Yeah, it’s been five years and four months now. And every since like, this is this is a little hard part to quantify, because there’s been a lot of brain changes to from this, right? So so I don’t even like feel like my 47 year old self who was in the hospital, that feels really like somebody else to me. You know, it’s a version of me, I suppose, but I can’t really relate to that person. Because I like a small example. The Impact of Stress on Health I used to sleep eight to nine hours a night. That was my normal, my whole life. I was generally like the guy that would come in the latest. You could come to work. was the guy that came in the latest. You And now I get up at two 30 most mornings and I’m like, like rare to go with energy. I’m, you know, I’m working out doing resistance training. I’m reading, you know, I wrote a book, I’m writing another book. I’m writing a book on rectal dysfunction as it relates to this phenomenon, because that’s a whole other, you know, case study. and I work a full-time job and I just have an incredible amount of energy basically all the time. My mood is way better. My sense of touch is really different now. I give a lot more hugs because it feels really good. ⁓ My sense of smell and taste and… You know, hearing, you know, I used to like have to go to the bathroom at night sometimes, you know, wake me up to go to the bathroom. Long gone. Bill Gasiamis (35:47)So at the same time though, it sounds like also you might have changed other things as well though, right? So what else have you changed in the meantime? Jack Clifford (35:55)sure. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It hasn’t just been EECP. Absolutely. you know, really good supplement routine. ⁓ Pretty extensive, but, you know, managing my lipids, for example, I take a thousand milligrams of niacin twice a day. I’ve been able to bring my triglyceride to HDL ratio to kind of an optimal one-to-one, using fish oil and some other things. ⁓ And, you know, I… I really stay away from carbs for the most part. I like to eat keto, but I like it to be what I call clean keto. So I’m not like pounding keto ice cream or all these things that are, you know, they taste good and yeah, they’re keto, but they got all kinds of oils in them that aren’t really good for your body. ⁓ And, ⁓ you know, I’m big into moving and being active and, you know, having an engaged social life as much as possible as well. I mean, I think that’s a very underrated thing. That’s actually an area I struggle in because I’m working so much, but you even this helps just, you know, getting to know people even online. But, ⁓ Bill Gasiamis (37:04)It sounds like you haven’t re it doesn’t sound like you’ve reinvented the wheel. Like everything that you say is things that people take for granted that if they implemented would improve their life before EECP. We’re talking about EECP today, right? But just those things alone would make a massive difference to somebody’s experience. And that’s kind of the message that I’m trying to kind of get into the Jack Clifford (37:17)Totally agree. I thought it a good Sure. Bill Gasiamis (37:30)⁓ minds and hearts of the stroke survivors who I interview and who listened to the podcast. My book, I’m going to, we’re going to talk about your book in a sec, but I’m going to talk about my book. My book, when I wrote it, I thought I discovered all these things that people, should know about that no one knows about, but it’s not true in here is mindset. ⁓ there’s a chapter about emotional intelligence. There’s a chapter about nutrition. There’s a chapter about sleep. There’s a chapter about community. Jack Clifford (37:32)Yeah. Yeah. No, please. Bill Gasiamis (38:00)⁓ that’s just the five that I can just rattle off the top of my head right now. And you’ve already mentioned that in the last few minutes, that’s exactly the things that you mentioned. And people take it for granted how much that improves your overall health. Right. The Journey of Writing a Book Jack Clifford (38:13)That’s so true. And also what’s wrapped up in the wrapper of all of those things that are threaded together is stress, right? ⁓ If you do all of those things, right, you’re lowering stress. How did I get heart disease at 47 when it happened to my grandfather in his late 60s and my mom in her mid 60s and it happened to me at 47? And we know it didn’t happen at 47. It was years earlier and I realized it at 47. Stress, you know? Like I was the guy that took on a lot. Bill Gasiamis (38:38)Hiding earlier. Jack Clifford (38:44)and had some traumatic things happen in my life and whatever, and I don’t need to go into that. But I always felt like it was all rolling off my back. Like, you know, I’m fine. know, like I didn’t, and there are reasons why I felt that way. ⁓ However, at the end of the day, I know that I wasn’t processing. There was so much I did not process. And I didn’t learn how to like have really good boundaries and that, you know, begot more stress because of those lack of boundaries and, but stress, right? You know, like, but if you have good good social life and healthy people in your lives, that takes stress off. Eating the right food takes oxidative stress off your body. You could go on and on, but I think stress is gonna kill you before anything else. Bill Gasiamis (39:17)you Yeah. I love that you said that. I love what I love that. That was the answer that you gave when I said, what else did you do? Because it’s not just, you know, it’s like, I’m going to eat well, but smoke, you know, I’m going to eat well, but drink excessive amounts of alcohol. Like, no, it doesn’t work. You know, you can’t do that. Yeah. can’t do. Yeah. Small. Jack Clifford (39:42)No, you gotta do it all in concert. It’s the layers, right? Yeah. Bill Gasiamis (39:49)numbers, know, the percentages they add up, you know, 1 % here, 1 % there all adds up and you get a result at the end of it. Okay. So, so you’re you’ve gone, I’m going to see if I can grow new blood vessels to support my heart. And what you’re found between the time that you went to hospital around five years ago to now is that the angina has Jack Clifford (39:55)Yeah. Mm-hmm. Bill Gasiamis (40:17)⁓ improved, they’ve gone away. The heart has improved, I beg your pardon, the blood flow. And have you had a medical examination since then to do other comparison? Jack Clifford (40:28)Yeah, I have. Yeah, I’ve got a cardiologist. I haven’t seen him and I’ve talked to him the other day because I talked about the book, but I haven’t gone to see him because he’s a plane flight away. But I’ve been worked up for the crowded intermediate thickness. You might be familiar with that as it relates to stroke. okay, well, they just measure your crowded arteries and look at the placking in your crowded arteries as a proxy for your systemic plaque burden. And flow mediated deletation, is they totally occlude the… the arm with a blood pressure cuff and then see how quickly you can refill it after, you know, like, it’s like five minutes of this, your hand is completely numb. And those all, you know, workups were good and that was after a couple of years of treatment. You know, I tried to have that stress test, like I mentioned, but you know, now I just see my primary care, you know, he’s a good guy and he runs on my lipid panels and, ⁓ you know, so I’m definitely monitored, but. What I haven’t done is gotten re-imaged because I don’t want to put extra dye in my system. Sure, somebody wants the images because they don’t believe me, but I’m not trying to sell anybody anything here. I’m just trying to spread the word on something. If somebody doubts my honesty, they can, it’s fine. Bill Gasiamis (41:38)I know what you mean, Jack. I know what you mean. I and I asked you because yeah, I would love to see that before and after. would love to see the blood flow. What’s happening, watch change. would be amazing. story to tell, but I also went out of my way if I could to avoid having more dyes and all that kind of stuff injected into my body. I totally get it. It’s okay. Yeah. ⁓ Jack Clifford (41:49)Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Bill Gasiamis (42:01)Okay. So you wrote a book about it. Like, what was the idea behind the book? What were you thinking? Show us the one that you got there with the old book cover. And then I’ll include the new book cover in this image as we chat. Jack Clifford (42:06)yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Thanks. Yeah. So I started writing this book, in, know, ⁓ November timeframe, ⁓ after I mentioned to you, so my, my friend came down, ⁓ and stayed with me for 13 days and he had had some stroke damage five years before that was, you know, his whole right side, he just had like numbness and then pain. And then, you know, it this weird cascade of symptoms so bad, you know, sometimes he couldn’t sleep from it. And so All the time he took off work he could he came and he used the machine three times a day and then he left pain free and like nothing else had worked and then this worked and I didn’t per se expect that I but I was like, you I know it does stuff. It’s helpful. But anyways, when I saw that, you know, I really started digging even more because before that I was like, well, Jesus is amazing. But maybe it’s just me, you know, and and anyways, so, ⁓ so then I, you know, I just started writing the book one day and The Role of EECP in Heart Health You know, my mom was a book author and I always wanted to write a book. didn’t really have anything particular to write about and all of sudden I do. So I’m like, you know, let’s see what happens. And, uh, and you dig into the research more and more, and you’re just like, increasingly frustrated by how everyone has known about this. And yet, you know, they don’t promote it. They don’t talk about it because it’s inconvenient. You know, and I’m going to get a little, try not to get like soapboxy here, but Bill Gasiamis (43:36)Do it, do it, go for it man. Jack Clifford (43:37)Okay, okay, because, you know, cardiologists will say it, some of them, the ones that are honest, they’ll be like, like mine. He says, I was making obscene amounts of money, giving people bypass surgeries instance. And then I was given the same people bypass surgeries instance, a couple years later. And, you know, and then he stumbled upon some answers and EECP is one of them that helps his patients stay well. And, you know, he makes a lot less money. because of it, because he doesn’t go in and do these interventional approaches. And, you know, EECP, the most you could pay somebody is like $100 an hour, and you’re going to tie up a patient room for 35 hours with a tech, it doesn’t make any sense. I go pop a stint and you make 10 grand in two hours and never see you again. You know, like it just, I get it from, you know, I want to own a portion of Ferrari and have a lake house and a winter house, but You know, like, I don’t know how you live with yourself. You said go for it, man. I’m going to go for it. you know, and my son’s about to graduate. Okay. Yeah. Okay. Fair enough. I’m good with it. Yeah. Yeah. Bill Gasiamis (44:38)But come on, come on, Jack. Yeah, you go for it. I’m going to push back. I’m going to push back as well. You go for it. I’ll push back. There’s yeah. Which is cool. Right? That’s what I want. I want to have a conversation and I don’t want to control the narrative, but the guy that goes in needs a stint today has a blockage. Like that’s life saving. That does work. What I am afraid of that happens sometimes when people go in and they’ve got a blockage and then they get ⁓ even even a stroke blockage. Right. in carotid or a vertebral artery. What happens is sometimes people go in and they get told you need a stent. Fair enough. You’re about to have a heart attack. You’re about to have a major stroke. If we don’t put one in, you’ll have a, that’s necessary. The challenge is, that that person sometimes doesn’t learn the lesson of what got them into the situation where they need a stent. Jack Clifford (45:22)Good. Exactly. sure. Yeah, by all means. Like emergency medicine is great. And we’ll put that in the emergency medicine category of cardiology, right? Why aren’t they offering you, why aren’t they saying, Hey, you’re at risk for a whole lot of other things just by this happening. Why don’t you come 35 times to this EECP machine and you know, like, or why don’t we have centers Bill Gasiamis (45:36)Yeah. Yes, and then later… Jack Clifford (45:55)all over. I found exactly one place in Australia so far that I’m not focusing on Australia right now. I do plan to take EECP Locator International, but right now the access points in the US are abysmal. 70, 80 % of the people in the United States could not get to a center. There’s no access point that’s at all realistic for them to get to. And yet these machines are not that expensive. They’re the price of a Decent not that great car. ⁓ Bill Gasiamis (46:24)we’re starting to see them in, I don’t know, health spas or something like that, where people will go, they’ll get yoga, they’ll get this, they’ll get that, they’ll get infusions perhaps and all sorts of other things. And there’ll be a machine or there’ll be a suit that people can put on and they can go through one hour. Jack Clifford (46:29)Yeah, that’s good. That’s great. Yeah, although I do want to say that the Normatech, like the compression boots that they have and some of those things, when they don’t use the pressures that EECP uses up to 6 PSI and they’re not sinking it in between heartbeats, it’s helpful, but we’re not talking about things that can do the same thing in the body. It’s on the right path and I’m not digging it as being worthless because it’s not, but it’s just not the right thing. Bill Gasiamis (46:47)Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, that’s kind of what we’re seeing. And to go back to your point is because the medical profession does medical profession stuff. this is not, it’s not that it’s not medically kind of aligned. It definitely is. But when you’re told that the way you solve a problem is through putting a stent in and then never talking to that patient again, to tell them how to avoid to get a stent in that’s Jack Clifford (47:31)Yeah, that’s your job. Bill Gasiamis (47:34)what they do, like they’ve been trained to do that forever. And that’s what they do. And that works and it saves the life. But what it doesn’t do, which I also have a challenge with this, it doesn’t teach the lesson. What it reinforces is that if I have something wrong with me and I go to a doctor, they’ll fix it. So next time it goes wrong, I’ll just go to the doctor and they’ll fix it again. And I didn’t have to change my life. Like this even bloody advertisements that do that. They Jack Clifford (47:51)just I’ll go and he’ll fix it. Yeah. Yes. Yes. Bill Gasiamis (48:03)They hijack that part of the person’s brain and they say, you know, have you got reflux, heartburn, that kind of stuff? Don’t let reflux and heartburn get in the way of eating the foods that you love. Just take a tablet. You know, that’s the same kind of thing, right? And that’s why the medical profession doesn’t do that because they’re not trained to do anything other than sell their thing. And their thing is what they went to work, to school for. Raising Awareness for EECP Therapy Jack Clifford (48:17)Yes. Bill Gasiamis (48:30)20 years to be able to administer. But every so often you come across an amazing doctor, surgeon, et cetera, who says, I can’t do anything more for you, but maybe somebody else can. Those guys are better than the doctor who says, we can’t do anything else for you and then send you off their way. That next sentence, but maybe somebody else can, I don’t know who they are. That is. Jack Clifford (48:43)Mm-hmm. Bill Gasiamis (48:57)I think a great thing to say this is where I think EACP kind of fits in that now that I’m here and things are not good. Jack Clifford (49:05)I totally agree. I totally agree. And yeah. And you, so you, you mentioned like the wellness spas and whatnot. And here’s the thing in 2015. So, you know, somewhat recently the FDA approved EECP for a brand new indication, general circulation, right? In healthy people. Like it’s right on the FDA indication. And also in one case in increase in VO2 max, but rough, that’s roughly saying the same thing. ⁓ yeah. Bill Gasiamis (49:32)for healthy people, was that part of it? Jack Clifford (49:35)Yeah, it said unhealthy patients and healthy people didn’t call patients. So, so, ⁓ but, but, know, the litmus test for that is, is your doctor say you’re healthy enough to undergo circulation enhancement? If the answer is yes, you know, it doesn’t matter if you got all that other stuff or not, you know, we’re just not treating you for it. We’re not saying ECPs is fix for this, your erectile dysfunction. It might help it. You know, what’s not saying it’s, it’s the fix for your stroke, but it might really help your stroke, recovery, but. Bill Gasiamis (49:47)which Jack Clifford (50:03)Anyhow, so like you can, you know, I don’t know about in Australia, but in the United States, you could get an EECP machine and create a viable business model off of helping people as soon as people actually know about it and what it does, right? I’m trying to solve the access issue in the United States by aggregating demand, right, as one of the solutions. So I have a website, eecplocator.com. And if people… ⁓ tell me that they like EECP to be available in their area, when I get like five to 10 patients in one area, we’re gonna find a way to get it to them. ⁓ The how is, you there’s a bunch of different possible ways we can get EECP to them, but at the end of the day, you know, like people need this treatment. They really, really do. Bill Gasiamis (50:50)Yeah. We’re not talking about anything ⁓ out there. Like this is not an out there thing. This is definitely common. Now I, I don’t know how I haven’t come across it. I’ve all these years after all these years now I’ve just because of our conversation right now, I just did a Google search and I typed in EECP machine Australia. And the first thing that came up was an Australian government department of health, disability and aging. Jack Clifford (50:57)No, it’s that. Bill Gasiamis (51:20)document from the Therapeutic Goods Administration, which talks about a mid-trade Australia EECP system model, external counter pulsation system stationary. So it seems like they have a… Jack Clifford (51:36)Like they’ve approved it, sounds like they have some approved devices. Yeah. Bill Gasiamis (51:38)Something like they’re at least looking at it. Let me see what that says. The inclusion of the kind of device in the AI community is subject to compliance with conditions placed in post. Yeah, it sounds like it’s been through some regulated body in 2021. Jack Clifford (51:52)Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yep. There you go. Bill Gasiamis (51:57)This device is intended to provide external counter pulsation therapy and is indicated for use in the treatment of stable angina. Jack Clifford (52:06)Mm-hmm. Bill Gasiamis (52:08)pectoris and congestive heart failure. There you go, my friend. Jack Clifford (52:10)Yeah, it works great for people with art failure. It really does. Bill Gasiamis (52:14)Dude, father-in-law had heart failure. He passed away from heart failure just a few, about a year and a half ago. ⁓ Now, I don’t know, I’m not saying anything, but we’ve never heard of this before. Today’s my first time where I’m really going to deep dive about this thing with you. ⁓ So what are the challenges that you face? what are the, what is it? ⁓ The barriers that you face? Jack Clifford (52:20)Yeah. Bill Gasiamis (52:44)when you’re speaking to people about this or how people finding out about it, how do you help people like Jack Clifford (52:50)It’s just an awareness piece. It’s an EECP what? And then, you you get in with some physicians and then you got to duke it out a little bit. Not with all of them. There’s plenty of physicians, you know, I’ve talked to the physicians that have machines and are doing the right thing for society and still making plenty of money. ⁓ They’ll just tell you, you know, I’ve talked to some cardiologists and just they kno

On this edition, Guy Murphy talks to Dr Heidi Janssen (lead in the ESTEEM After Stroke Recovery Program), Jen Murrell (a dance instructor in the program) and Ann Angel (a participant in the program).ESTEEM stands for Exercising, Socialising and Thinking: an Environmental Enrichment Model after stroke. It is is an innovative community-based rehabilitation program linked to The University of Newcastle and partners including Hunter Medical Research Institute. It is designed to help people continue recovering after they leave hospital, when many stroke survivors still face physical, cognitive, emotional, and social challenges.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Imagine treating chronic disease by restoring the cell's energy engines rather than chasing symptoms. That's the bet behind mitochondrial organelle transplantation — delivering healthy donor mitochondria to failing tissues.CHAPTERS:0:00 - Introduction2:02 - Mitochondrial Transplantation Explained4:02 - Mitochondrial Dysfunction: Alzheimer's, Diabetes and Stroke8:03 - Stroke Recovery via Mitochondrial Transplant Therapy10:03 - Reversing Skin Aging with Mitochondria14:04 - Military Medicine and TBI: Battlefield to Civilian Health18:05 - Clinical Trials: Path to Widespread Patient Access22:08 - NASA Zero Gravity Study and Mitochondrial Function28:10 - Immune Rejection and Safety of Donor Mitochondria30:13 - Blood-Brain Barrier Crossing in Animal Models34:15 - Mitosense: From Research to Clinical Translation40:17 - The Future of Mitochondrial MedicineMitosense: mitosenseinc.comGUESTS: Catherine Baucom, MD PhD and Van Hipp HOST: Dr. Robert Lufkin MDNew episodes every Tuesday & Thursday. Subscribe so you don't miss one.Continue this conversation on Substack: https://robertlufkinmd.substack.comLies I Taught In Medical School — Free sample chapter: https://www.robertlufkinmd.com/lies/Web: https://www.robertlufkinmd.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/robertlufkinmdX: https://x.com/robertlufkinmdInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/robertlufkinmd/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@robertlufkinLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertlufkinmd/

Chime In, Send Us a Text or Voice Message!Guest: Mike Studer,PT, DPT, FAPTA Board Certified Neurologic Clinical Specialist with Co-Hosts Michael Garrow and David DansereauOn episode 92, Mike Studer returns to the show and shares new insights on neuroplasticity, the importance of physical activity "as king" in recovery, and the role of dopamine in motivation. He shares insights from his two books,  (The Brain That Chooses Itself and My Face Book:Beyond What the Mirror Show Us in Crisis), his personal journey with Bell's palsy and the lessons learned from it, as well as the challenges and future of stroke rehabilitation. The discussion also looks into the future of reimbursement for neurologic physical therapy and emphasizes the need for personalized care, and the significance of measuring outcomes in physical therapy. If you missed Mike on episode 42 on Neuroplasticity, listen here.Takeaways:Neuroplasticity is crucial for recovery from stroke.Exercise should not be seen as the only form of movement.Dopamine plays a significant role in motivation and habit formation.Self-imposed stigmas can hinder recovery and well-being.Measuring outcomes is necessary for effective treatment and reimbursement.Psychologically informed practice is gaining traction in therapy.Sharing experiences can lead to healthier coping mechanisms.The future of stroke rehabilitation is optimistic with new approaches.Engagement and autonomy in therapy enhance recovery outcomes.More About Mike: Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the APTA ,APTA Geriatric Section Clinician of the Year 2014, APTA Neurology Section Clinician of the Year 2011, TEDxSalem 2020 speaker: Neuroplasticity Instagram: @mikestuderdptMentions: Support Our Show! Thank you for helping us to continue to make great content. We appreciate your generosity! Believe in BalanceDavid's Fall Screening and Conditioning Program DRYYP SaunaFind out more about Mike's new business venture, DRYYP Sauna.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the showShow credits:Music intro credit to Jake Dansereau. Our intro welcome is the voice of Caroline Goggin, a stroke survivor and our first podcast guest! Please listen to her inspiring story on Episode 2 of the podcast.Connect with Us and Share our Show on Social:Website | Linkedin | Twitter | YouTube | Facebook | SubstackKnow Stroke Podcast Disclaimer: Our podcast and media advertising services are for informational purposes only and do not constitute the practice of medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Get Our Podcast News Updates on Substack 

What if the healthcare system your loved one relies on doesn't even know they need help until it's too late — and what would it look like if it did? In this Q1 2026 episode, Jamie Preston sits down with Matt Staub, CEO of Your Health, for a candid and wide-ranging look at how one of the country's largest home-based care providers is navigating the evolving landscape of value-based care, population health, and the human experience at the center of it all. Matt brings his characteristic clarity and heart to a conversation that is equal parts strategy, story, and honest reckoning with what the system still gets wrong. Key topics covered: Why 11% of patients account for 67% of all healthcare spending — and why most of them don't know they're in an ACO The evolution of value-based care: from quality-over-cost to outcomes + patient experience over total costs How Your Health is becoming proactive — not reactive — about falls, readmissions, and high-needs patients The quiet crisis of patient trust: down from 71% in 2020 to just 33% today, and what the correlation means for hospitalizations Real stories: a 79-year-old patient who went from barely existing to living fully — and Matt's own mom, who hasn't fallen since leaving the hospital after her stroke If you work in healthcare, advocate for someone in the system, or simply believe that better is possible — this episode will change the way you see what care can be.

STROKE RECOVERY LOGAL HEALTH THERAPIST CAROL LAWHEAD TRT:  19:14

Send us Fan MailThere's an entire medical specialty, Physiatry, dedicated not to treating disease - but to helping patients regain their lives. And most people have never heard of it.Dr. Michael Yochelson is a Physiatrist and a nationally recognized leader in rehabilitation medicine and brain injury care ( https://shepherd.org/staff-directory/michael-yochelson/ ).Dr. Yochelson serves as the Chief Medical Officer at Shepherd Center, one of the top hospitals in the United States for spinal cord and brain injury rehabilitation. He is also an Adjunct Professor at Emory University School of Medicine ( https://med.emory.edu/directory/profile/?u=MYOCHEL ).Board-certified in both neurology and physical medicine & rehabilitation, Dr. Yochelson has spent decades at the forefront of helping patients recover from some of the most complex neurological injuries. Prior to Shepherd Center, he held major leadership roles at MedStar National Rehabilitation Network and Georgetown University, where he also founded and led a Brain Injury Medicine Fellowship program.Earlier in his career, Dr. Yochelson served for over a decade in the United States Navy, including leadership roles in neurology and rehabilitation medicine.In addition to his clinical and academic work, Dr. Yochelson serves on the Board of Governors of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation ( https://www.aapmr.org/ ), where he chairs the Inclusion and Engagement Committee, helping shape the future of a specialty dedicated not just to treating disease—but restoring function, independence, and quality of life.Important Episode Link - Understanding Spasticity: A Simple Guide to Symptoms, Treatment, and Getting Better - https://www.aapmr.org/resources/AAPMR_Spasticity_Patient_Journey.html#Physiatry #RehabilitationMedicine #AAPMR #Neurorehabilitation #BrainInjury #StrokeRecovery #SpinalCordInjury #Mobility #Function #QualityOfLife #Neuroplasticity #RecoveryScience #FutureOfMedicine #HealthcareInnovation #PatientRecovery #DisabilityCare #HumanPerformance #Longevity #MedicinePodcast #HealthPodcast #SciencePodcast #ClinicalInnovation #MedicalEducation #RestoreFunctionSupport the show

Jen Heller is a functional wellness consultant and infrared sauna expert who has spent nearly two decades helping people understand how to use healing tools — especially infrared saunas — safely and effectively. In this episode, she opens up about the health crisis that started it all: crushing fatigue, brain fog, and 100 pounds of unexplained weight gain in her mid-twenties that conventional medicine wanted to address with surgery. A chance introduction to Nutrition Response Testing revealed off-the-charts heavy metal toxicity — and an infrared sauna as her path forward. That single recommendation changed the trajectory of her life and eventually led to her platform, her podcast Homes That Heal, and her consulting practice. Freddie and Jen also get real about the mental health challenges facing so many people today — and why creating intentional, healing-centered spaces and communities matters more than ever. From Jen's "Heller Haven" retreat home to Freddie's backyard sauna gatherings, this conversation is a reminder that healing doesn't have to be clinical or solitary. Whether you're navigating a serious health protocol or simply trying to feel better in your own body, Jen's message is clear: no time like the present, and your health is your greatest wealth.   Episode Highlights [00:00] – Introducing Jen's story: stroke recovery, heavy metals, and rebuilding health [02:20] – Processing grief, mental health, and the importance of real conversations [07:52] – Early warning signs: fatigue, brain fog, weight gain in her 20s [11:20] – Discovering heavy metal toxicity through holistic testing [14:20] – The role of infrared sauna in detox and healing [18:30] – Detoxing the body, and realizing what else in life needed to change [19:38] – The stroke: paralysis, nervous system overload, and a perfect storm [21:06] – Why conventional medicine couldn't fully diagnose her condition [22:20] – Turning to Chinese medicine and acupuncture for real progress [24:04] – Living with paralysis, and slowly rebuilding function [25:50] – The recovery stack: oxygen therapy, PEMF, red light, stem cells [26:39] – Infrared vs traditional sauna: what actually makes them different [29:04] – Why infrared sauna became a daily ritual and emotional reset [34:22] – How to choose a safe sauna: EMFs, materials, and red flags [39:55] – What to look for in construction, wood, and long-term durability [46:34] – Why sauna is a lifetime investment, not a luxury [50:19] – Building a wellness home: light, temperature, oxygen, and lymph [55:00] – Why there is no universal protocol, only personalization [57:00] – Final takeaway: if it matters, bring it into your home and your life   Links & Resources Jen Heller's website: https://jenhellerlifestyle.com/ The Biological Blueprint Program: https://www.beautifullybroken.world/ Try CatchBio: https://www.catchbio.com/beautifullybroken — Code: BEAUTIFULLYBROKEN LightPathLED: https://lightpathled.pxf.io/c/3438432/2059835/25794 — Code: beautifullybroken Get Silver Biotics: bit.ly/3JnxyDD — 30% off with Code: BEAUTIFULLYBROKEN CONNECT WITH FREDDIEWork with Me: https://www.beautifullybroken.world/biological-blueprintWebsite and Store: (http://www.beautifullybroken.world) Instagram: (https://www.instagram.com/freddie.kimmelYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@beautifullybrokenworld Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Send us Fan MailEvening Prayer (Sound Mind; TBI, Stroke Recovery; People of Peace; Staying Our Minds on Jesus)Thank you for listening, our heart's prayer is for you and I to walk daily with Jesus, our joy and peaceaimingforjesus.comYouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@aimingforjesus5346Instagram https://www.instagram.com/aiming_for_jesus/Threads https://www.threads.com/@aiming_for_jesusX https://x.com/AimingForJesusTik Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@aiming.for.jesus

Building Maine Strong — Jason Adour on Growth, Balance & Community Impact In this episode of The Boulos Beat, guest host Samantha Marinko sits down with Jason Adour, President and Founder of Maine Strong Balance Centers. Jason shares his journey from practicing physical therapy to becoming a healthcare entrepreneur, including the recent opening of his fourth clinic in Westbrook. The conversation explores the Maine Strong Balance Centers' specialized focus on balance, rehabilitation and fall risk reduction for older adults, care for individuals living with neurologic conditions, and vestibular and dizziness rehabilitation. Samantha and Jason also dive into the real estate strategy behind expanding a healthcare practice — from selecting accessible locations to building strong landlord relationships. Looking ahead, Jason outlines his thoughtful approach to growth: expanding into new communities while maintaining the personalized care, strong culture, and staff retention that define Maine Strong. Whether you're interested in healthcare entrepreneurship, commercial real estate, or mission-driven business growth, this episode delivers valuable insight and inspiration.

Chime In, Send Us a Text Message!On Episode 90, co-hosts David Dansereau and Michael Garrow reconnect to reflect on a year of progress in stroke advocacy, support systems, community engagement and Mike shares his 'Magic Wand' answer.  Mike describes his transition from the basketball court to the volunteer work he does today for stroke advocacy. The co-hosts talk how music resonates, discuss innovative models for support groups, the impact of conferences like ISC for stroke survivors and care partners, and envision future pathways for post-stroke care and community support.Key Topics CoveredThe role of community, stroke support organizations and grassroots efforts in stroke recoveryInnovations and Mike's insights from ISC 2026 ConferenceThe importance of structured post-stroke support and fundingDigital technology's impact on stroke care pathways as well as the vital role of smaller local community connectionsStroke support group models inspired by Alcoholics Anonymous from Mike's Magic Wand Support Our Show! Thank you for helping us to continue to make great content. We appreciate your generosity! DRYYP SaunaFind out more about Mike's new business venture, DRYYP Sauna.Stroke Support Organization (SSO) SurveyIf you support stroke survivors and care partners-please take this survey!Get Our NewsGet Our Latest News and Show Updates on SubstackDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the showShow credits:Music intro credit to Jake Dansereau. Our intro welcome is the voice of Caroline Goggin, a stroke survivor and our first podcast guest! Please listen to her inspiring story on Episode 2 of the podcast.Connect with Us and Share our Show on Social:Website | Linkedin | Twitter | YouTube | Facebook | SubstackKnow Stroke Podcast Disclaimer: Our podcast and media advertising services are for informational purposes only and do not constitute the practice of medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Get Our Podcast News Updates on Substack

Today's special Lizness School episode is inspired by a letter we received from listener Laura Tiberi asking us to consider how life choices can be different for "those who are faced with significant transitions as a result of medical illness or injury." Laura was "retired by leukemia", has experienced two stem cell transplants and "is 3 1/2 years old in transplant years."We speak to Kira Dales, a fellow Fellow of Liz's at Stanford last year, who tells us of her life since a brain tumor and stroke. Her story includes physical, communication, cognitive and emotional recovery over the last 6 years.Kira Dales on Stanford DCI site and LinkedIn.Homework:Kira recommends Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir Of A Life Interrupted by Suleika Jaouad.Here is Suleika Jaouad's substack Creative Alchemy: The Isolation Journals.Here is an interview on CBS Sunday Morning with Suleika Jaouad and her husband Jon Batiste. Welcome to our sponsors: Stanford Federal Credit Union. To use their $620 New Member offer, go to sfcu.org/liznessWelleco. The Super Elixir from Welleco. Use promo code sisters15 at checkout. If you are new to Lizness School, we suggest you listen to Season 1 to hear all about Liz's year as a Stanford Fellow. Everything from Neuroscience and Chinese History to Pickleball! Plus a great community experience with her fellow DCI Fellows.Season 2 is about how she puts her lessons to work in the wild with the help of her millennial mentor Leah Sutherland.To listen to Liz +. Leah's recap of Lizness School Season 1, go to our FINALE here.For more on Liz Dolan, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠For more on Liz's work in podcasting, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠Satellite Sisters⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Lizness School on all podcasting platforms including ⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify.⁠⁠⁠⁠On Instagram, follow the show at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/liznessschool/⁠⁠⁠⁠ and follow Liz at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/satellitesisterliz/⁠⁠⁠⁠.Follow Producer and Millennial Mentor Leah Sutherland @leahhsutherlandd on Instagram and Leah Sutherland on LinkedIn. To email Lizness School with your own voice memos/questions/thoughts/suggestions for Liz or Leah, use ⁠⁠⁠⁠liznessschool@gmail.comThe Distinguished Careers Institute is a unique program for late career people. Fellows are graduate students at Stanford University, able to take classes in any area. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Complete information here.⁠⁠⁠⁠Email the podcast ⁠⁠⁠⁠liznessschool@gmail.com ⁠See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of Acta Non Verba, former Marine counterintelligence operator and Paralympic silver medalist Dennis Connors joins Marcus to discuss the true meaning of perseverance beyond grit. Dennis shares insights from his time in special operations, his journey through PTSD and stroke recovery, and how vulnerability, discipline, and community create sustainable high performance in leadership and life. Episode Highlights [2:31] The Intelligence Behind Special Operations - Dennis explains his role in human intelligence collection for special operations and why keeping servicemen safe was the number one priority—not just gathering information. [26:30] The Four Pillars of Perseverance - Dennis breaks down why grit alone isn't enough for long-term success and introduces his framework: vulnerability, self-love, disciplined action, and community. [46:00] Leading Leaders: The Transition from Operator to Mentor - A powerful discussion on what it means to lead leaders, the importance of empowering your team, and why asking for help is one of the most powerful leadership tools. [57:54] The Road to LA 2028 - Dennis shares his goal to win Paralympic gold at the 2028 LA Games and the challenges Paralympic athletes face in funding their Olympic dreams while maintaining careers. Dennis Connors is a Paralympic silver medalist, two-time para cycling world champion, and former Marine counterintelligence operator who served with special operations forces. After suffering strokes that left him paralyzed, Dennis rebuilt his life through adaptive sport and now works as a keynote speaker and leadership coach. He's a TEDx speaker whose talk on redefining perseverance challenges the traditional "grit mentality" and offers a more sustainable framework for overcoming adversity. Dennis helps military, corporate, and athletic organizations translate high-performance lessons into practical leadership insights. Learn more about the gift of Adversity and my mission to help my fellow humans create a better world by heading to www.marcusaureliusanderson.com. There you can take action by joining my ANV inner circle to get exclusive content and information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Craniotomy Stroke Recovery: How a Massive Medical Event Reshaped One Man's Identity and Way of Living When Brandon Barre woke up after his stroke, half of his skull was missing. Doctors had performed an emergency craniotomy to save his life after a severe brain bleed. His left side barely worked. His memory felt fragmented. Time itself seemed unreliable; days, weeks, even months blurred together into what he later described as a kind of perpetual Groundhog Day. And yet, amid one of the most extreme medical experiences a person can survive, Brandon remained unexpectedly calm. This is a story about craniotomy stroke recovery, but it's not just about surgery, rehab, or timelines. It's about identity, mindset, and what happens when your old life disappears overnight, and you're forced to rebuild from the inside out. Life Before the Stroke: Movement, Freedom, and Identity Before his stroke, Brandon lived a life defined by movement and autonomy. He worked in the oil fields as an MWD specialist, spending weeks at a time on drilling rigs. Later, he left what he called “traditional life” behind and spent years traveling the United States in an RV. He found work wherever he went, producing music festivals, building large-scale art installations, and immersing himself in creative communities. Stability, for Brandon, never meant stillness. It meant freedom. Stroke wasn't on his radar. At 46, he was active, independent, and deeply connected to his sense of self. The Stroke and Emergency Craniotomy The stroke happened in Northern California after a long day of rock climbing with friends. Brandon didn't notice the warning signs himself; it was others who saw that his arm wasn't working properly. Later that night, he became profoundly disoriented. He was found the next morning, still sitting upright in his truck, barely conscious. Within hours, Brandon was airlifted to UC Davis Medical Center, where doctors removed a blood clot and performed a large craniotomy due to dangerous swelling. Part of his skull was removed and stored while his brain recovered. He spent 10 days in intensive care, followed by weeks in inpatient rehabilitation. Remarkably, he reports no physical pain throughout the entire process, a detail that underscores how differently each brain injury unfolds. Early Craniotomy Stroke Recovery: Regaining Movement, Losing Certainty Physically, Brandon's recovery followed a familiar but still daunting path. Initially, he couldn't walk. His left arm hung uselessly by his side. Foot drop made even short distances difficult. But what challenged him most wasn't just movement; it was orientation. He struggled to track days, months, and time itself. Short-term memory lapses made planning almost impossible. Writing, once a core part of his identity, became inaccessible. He could form letters, but not their meaning. This is a common but under-discussed aspect of craniotomy stroke recovery: the loss isn't only physical. It's cognitive, emotional, and deeply personal. “It's kind of like I'm in this perpetual day ever since the stroke… like Groundhog Day.” Technology as Independence, Not Convenience One of the quiet heroes of Brandon's recovery has been voice-to-text technology. Because writing and spelling no longer function reliably, Brandon relies on dictation to communicate. Tools like Whisper Flow and built-in phone dictation restored his ability to express ideas, stay connected, and remain independent. This matters. For stroke survivors, technology isn't about productivity. It's about dignity. Identity Reset: Slower, Calmer, More Intentional Perhaps the most striking part of Brandon's story is how little resentment he carries. He doesn't deny frustration. He doesn't pretend recovery is easy. But he refuses to live in constant rumination. Instead, he adopted a simple principle: one problem at a time. That mindset reshaped his lifestyle. He stopped drinking, smoking, and using marijuana. He slowed his pace. He became more deliberate with relationships, finances, and health decisions. He grew closer to his adult daughter than ever before. The stroke didn't erase his identity, it refined it. Taking Ownership of Craniotomy Stroke Recovery A turning point came when Brandon realized he couldn't rely solely on the medical system. Insurance changes, rotating doctors, and long waits forced him to educate himself. He turned to what he jokingly calls “YouTube University,” learning from other survivors and clinicians online. That self-directed approach extended to major medical decisions, including choosing monitoring over immediate invasive heart procedures and calmly approaching a newly discovered brain aneurysm with information rather than fear. His conclusion is clear: Recovery belongs to the survivor. Doctors guide. Therapists assist. But ownership sits with the person doing the living. A Message for Others on the Journey Toward the end of the conversation, Brandon offered advice that cuts through fear-based recovery narratives: Don't let timelines define you. Don't rush because someone says you should. Don't stop because someone says you're “done.” Every stroke is different. Every brain heals differently. And recovery, especially after a craniotomy, continues far longer than most people are told. Moving Forward, One Intentional Step at a Time Craniotomy stroke recovery isn't just about regaining movement. It's about rebuilding trust with your body, reshaping identity, and learning how to live with uncertainty without letting it dominate your life. Brandon's story reminds us that even after the most extreme medical events, calm is possible. Growth is possible. And a meaningful life, though different, can still unfold. Continue Your Recovery Journey Learn more: https://recoveryafterstroke.com/book Support the podcast: https://patreon.com/recoveryafterstroke Disclaimer: This blog is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Please consult your doctor before making any changes to your health or recovery plan. Brandon's Story: Surviving a Craniotomy, Redefining Identity, and Recovering on His Own Terms He survived a stroke and craniotomy, then calmly rebuilt his identity, habits, and life one deliberate step at a time. Research shortcut I use (Turnto.ai) I used Turnto.ai to find relevant papers and sources in minutes instead of hours. If you want to try it, here’s my affiliate LINK You'll get 10% off, it's about $2/week, and it supports the podcast. Highlights: 00:00 Introduction and Background01:52 Life Before the Stroke03:32 The Stroke Experience11:03 Craniotomy Stroke Recovery Journey17:09 Adjusting to Life Post-Stroke28:46 Living Independently After Stroke35:09 Facing New Challenges: Aneurysms and Uncertainty42:13 Support Systems: Finding Community After Stroke47:06 Identity Shift: Life Changes Post-Stroke58:39 Lessons Learned: Insights from the Journey Transcript: Introduction and Background Brandon (00:00)next morning was still in the driver’s seat with my head on the steering wheel. and I couldn’t make either of my arms work I had been bleeding into my brain for 12 hours overnight they had to go ahead and do a, craniotomy. And so they took this whole side. It was a big craniotomy. They took that whole section of my skull out, put it in the freezer Bill Gasiamis (00:27)Before we begin today’s episode, want to take a moment to speak to you directly. If you’ve had a stroke, you already know this part. The hospital phase ends, but the questions don’t. You’re sent home expecting to get on with it. And suddenly you’re left trying to work out recovery, mindset, fatigue, emotions, sleep and motivation all on your own. You shouldn’t have to. That’s why I wrote my book, The Unexpected Way That a Stroke Became the Best Thing That Happened. Not to tell you what to do, but to walk beside you and show you the tools real stroke survivors use to rebuild their lives when the system stopped helping. and now with this book, you won’t have to figure it out alone. You can find that at recoveryafterstroke.com/book. All right, let’s get into today’s episode. Today, you’re going to hear from Brandon Barre. Brandon was 46 years old, active, independent and living an unconventional life when he had a stroke that led to a craniotomy. where part of his skull was removed to save his life. What stood out to me immediately about Brandon wasn’t just the severity of what he went through. It was the calm grounded way he approached recovery, identity and rebuilding his life. This is a conversation about stroke recovery. Yes, but it is also about mindset, ownership and what happens when you decide to take recovery into your own hands. Life Before the Stroke (01:52)Brendan Barre, welcome to the podcast. Brandon (01:54)Thank you, man. (01:56)You struggled a little bit getting here. There’s a couple of little things that caused a bit of a challenge for you. What are those things? Brandon (02:05)Well, I mean, first of all, I’m, I’m, I’m, even before my stroke, I was never very computer-y. Um, so using my phone for more than just making phone calls is kind of new to me. Um, so yeah, a new microphone, that was fun. And then I had made a bunch of notes, not realizing that I probably wasn’t gonna be able to see those notes. Um, you know, so that was also a little bit of a issue, but uh, but yeah, other than that, man. Not much, you know, I mean I’m here. (02:37)Yeah. I remember receiving your emails about, I’m not sure what day we’re on. I need to reschedule all that kind of stuff. Stuff that I used to do heaps. I remember in the early days of my kind of stroke recovery, I used to make appointments, put them in my calendar, get reminders about my appointments and still be confused about the day, the time and the location of the appointment. Brandon (03:04)Yes, absolutely. That’s a big thing for me too. know, and I mean even just, you know, remembering from minute to minute where of what day, what month and everything I’m in right now is a little bit tricky still. It’s getting better, but ⁓ but yeah, I still have a lot of trouble. I can always think of every month except for the month that we’re currently in. (03:24)Okay, so you have like a short term memory thing, is it? Or… The Stroke Experience Brandon (03:28)Yes, yes, have short-term memory issues. ⁓ A lot of times ⁓ I struggle to find, like I said, the date and everything else. ⁓ But I don’t know, man. It’s kind of like I’m in this perpetual day ever since the stroke, and I have trouble keeping track of exactly what that is on everybody else’s time frame. (03:53)Like a, like a groundhog day. Brandon (03:55)Yes. Yeah. You know, I mean, if I really work hard and think about it, I can figure out what day it is, but it takes a while generally to get the month. The day of the month isn’t quite as difficult anymore, but at the beginning I had trouble with the whole thing. (04:11)I hear you man, I totally hear you. I reckon there’s been a ton of people that relate to what you’re saying. ⁓ Tell me, day like before stroke? What’d you get up to? What type of things did you involve yourself with? Brandon (04:23)Well, ⁓ you know, I was, I was really involved in, ⁓ production of music festivals and, ⁓ doing that kind of work. ⁓ I’ve always kind of freelanced. Well, you know, I actually, ⁓ left traditional life in 2000 and ⁓ January 1st of 2012 and started traveling and, you know, living out of an RV and whatnot. Before that, I was in the oil field. I’ve worked as an MWD specialist on a drilling rig, which means that I used to ⁓ take down all the information about where the actual drill bit was underground and send that off to all the geologists and everybody else so they can make sure that the well was going in the right direction. And, ⁓ you know, I just really didn’t feel happy in life, man. So I decided to take off and see the states out of my RV. And that started about 10 years of travel. And then In 2019 I bought some property and started to kind of slowly come off the road and started to be on my property more often but you know it just yeah I don’t know man my life has been a lot of different transitions one thing to another I move around a lot in life. (05:25)you Yeah, so the RV was kind of just exploring seeing the country Doing that type of thing or was it going somewhere with a purpose say to get work or to? Hang out there for a little while. What was that all about? Brandon (05:57)A little bit of all of it. A little bit of all of it. I’ve always been able to find work where I go, you know, doing different things. But I kind of fell into music festival work, like setting up and tearing down for music festivals and building art installations, doing like mandalas out of trash and stuff like that. And just kind of always did kind of the artist thing, I guess you could say. Even before, while I was still in the oil field doing the traditional life thing, I was always very art motivated. (06:30)Yeah, when you talk about traditional life, you’re talking about nine to five kind of routine and working for the man type of thing. Is that what you mean by traditional life? Brandon (06:43)Yes, except mine was a little bit different. My work in the oil field involved me being on site on the drilling rig for up to six weeks sometimes. So it wasn’t really nine to five. I would stay gone for a lot more than that. But then when I would go home, I’d be off for three weeks, a month. So yeah, just ⁓ doing that. (07:07)Where were these oil rigs? Were they in the middle of a desert? Were they in the ocean? Brandon (07:13)No, they were all onshore and I worked a lot in like Pennsylvania, but also a lot in Texas ⁓ Just you know anywhere where they were doing natural gas drilling (07:27)And is that a remote kind of existence in that if you’re on the rig for six weeks, are you getting off it? Are you going into town? Are you doing any of that stuff? Brandon (07:38)Usually the rigs are within an hour of some type of small town usually a Walmart that type of thing So I would go and get groceries a couple of times a week You know me and the other guys would go out and get you know dinner times and whatnot but ⁓ but yeah, basically just sitting in a little trailer a directional trailer is what they called it because it was me and ⁓ Two two other three other guys two more ⁓ directional drillers and then one other MWD hand which is what I was and so there was a night shift and a day shift of two guys each. (08:16)12 hour shifts. Brandon (08:17)Yes. (08:18)Dude, hard work. Brandon (08:21)Yeah, I mean on paper it was hard work. In real life, I mean there were those really problematic jobs where you know everything went wrong but in most cases it was just you know taking a bunch of measurements on the computer whenever they would add another link of pipe to the drilling string and drill down further so every time they would add another length of pipe I would have to take more measurements. (08:47)I hear you. So not physical, but still mental. And you’ve to be on the go for a long amount of time. Brandon (08:56)Right, but yeah, I mean it did when I would have to go up on the rig floor to like change the tool out or to put something You know together or what not so there was a little bit of that but still not as physical as like a traditional drilling rig roughneck (09:04)Uh-huh. I hear you. Yeah. Everyone’s seen those videos on YouTube with those guys getting covered in that sludge and working at breakneck speeds so that they can make sure that they put the next piece on. Brandon (09:24)Yeah, yeah, no, I, you know, and I mean, I wore my share of that mud, but not near as much as a floor hand would. (09:34)I hear, I feel like you’re, ⁓ you’re toning it down and you’re making it sound a lot more ⁓ pleasant than what it might be. But I appreciate that, man. like the way you talk about things. I couldn’t imagine myself doing that, that level of physical labor. Maybe I’m just a bit too soft myself. Brandon (09:54)Yeah, no, I don’t know, man. I consider myself soft in a lot of ways, too, man. You know, it’s just, we’re all different in our softness. (10:02)yeah. ⁓ tell me a little bit about, ⁓ your stroke, man. Like what was that particular week? Like the day? Like how did the lead up happen? Bill Gasiamis (10:12)Let’s pause for a moment. If you’re listening to this and thinking, I wish someone had explained this part to me earlier. You’re not alone. One of the hardest parts of stroke recovery isn’t the hospital. It’s what comes after when the appointments slow down, the support fades and you’re left trying to make sense of what your life looks like now. That’s exactly why I wrote the unexpected way that a stroke became the best thing that happened. It’s not a medical book. It’s a recovery companion built from real experiences. real mistakes and real breakthroughs that stroke survivors discovered along the way. If you want something that helps you think differently about recovery and reminds you that you’re not broken, you can find the book at recoveryafterstroke.com/book. Let’s get back to the conversation with Brandon. Craniotomy Stroke Recovery Journey Brandon (10:59)Okay, so I was helping a friend in Northern California to clean a property that was owned by an artist who had died and we went on to his 10 acre property and we’re just cleaning up for his family. But he had like all kinds of art stuff everywhere and so it was kind of right up my alley and ⁓ We were just trying to get the property clean for these people and we decided to take off and go and do a little bit of rock climbing. so we took off early one morning and drove to a town called Willets, California where there’s good rock climbing and we spent the day doing rock climbing which was a fairly new thing to me but the guys that I was with were very experienced lifelong climbers. And so I was kind of the new guy and they were showing me the ropes and we climbed all day. I did really well, I thought, and didn’t really notice anything. No problems. ⁓ Got back in the car. We’re headed back to the house about an hour away, a friend’s house where we were all going to stay the night. And on the way there, I noticed that I was really thirsty and I stopped and I got two 40 ounce bottles of Gatorade and I drank them both immediately and like just downed them and still didn’t notice anything was a problem was in the truck by myself with my two dogs and eventually I guess about an hour later we got to the house And I went inside to hang out with everybody. And one of my friends said that my arm wasn’t working well. I didn’t notice it at all, but he said that my arm wasn’t working very well. ⁓ so ⁓ I just kind of went on with my life. a couple of, I guess about an hour later, I decided that I was really tired. and I could not quench my thirst so I just grabbed a whole bunch of water and went out to my truck and I was gonna go and lay down and sleep in the back of my truck for the night and ⁓ when I got out to my truck ⁓ by this time my friend had said that my arm was working fine again and he noticed that I he felt like I had gotten over whatever it was and so I went out to my truck got into the driver’s seat of the truck And that’s about the last of my recollection that night. next morning when I wasn’t up making breakfast before everyone else, they realized there was a problem because I was usually the first one up making breakfast and doing all that stuff and I wasn’t there. So my friend came out to my truck to check on me and I was still in the driver’s seat with my head on the steering wheel. I never even fell over. (14:05)Hmm. Brandon (14:17)And so this is 12 hours later. And so ⁓ he tried to wake me up and I was only halfway coherent and I couldn’t make either of my arms work and only one of my legs could I get any response from. So he realized there was a problem immediately, pushed me over into the passenger side of the truck got in and drove me an hour to the closest hospital, just a small little regional hospital. And they were pretty quick about realizing that I was having a stroke. And they didn’t even, I don’t even remember them putting me in a room. They brought me straight up to the roof and put me in a helicopter and helicopter and helicoptered me to UC Davis hospital in Sacramento. (14:59)Wow Wow Brandon (15:15)And I got into the hospital and within, I think about an hour and a half, they had called my mom and my brothers who were all in Louisiana at the time. And they had gotten permission to start treatment and they brought me into the surgery. at first they just (15:25)The The following is a video of the first year of Brandon (15:45)removed a three millimeter blood clot from my main artery on the right side. But then the swelling was so bad because I had been bleeding into my brain for 12 hours overnight that they had to go ahead and do ⁓ a, what do you call it? The craniotomy. Yeah, craniotomy. And so they took this whole side. It was a big craniotomy. (16:05)Craniotomy Brandon (16:12)They took this whole side, everything to the center of my forehead, above my eye, down to just above my ear, front to back. ⁓ They took that whole section of my skull out, put it in the freezer so that my brain had room. then I spent 10 days in intensive care recovering from that. And then they moved me to a rehab hospital where I spent four weeks. And yeah, so in that rehab hospital, yeah, immediately after the surgery, I couldn’t walk and I had pretty much no function on my left side, know, arm or leg. But by the time I got to the rehab hospital, I had gotten some control back, but I still couldn’t walk. ⁓ (16:44)Wow, man. Adjusting to Life Post-Stroke Brandon (17:10)And that about a week after I was in the rehab hospital is when I started to walk again without assistance. So that came back fairly quickly, but I still had really bad foot drop and my left arm wasn’t working. It was hanging, you know? And then, so they kept me in there, ⁓ you know, going through, I guess, regular rehab. (17:24)Thank Yep. Brandon (17:36)They the series of lights on the ground in front of me and I’d have to like run around and touch the different lights as they would activate and you know, I don’t know I mean, I guess it’s the same type of rehab stuff that most people go through and ⁓ (17:51)Yeah, it’s probably similar. Mate, ⁓ this is what I really want to know is what’s it like to experience having half of your skull removed? Can you somehow paint a picture of what it’s like to go through that process and how aware were you of it? Because you just had a stroke, right? So you’re in a bit of a challenged sort of healthy health state. Brandon (18:14)Right. No. Yes. ⁓ well, I think that that deliriousness was actually kind of helpful. First of all, I have not experienced any pain through the entire process. From the stroke, no pain from the craniotomy, no pain through rehab. I have not experienced any pain through this entire experience. None whatsoever. Now the doctors say that I might have lost some of that ability to sense it But you know, I mean whatever it took I Really, you know, I didn’t you know, whatever the reason was The effect of it was that I had a pretty fame pain free experience, you know (19:07)and you’re like looking in the mirror and seeing yourself and you know, like experiencing your head and how do you kind of deal with all of that? Brandon (19:21)Well, ⁓ I couldn’t feel a whole lot. I still have a lot of, or not so very much sensation on my scalp on that side. So, you know, but as far as looking in the mirror, that was kind of interesting. You know, it took a little while to get used to it, you know, and, it, ⁓ was definitely not something that I would recommend. Anybody else going through if they don’t have to you know, but ⁓ But I don’t know man. I mean, I’ve always tried to stay pretty positive about things and so, you know, I just Kept going, you know, I mean they shaved my head. I had dreadlocks for a very long time I had dreadlocks and And so this is all the hair that I’ve gotten since they put my skull back together, which was January or it’s actually It’ll be one year tomorrow since they put my skull back together. So, ⁓ my hair is coming back, which I’m really grateful for. About this time next year, I’m gonna start trying to put my dreadlocks back in. you know, but yeah, it’s, I don’t know, man. It’s really been an interesting ride. ⁓ You know, ⁓ learned a lot more about stroke than I ever thought I would need to. You know, I mean, I’m 48 right now. I was 46 when the stroke happened. So it wasn’t even on my radar, man. I wasn’t paying any attention at all. I didn’t know the anagrams or whatever. I didn’t know the symptoms of stroke. So I just kind of rolled with the punches as they came. I took it one step at a time. And that’s kind of the way it’s been with my recovery too. is I try to address one problem at a time so I don’t overwhelm myself. So after I started to get my leg back, I started to shift my influence to my shoulder and my arm. And at this point, I’ve got almost full range of motion back to the left side. I still can’t write. ⁓ Well, actually, technically, I can make my whole alphabet and all of my numbers with (21:16)Yep. Brandon (21:37)both hands at this point. trained myself to use the other hand and then about the time I was able to get that back the other hand started to come back online. So now I can do all that with both hands but words I’m word blind and numbers and letters don’t make a lot of sense to me. So even though I can make the shapes I have a lot of trouble associating the sounds of certain letters and the functions. of different numbers and letters, you know? That’s where a lot of my trouble is now, and that’s where most of my work is at the moment. (22:14)I hear you. So you sound like you’re very cool, and collected. How do you remain positive when you wake up from a stroke? You’re missing half of your skull. Your body doesn’t work on half the side. Is it your default? Do you have to work on that? Have you been working on being positive over? the decades that you’ve been on the planet, give us a bit of an insight into that part of you. Brandon (22:47)Okay, so yeah, I think I’ve always maintained a pretty positive demeanor, you know, I mean I’ve gone through some rough stuff in life, but I’ve just kind of kept going, you know, rolling with the punches. So I really don’t think that I have had much difficulty remaining positive through it. You know, there’s ⁓ definitely, you know, ⁓ days that I don’t feel as good as other days, you know, and you know, I definitely have… ⁓ things that I have to work through. have to, you know, I have to make an effort to remain positive, you know, at times. But my default has always been to be a pretty positive and happy person. So I think that that was really the majority of it is that I’ve always even in the light of extreme adversity, I’ve always been able to remain positive. You know, ⁓ so that that’s always been, you know, key even before the stroke. But (23:39)Yeah. Brandon (23:46)Yeah, I mean definitely waking up and realizing that half of my body didn’t work anymore was not fun, but it’s what I was given. I couldn’t change it, you know, only time and work was gonna change it. So I just kinda accepted it, you know, I mean, ⁓ one of the biggest things that helped me out was by the time I got out of surgery and started to get coherent, My mom and my brother had already flown from Louisiana to be with me in California at the hospital. And that was huge just to know that my family was there. And they stayed with me for the whole time that I was ⁓ in the hospital for the 10 days. And then when I went to the rehab hospital, they went home. ⁓ But yeah, so that was ⁓ just really, that was a big part of it too, you know, I mean. My mom and my brothers are pretty much the most important people in my life. Of course, my daughter as well. yeah, so, you know, to have them all there and just to have that support and have them there to help me because when I first came out, from the time I came out of surgery, I could still speak very clearly. So I did not know what I was saying. (24:56)Mm-hmm. Brandon (25:15)Nobody could tell like I wasn’t making a lot of sense, but I never lost my voice They think that that’s because of my left-handedness Because I’m left-handed I store things like that differently in my brain So because of that I was able to keep my speech even though I cannot write I can’t do you know I mean I can write my letters, but if I try to (25:32)Okay. Brandon (25:44)make a word this was yesterday (25:48)Aha! Lux- Brandon (25:50)But I can, yeah, it’s just scribble. It’s just scribble. Yeah, but, you know, if I try to like draw a letter or a number, I can do it, but I have trouble assigning it to its value. (25:53)Yeah. Understood. So before that, were quite capable of stringing sentences together, writing things down, doing all that kind of stuff. So that’s a very big contrast. Brandon (26:14)I have always been known. Huge contrast. (26:22)Is it frustrating that you can’t write in the way that you did before? it matter? Brandon (26:27)Yes, yes, I used to write all the time, know, poetry, things like that. I’ve always been considered, you know, a good writer, a good orator, public speaker, you know, that kind of thing was a big part of my life, for my whole life. And so to go from that to not being able to write a sentence on a piece of paper or even a word is really a big change for me. You know, and I mean I do use my phone for voice to text. If I wouldn’t have had voice to text, I really don’t know where I would be right now. (27:06)Is that how you communicate most things? Brandon (27:09)Yes, absolutely. it’s- if I can’t say it, like speak it, I have to use voice to text. I can’t spell- I can’t- I can’t spell my own name half the time. (27:17)Dude, I love that. Yeah, I hear you. I love voice to text. So I was told by a friend of mine about a product called Whisper Flow. I’m gonna have links in the show notes and in the description on the YouTube video, right? And it’s spelled W-I-S-P-R-F-L-O-W, Whisper Flow. And what you do is you program one key on your keyboard. And then what you do is you press that key and it activates Brandon (27:36)Yes. (27:52)the app and then you speak and it types beautifully. It types at all. And I’m a terrible like typist. I could never be one of those really quick secretary kind of people and take notes because I’m not fast enough, but it can type for me by speaking like beyond 99 words per minute, which I think is crazy fast. Living Independently After Stroke And I do it because it just saves a heck of a lot of time, me looking down at the keyboard and all that kind of stuff. My left hand does work, but I can type with it, but often my left hand, you know, we’ll miss the key and I’ve got to go back and do corrections and all that kind of stuff. So voice to text, this comes such a long way and everyone needs to know, especially if they’ve had a stroke and one of their limbs is affected, especially if it’s their… they’re riding limb or if they have a challenge like you, everyone needs to know about the fact that technology can really solve that problem. I’m pretty sure, I know this sounds like an ad for Whisper Flow, it probably is, but I’m not getting paid for it. I think they cost, it costs about hundred bucks a year to have this ⁓ service. So it’s so affordable and it does everything for you just at the touch of one button on your computer. And for some people you can also use it on your phone. But I think phones are pretty awesome at doing voice to text already. So you don’t really need ⁓ it for the phone, but you definitely need to check it out for the computer. Brandon (29:27)Okay, yeah, well, you know, I pretty much have my phone. I don’t have a computer, so… But, ⁓ it does sound like an amazing product, and I am looking to get myself a computer because I really, ⁓ like, I haven’t touched a keyboard since my stroke. So, it would be nice to get myself a laptop with a keyboard so that I could start working on trying to see how that interface works for me. (29:33)Yeah. Yeah. How was the transition out of hospital and rehab back to your place? and how long after the initial strike did you end up back at home? Brandon (30:04)Okay, so, when I, I left the hospital after, or I’m sorry, after 10 days in intensive care, they put me in the rehab hospital and I was there for four weeks. After that, they still didn’t think that I was ready to live by myself yet. So I had to, ⁓ rent a house in Joshua tree from a friend of mine who lived on the property in another house. And so I had a whole house to myself still which allowed me to keep my independence. But I still had somebody close enough to holler if I needed anything. And so I kind of, you know, baby stepped by renting a house, you know, for a while. And, And I have property in Northern Arizona where I normally would take my off time when I wasn’t traveling. But, ⁓ But, ⁓ because of the stroke, I wasn’t able to go back to that property for quite a while. And only about Christmas of last year did I start to be able to spend some more time on my property, you know. But at this point, I’m still renting the house in Joshua Tree and starting ⁓ to branch out a little bit more, do a little bit more traveling, things like that. Now with that said… I have been ever since the stroke happened about two months after the stroke I went back to my first music festival. So I didn’t have half of my skull. I had to wear a helmet for six months. And so here I am at a music festival with all of my friends and I’m in a helmet with half of my skull missing. But I still was able to be there and then ⁓ you know, be a part of the festival. So I got back to the activity that I enjoyed pretty fast. (32:07)What genre of music? Brandon (32:09)Well, it’s actually the Joshua Tree Music Festival in particular, which is the only music festival that I’m really involved with anymore. ⁓ They do world music. We get artists from all over the world in. And that’s kind of one of the reasons I’ve continued to be a part of this music festival and really haven’t been that big of a part of the other ones is because I’m always learning about new music when I go there. And that’s a big important part of it to me. (32:40)Understood. So your transition back to living alone took a little bit of time. You’re renting a place. Are you alone there? Are you living with anyone else? How is the home set up? Brandon (32:55)I have a home all to myself but there is a shared home on the other or on the property that a friend of mine lives in and he’s actually the one that I’m renting from so yeah (33:09)So you have access to support to help to people around you if necessary. Brandon (33:15)if I need it. also another big part of one of the symptoms of my stroke is that I don’t recognize my own disabilities. I have a lot of trouble with that. So I generally do not ask for help with things, which in a lot of cases has made me a lot stronger and I think been a big part of a speedy recovery. But at the same time, I can put myself in some kind of sketchy situations at times. (33:43)It’s not, are you sure it’s not just your male ego going, I can do this, I don’t need help. Brandon (33:49)I mean, I’m sure that that does tie into it, I’m certain. But yeah, that’s one of the things that I’ve struggled with from the beginning. And I didn’t recognize the left side of my body as my own. I thought it was somebody else’s. That wasn’t very long, just for maybe the first couple of weeks. But that was a very interesting sensation, that I felt like there was somebody else there. (34:06)Wow. Yeah, it just feels like it’s my, I kind of describe my left side as if it’s because my star sign is Gemini, right? So now I describe it as being the other twin, like the other part of me, which is me, but not me. And it’s so strange to experience 50 % of my body feeling one way and then 50 % of my body feeling a completely different way, which is Brandon (34:25)Yeah. Facing New Challenges: Aneurysms and Uncertainty (34:44)the only way I remember and then tying them together, like bringing them together has been a bit of a wild ride, like just getting them to operate together. When they have different needs, my left side has different needs than my right side. And sometimes one side is getting all the love and the other side is missing out. And I’m always conflicted between where do I allocate resources? Who gets… how much of my time and effort and who I listen to when one of them’s going, my left side’s going, I’m tired, I’m tired. My right side’s going, the party’s just started. Let’s keep going. Don’t worry about it. Brandon (35:25)I have to deal with that. Of course, my left gets a lot tighter than my right side, but I don’t know. think I’ve done a pretty good job of giving it that care. And a big part of where I measured my success was getting my shoulder back online and being able to pronate and go above my head. It took months to get my hand over my head. But But at this point, you know, I’m pretty much back to physically normal except for the fine motor skills on my right, on my left side. You know. (35:59)Sounds like things are going really well in really small increments. And if you’re only, what, two years post stroke, sounds like recovery is gonna continue. You’re gonna get smaller, more and more small wins and they’re gonna kinda accumulate and make it pretty significant in some time ahead. Brandon (36:17)Right. It’s a year and a half. So my stroke was on the 4th of November of 2024. (36:32)Yeah. Do you know in this whole time, did you ever have the… like, this is too hard, I don’t want to do this. Why is this happening to me kind of moment? Did you ever have any of that type of negative self talk or thoughts? Brandon (36:50)no, I mean, I suppose there probably were moments, but I don’t pay a lot of attention to those kinds of moments. You know what I mean? I do kind of even without the stroke, maintain a pretty positive mental attitude, you know, and I think that that’s been one of my biggest blessings through this. ⁓ yeah. So yeah, that’s never really been a good emotion. (37:12)I get a sense that you have those moments, but you don’t spend a lot of time there. Is that right? Is that what you just sort of alluded to that you have those moments, you just don’t give them a lot of time. Therefore they don’t really have the opportunity ⁓ to sort of take up residence. And then you just move on to whatever it is that you’re getting results with or makes you feel better or… ⁓ supports your project which is ⁓ recovery or overcoming or… Brandon (37:48)Yes. No, I completely agree. ⁓ You know, I mean, speaking of which, four days ago, I got ⁓ a phone call from the doctors. ⁓ They found an aneurysm in my brain. So I have to go and meet with a neurosurgeon on Tuesday to discuss what we’re going to do about a brain aneurysm. So I thought, you know, I was just about back to normal. And here I go into another situation. But again, until I know what’s going on, there’s no point in worrying about it, you know? So I’ll know more about it on Tuesday, but until then, I’m not spending a whole lot of time wondering, you know, am I just going to have an aneurysm and collapse tonight? You know? (38:36)that tends to be my default as well. I was really good as a kid. ⁓ When I was being cheeky and not doing my homework for school, I would go to bed and I would remember, I haven’t done my homework. And then I’d be like, yeah, but you can’t solve that problem now. Now you got to sleep, right? So you got to worry about that in the morning after you’ve had a good night’s sleep and you wake up and then deal with it. And that was a strategy to help me forget about that. minor problem, which back then, if you haven’t done your homework as a teenager, that was a big problem. If your teachers found out, if your parents found out, but the idea was that, don’t I just pause all of the overthinking? Why don’t I just pause all of the rumination and all the problems and all that stuff that it could cause for now. And I’ll worry about it when there’s a opportunity to have the resources to do something about it. And the classic example was in the morning, I would have an hour before school where I could reach out to one of my friends, take their homework, copy their homework, and then hand in my homework. Brandon (39:46)Absolutely. Yep, that was very much like me in school. (39:51)Yeah, not much point worrying about things you can’t change or control in the moment. Just pause it, deal with it later. I had a similar situation with my bleed in my brain, because I had a number of different bleeds and it was kind of in the back of my mind a little bit. What if it happens again? But it actually never stopped me from going about life from bleed one through to bleed two. was only six weeks, but like through blade two to blade three, it was about a year and a half. But I got so much done. I was, we were just going about life. was struggling with memory and all different types of deficits because of the blood clot that was in my head. But I never once kind of thought about what if something goes wrong, unless I was traveling. to another country, because we did go to the United States when I was about almost a year after the first and second bleed, we went to the United States. And then I did worry about it from a practical sense. It’s like, if I have a bleed in Australia, I’m near my hospital and then they can take over from where they left off previously and healthcare is paid for here. So there was no issue. But if I’m overseas and something goes wrong, I’m far away from home, we got to have the expensive insurance policy. Cause if something goes, I want to be totally covered when I’m in the United States, we don’t know the system. don’t know all these things. So that was a practical worry that I had, but I didn’t worry about my health and wellbeing. Do you know? I worried about the practicality of having another blade in the airplane because then I’m in the middle of the ocean. over halfway between Australia and the United States. And that’s eight hours one way or another or something. And I thought about that, but I didn’t think about how I would be personally ⁓ negatively impacted by the medical issue. I just thought about the, do we get help as quickly as possible if something were to happen? So I know a lot of people have a stroke and they, Brandon (41:55)Right. Support Systems: Finding Community After Stroke (42:18)⁓ They overthink about what if it happens again and they’re constantly kind of got that on their mind, but I was dealing with just the moments that made me feel like perhaps I should do something about this headache that I’m getting. I dealt with things as they appeared, as they turned up, I didn’t try to plan ahead and solve every problem before it happened. Brandon (42:24)Yeah. Yes, I agree. I’m very much the same way. You see, before my stroke, I didn’t have medical insurance. I hadn’t seen a doctor since my early 20s. just, I was, I was, I had always been extremely healthy. You know, I’ve always been very physically active, you know, and, so it just, I never really, I never really ⁓ went out and looked for medical. I just didn’t need it, you know? And so, When the stroke happened, I was very lucky to get put on California’s healthcare plan. And they’ve taken care of all of my medical bills. ⁓ You know, I’ve never pulled a single dollar out of my pocket for all the rehab, all the doctors since. And I mean, I have doctors still once every week, two weeks at the most, doctor visits, you know? And so I’m extremely fortunate. that it happened to me where I was, you know, because not all states here are like that, but California is extremely good. So, you know, I’m really grateful that it worked out the way it has because it could have been a whole different situation, man. (44:00)I have heard some horror stories about medical insurance for people who are not covered, have a stroke and then they leave hospital with like a $150,000 bill or something. Is that a thing? Brandon (44:13)Yes, it really is. I mean, I was extremely fortunate. By the time I got out of that first 10 days with the helicopter ride and everything else, I was close to $2 million in bills. (44:25)Dude, that’s mental. Brandon (44:26)Yeah. And, ⁓ yeah, I mean, it just doesn’t really, I mean, you know, I mean, I’m not a big fan of, the way that the medical system works money wise. think it’s all just paper or fake money, just fake numbers, you know, but yeah, I don’t know. I just, ⁓ I was extremely fortunate that it all happened the way that it did and that California is so good and they really do take care of their citizens, you know, so. (44:54)Yeah, I love that. Brandon (44:55)Yeah, very fortunate. (44:57)You know, in your recovery, did you have somebody that you kind of leaned on for support that was a confident, ⁓ that was like a mentor or did you have somebody like that in your life that was really helpful in your recovery? Brandon (45:15)Actually in about the year before my stroke I lost the three gentlemen that I had always considered my mentors, older guys that I’ve known for years. They all three passed away the year before my stroke. So I really kind of felt on my own. You know, I have a lot of friends, you know, but ⁓ but after my stroke I really don’t have the brain space for like Facebook or anything like that. So I really, closed down my very active Facebook account and when I did that, I lost so many people that would have been my support because I just, they weren’t there, you know, in real life. They’re only there on the computer, you know? And so, but luckily, you know, I’m a part of the community in Joshua Tree. So I had a lot of support from people there and… ⁓ Then I have probably four or five other friends that are scattered around the United States that I keep in touch with pretty closely. But I went down from talking to hundreds of people a month and all of that on the internet to really a very small closed social circle, you know? And then in addition to that, surprisingly, people that I’ve known for years just are not very good at accepting the differences in who I am as a person since the stroke, you know? And so, you know, I hate to say it, but a lot of friendships have kind of gotten a lot more distant since the stroke. you know, it’s just, I mean, it is what it is. You know, people have to do what they feel is right for themselves, you know? But yeah, I really… ⁓ Identity Shift: Life Changes Post-Stroke (47:06)Yeah. Brandon (47:07)I don’t have a very large support network. You know, I just basically kind of take care of a lot of it myself. You know, I mean, I did two and a half months of outpatient rehab with a occupational therapist. And what’s the other one? Occupational and physical therapy. (47:33)Mm-hmm. Brandon (47:33)So I did occupational and physical therapy for about two and a half months after I got out of the hospital. And that was all really good and helpful. And ⁓ I’m really grateful for those therapists that worked with me. And they helped me get ⁓ basically back to a normal cadence because I was having trouble putting one foot in front of the other. And they really helped me work on my cadence and getting my walk back to fairly normal. ⁓ My arm. has been mostly me. It has never been able to be rushed. It takes its own time. So even with the physical therapy, my hand coming back, it works at its own pace. That was never really influenced that much by physical therapy. And then my actual use of my hand, I was balled up. I was curled up and balled up to the wrist. after the stroke and eventually I got to where I could hold it out flat and I still tremor a lot there but it’s a lot better than it was and but yeah all of that had to come back at its own pace the physical therapy and stuff was helpful for a lot of other aspects of my recovery but that was all just taking its own time and coming back as I guess as it did my brain learn to re-communicate (48:58)Yeah, it sounds, it sounds like you’re kind of really well made up somehow, like you picked up the skills early on in your life to be able to deal with this situation. The way that you do is just amazing. Like it’s seems like it’s second nature, the way that you go about approaching the problems, the challenges, the difficulties, know, the missing half your skull, all that thing. It just seems really innate that you have that within you. you, people are listening and going, you know, that’s not me or I didn’t experience that or I’m overthinking things. Do you think that’s the way that you’re approaching things is teachable, learnable? Can people change the way that they’re going about ⁓ relating to their stroke or dealing with their stroke or managing it. Brandon (49:53)⁓ you know, I think that that you’re going to find that a lot of people, can be taught and a lot of people, can’t be taught. You know, some people’s nature just is not going to be able to handle that. But other people, you know, I think that you can go through very real processes to gain, ⁓ knowledge base, you know, to be able to start working with it. You see another big aspect of my recovery. is that I immediately after my stroke and getting out of the hospital moved eight hours away from UC Davis Hospital where my original care providers were. So I had to go through a whole new medical plan, a whole new set of doctors and everything else. And that changed on me like three times over the first six months. So I really couldn’t rely on the doctors for support either. because they were changing so often I would just meet one and the next thing I would know I would have a new doctor coming in or a new healthcare plan and so it took about six months for me to start seeing the same healthcare providers routinely so I went to YouTube University man I found you I found several other people that had these just these huge amounts of information you know, on how to handle my own recovery. So I took a lot of my own recovery into my own hands. And actually, ⁓ a week ago, I was talking to my neurologist, who is a really amazing lady, and, you know, and had to tell her pretty much that same story that, you know, I couldn’t leave it up to the doctors to fix me. I had to take care of myself. because of my situation and switching insurance and everything else that I went through, there was just not that much option. ⁓ so, you know, and she was like, I wish that all of my patients had that kind of an outlook. You cannot rely on the medical system to fix you. You know, we were talking about what can help people. I think that’s a really big thing that could help a lot of people is to realize that you have to take care of your health care decisions. You know, they found a PFO in my heart, a ⁓ Framon Parabot. (52:24)A patent for Ramen Ovali. Hole in your heart. Brandon (52:28)Yes, yeah, they found that and they wanted to fix it and I was like, you know, I’m 47 years old. This is a one-time thing. So I opted to have a loop recorder installed, a loop recorder to measure my heart rhythm and everything and send messages to the doctors at nights about my heart. So that because I thought that was a little bit less invasive. For my age, the last thing I want is for later in life, my body to start having problems with an implant that’s in my heart. So I decided not to go with that and to go with the less invasive loop recorder, which is still implanted under the skin in my chest, but it doesn’t affect my heart. (53:08)Thank you. Brandon (53:21)It just sends the information about my heart rhythm to the doctors so that they can keep track. (53:26)and it can be easily accessed and removed. Brandon (53:30)Exactly, exactly. So, you know, I mean, if I have another stroke or if I find through the little device that I’m having trouble with that PFO, you know, then I’ll get the PFO closure done. But until then, I didn’t want to just jump straight to that, you know, three months out of my out of my stroke. You know, I want to make sure that that’s the problem. because they did pull a 3mm blood clot out of my brain. So there’s a good chance that that went through the PFO and into my brain. But I was also way outside of my normal activity range trying to rock climb the day before. So there’s just, there are too many variables about the experience for me to just want to go and have something installed in my heart permanently, you know? (54:28)I hear you. What about the aneurysm? Where is that? What’s the long-term kind of approach to that? Brandon (54:35)Don’t know yet. I do not know anything about it. I’ll find out more information on Tuesday They said it’s not it’s not in the same part of my brain that my stroke was So that’s a good thing and there’s a good chance that it may have been there for a long time before the stroke So we just don’t know I don’t know anything about it So that I’m gonna go and meet with this neurosurgeon and decide what we’re gonna do about it (54:42)that’s right. Brandon (55:03)I think the most likely option, as long as it’s not big, is that they just wait and they monitor it. But there’s also a process where they coil it. They put a coil of platinum into it and pack it off so that it can’t become a problem later. And then the third scenario is that they take another piece of my skull off and go in and actually put a clip on it. to stop the blood from going into it. So I may actually have to have my skull open back up again. But, again, there’s no point in thinking about it now. I’ll think about it after Tuesday when I figure out where this thing is, what size it is, and all the details of it, you know? (55:46)Yeah. I love it. I love it. I love that man. That’s a great way to approach it. Also, ⁓ I love your comment about YouTube University. I love the fact that people find my podcast sometimes when they’re in hospital because clearly they realize I need to ⁓ learn more about this, understand it and ⁓ straight away they’ve got answers because of YouTube. it’s such a great service. It’s free. If you don’t want to pay for a paid service and all you got to do is put up with ads that you can skip through most of the time. So I think that’s brilliant. ⁓ What about your identity, man? People have a lot of kind of ⁓ examples of how they have a shift in their identity, how they perceive themselves, how they fit into the world. Did you feel like you have a shift in your identity or the way that you fit into the world? What’s that like for you? Brandon (56:46)Well, I mean, I definitely do feel like there was a big shift. Now at the core, I feel like the same person. know, mentally, I still feel like I know who I am, but it definitely has shifted my priorities in life a lot. ⁓ I did not raise my daughter and I developed a much closer relationship to her since the stroke. and we’ve been spending more time together and just really working on our relationship together. She’s 28 years old. So, you know, that has really been an amazing aspect of my stroke recovery is that I’m closer with my daughter than I ever was. But yeah, I mean, you know, I do things a lot differently. I was a heavy smoker, a heavy drinker, and a heavy marijuana user. I don’t smoke marijuana, don’t smoke cigarettes, and I don’t drink alcohol anymore. So huge change in my lifestyle as well. ⁓ But you know, I just I’m not as much of a hurry as I used to. I was always accused of my mind working on too many levels at one time, you know, and had too much on my plate, too much going on in my brain all the time. Now. My brain doesn’t keep up as well. So I struggle to stay on one subject, much less juggle multiple things in my brain. So it’s really kind of slowed down my whole mental process. But I think that again, that’s in a good way. I think that ⁓ I needed to slow down a little bit in a lot of ways. Lessons Learned: Insights from the Journey (58:31)I hear you. With the alcohol, marijuana and the smoking. So you might’ve been doing that for decades, I imagine, smoking, drinking. Brandon (58:43)Yes. (58:44)how do you experience your body differently now that it doesn’t have those substances in it anymore? Like, cause that’s a mass, that’s probably one of the biggest shifts your consumption of, we’ll call them, I don’t know, like harmful ⁓ things, you know, like how, so how do you relate to yourself differently now that those things are not necessary? Brandon (59:12)You know, I never really had like an addictive aspect. So I really don’t, I don’t feel like, ⁓ I mean, I don’t feel like it’s changed me a whole lot. I just had to take the daily habits out. But after spending a month in the hospital, all of the physical wants, all of the physical aspects of it were already taken care of, you know? So I just had to kind of maintain and not go back to old habits. So really, I mean, I don’t feel like it was that big of a difference. But now physically, I’ve always been an extremely skinny person. You know, I’m six foot one and I’ve always weighed 135 to 145. Now I weigh 165. So I did put on some weight after stopping all that. But other than that, really don’t notice a lot of ⁓ physical differences. Now, I have not coughed since my stroke. I used to wake myself up at night coughing, but for some reason, like literally when I had the stroke, I have not coughed since. Now I clear my throat a lot more and I have a lot of, we’re trying to figure out why, but I have a lot of problems with my sinuses. and stuff like that all on the side that I my injury was on this side but on the side the mental side like where it’s all mental stuff that changed the you know all of that I have problems with my sinuses and drainage and things like that so right now I’m seeing an ear nose and throat specialist and we just did a cat scan of my sinuses so I’ll see on the 13th of this next month I’ll get more information on about what’s going on there. ⁓ really, if that’s all I have to deal with is a one-sided sinus infection, I’m okay with that, you know? (1:01:23)Brandon, you’re all over it, man. I love your approach. It’s ⁓ refreshing to hear somebody who’s just so all over getting to the bottom of things rather than kind of just letting them kind of fester, which kind of leads me to my next question is you seem to have gained a lot of learning and growth from all of this. So what… ⁓ What are some of the insights that you gained from this experience that you didn’t expect? Brandon (1:01:54)⁓ No, I’m really not sure, man. I’m really not sure. I mean, again, I feel like pretty much going back to the same person. I mean, I have, I think, a little bit more respect for the human lifespan. You know, I was one of those people that always felt like, since I’ve never died, I can’t tell you that I’m going to die. Even though everybody else on the planet has to die, I never necessarily felt like that. I definitely feel mortal now, you know? I used to tell everybody that I still felt 25, but as soon as I had my stroke, felt 48. I felt every bit of my age. So it kind of cured me of that. You know, I pay a lot more attention to like, you know, things like, setting up my daughter for the future, you know, and like, Purchasing property for her and things like that to make sure that she’s gonna be taken care of when I’m not here anymore Things that I never paid attention to beforehand, you know, I always just lived in the moment Really didn’t care about the rest But now I’m more prone to put the work into my vehicle before it breaks down Instead of just waiting for it to be on the side of the road to fix it You know, I just I I think that I handle my life responsibilities more like a grown up than I used to, you know, but ⁓ but really, I don’t know, I’d say overall though, it’s still really difficult question to answer, man. I don’t I don’t feel like I live a lot differently. I feel like I’m still the same person, you know. (1:03:35)You nailed it, man. You answered it beautifully, especially the part about mortality. That’s a hap that happened to me. I realized at 37 that, ⁓ I actually might not be around in 12 months, six months, three months. So who knows like tomorrow. And that made me pay attention to my relationships and make sure that they were mostly mended healed. Reach. I reached out to people who I needed to reach out to. cut off people who I didn’t need to continue connecting with. Brandon (1:03:51)Right? (1:04:05)You know, like I realized that this, I’ve got to attend, attend to certain things that I hadn’t been attending to because if, ⁓ if the shit hit the fan, if things go really ugly, then I wouldn’t be able to attend to those things. And I, now that I had the ability to do it, was my responsibility to do that. Brandon (1:04:28)Absolutely, absolutely. I completely agree. I did the same thing. I cleared out a lot of the people that really weren’t being, you know, or that weren’t adding benefit to my life and causing problems in my life. I cleared all of that out. I started to focus more on the core group of people that were a big part of my life and, you know, my recovery and just, you know, who I am as a person. And just, you know, it really made me take a better look at the life that I had created for myself and and ⁓ and Just take care of the things that I should be taking care of and don’t pay as much attention to the things that weren’t serving me (1:05:12)Yeah, it’s a great way to continue moving forward. Your daughter, does she live nearby or does she live in another state? Brandon (1:05:21)She lives in another state. She lives in Alabama right now, but we’re starting to consider her coming out here to Arizona. Her and her boyfriend have lived there for several years, but the only reason she was living there is because her grandparents lived there on her maternal side, and she was very close to them for her whole life. But they passed, both of them, over the last several years. And, you know, she enjoys her work. She enjoys her friend group. But she also feels like she might need to go and explore a little bit more and move out of her comfort zone. So she might be a little bit closer sooner. Her and her boyfriend might actually move out here. we’ll just, know, only time will tell, but it’s just, it’s a fun thought, you know? (1:06:08)Yeah, I hear you. So we’ve shared a whole bunch of amazing things on this episode right now. The last question I want to ask you is there are people watching and listening that had either been listening for a little bit of time. They’ve just started their stroke recovery or they’r

Moyamoya Syndrome Stroke Recovery: Judy Kim Cage's Comeback From “Puff of Smoke” to Purpose At 4:00 AM, Judy Kim Cage woke up in pain so extreme that she was screaming, though she doesn't remember the scream. What she does remember is the “worst headache ever,” nausea, numbness, and then the terrifying truth: her left side was shutting down. Here's the part that makes her story hit even harder: Judy already lived with Moyamoya syndrome and had undergone brain surgeries years earlier. She genuinely believed she was “cured.” So when her stroke began, her brain fought the reality with everything it had. Denial, resistance, bargaining, and delay. And yet, Judy's story isn't about doom. It's about what Moyamoya syndrome stroke recovery can look like when you keep going, especially when recovery becomes less about “getting back to normal” and more about building a new, honest, meaningful life. What Is Moyamoya Syndrome (And Why It's Called “Puff of Smoke”) Moyamoya is a rare cerebrovascular disorder where the internal carotid arteries progressively narrow, reducing blood flow to the brain. The brain tries to compensate by creating fragile collateral vessels, thin-walled backups that can look like a “puff of smoke” on imaging. Those collateral vessels can become a risk. In Judy's case, the combination of her history, symptoms, and eventual deficits marked a devastating event that would reshape her life. The emotional gut punch wasn't only the stroke itself. It was the psychological whiplash of thinking you're safe… and discovering you're not. The First Enemy in Moyamoya Stroke Recovery: Denial Judy didn't just resist the hospital. She resisted the idea that this was happening at all. She'd been through countless ER visits in the past, having to explain Moyamoya to doctors, enduring tests, and then being told, “There's nothing we can do.” That history trained her to expect frustration and disappointment, not urgent help. So when her husband wanted to call emergency services, her reaction wasn't logical, it was emotional. It was the reflex of someone who'd been through too much. Denial isn't weakness. It's protection. It's your mind trying to buy time when the truth is too big to hold all at once. The Moment Reality Landed: “I Thought I Picked Up My Foot” In early recovery, Judy was convinced she could do what she used to do. Get up. Walk. Go to the bathroom. Handle it. But a powerful moment in rehab shifted everything: she was placed into an exoskeleton and realized her brain and body weren't speaking the same language. She believed she lifted her foot, then saw it hadn't moved for several seconds. That's when she finally had to admit what so many survivors eventually face: Recovery begins the moment you stop arguing with reality. Not because you “give up,” but because you stop wasting energy fighting what is and start investing energy into what can be. The Invisible Battle: Cognitive Fatigue and Energy Management If you're living through Moyamoya syndrome stroke recovery, it's easy for everyone (including you) to focus on the visible stuff: walking, arms, vision, and balance. But Judy's most persistent challenge wasn't always visible. It was cognitive fatigue, the kind that makes simple tasks feel impossible. Even something as ordinary as cleaning up an email inbox can become draining because it requires micro-decisions: categorize, prioritize, analyze, remember context, avoid mistakes. And then there's the emotional layer: when you're a perfectionist, errors feel personal. Judy described how fatigue increases mistakes, not because she doesn't care, but because the brain's bandwidth runs out. That's a brutal adjustment when your identity has always been built on competence. A practical shift that helped her Instead of trying to “finish” exhausting tasks in one heroic sprint, Judy learned to do small daily pieces. It's not glamorous, but it reduces cognitive load and protects energy. In other words: consistency beats intensity. Returning to Work After a Moyamoya Stroke: A Different Kind of Strength Judy's drive didn't disappear after her stroke. If anything, it became part of the recovery engine. She returned slowly, first restricted to a tiny number of hours. Even that was hard. But over time, she climbed back. She eventually returned full-time and later earned a promotion. That matters for one reason: it proves recovery doesn't have one shape. For some people, recovery is walking again. For others, it's parenting again. For others, it's working again without losing themselves to burnout. The goal isn't to recreate the old life perfectly. The goal is to build a life that fits who you are now. [Quote block mid-article] “If you couldn't make fun of it… it would be easier to fall into a pit of despair.” Humor Isn't Denial. It's a Tool. Judy doesn't pretend everything is okay. She's not selling toxic positivity. But she does use humor like a lever, something that lifts the emotional weight just enough to keep moving. She called her recovering left hand her “evil twin,” high-fived it when it improved, and looked for small “silver linings” not because the stroke was good, but because despair is dangerous. Laughter can't fix Moyamoya. But it can change what happens inside your nervous system: tension, stress response, mood, motivation, and your willingness to try again tomorrow. And sometimes, tomorrow is the whole win. Identity After Stroke: When “Big Stuff Became Small Stuff” One of the most profound shifts Judy described was this: the stroke changed her scale. Things that used to feel huge became small. Every day annoyances lost their power. It took something truly significant to rattle her. That's not magical thinking. That's a perspective earned the hard way. Many survivors quietly report this experience: once you've faced mortality and rebuilt your life from rubble, you stop wasting precious energy on what doesn't matter. Judy also found meaning in mentoring others because recovering alone can feel like walking through darkness without a map. Helping others doesn't erase what happened. But it can transform pain into purpose. If You're In Moyamoya Syndrome Stroke Recovery, Read This If your recovery feels messy… if you're exhausted by invisible symptoms… if the old “high achiever” version of you is fighting the new reality… You're not broken. You're adapting. And your next step doesn't have to be dramatic. It just has to be honest and repeatable: Simplify the day Protect energy Build routines Accept help Use humor when you can And find one person who understands Recovery is not a straight line. But it is possible to rebuild a life you actually want to live. If you want more support and guidance, you can also explore Bill's resources here: recoveryafterstroke.com/book patreon.com/recoveryafterstroke This blog is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Please consult your doctor before making any changes to your health or recovery plan. Judy Kim Cage on Moyamoya Stroke Recovery, Cognitive Fatigue, and Finding Purpose Again She thought Moyamoya was “fixed.” Then a 4 AM headache proved otherwise. Judy's comeback will change how you see recovery. Judy’s Instagram Highlights: 00:00 Introduction and Guest Introduction 01:43 Life Before the Stroke 11:17 The Moment of the Stroke 19:56 Moyamoya Syndrome Stroke Recovery 25:36 Cognitive Fatigue and Executive Functioning 34:50 Rehabilitation Experience 42:29 Using Humor in Recovery 46:59 Finding Purpose After Stroke 54:19 Judy’s Book: Super Survivor 01:05:20 Conclusion and Final Thoughts Transcript: Introduction and Guest Introduction Bill Gasiamis (00:00) Hey there, I’m Bill Gasiamis and this is the Recovery After Stroke podcast. Before we jump in a quick thank you to my Patreon supporters. You help cover the hosting costs after more than 10 years of doing this independently. And you make it possible for me to keep creating episodes for stroke survivors who need hope and real guidance. And thank you to everyone who supports the show in the everyday ways too. The YouTube commenters, the people leaving reviews on Spotify and Apple. The folks who bought my book and everyone who sticks around and doesn’t skip the ads. I see you and I appreciate you. Now I want you to hear this. My guest today, Judy Kim Cage, woke up at 4am with the worst headache of her life and she was so deep in denial that she threatened to divorce her husband if he called 911. Judy lives with Moyamoya syndrome, a rare cerebrovascular condition often described as the puff of smoke on imaging. She’d already had brain surgeries and believed she was cured until the stroke changed everything. Judy also wrote a book called Super Survivor and it’s all about how denial, resistance and persistence can lead to success and a better life after stroke. I’ll put the links in the show notes. In this conversation, we talk about Moyamoya Syndrome, stroke recovery, the rehab moment where reality finally landed. and what it’s like to rebuild life with cognitive fatigue and executive functioning challenges and how Judy used humor and purpose to keep moving forward without pretending recovery is easy. Let’s get into it. Judy Kim Cage, welcome to the podcast. Life Before Moyamoya Syndrome Judy Kim Cage (01:43) Thank you so much, Bill Bill Gasiamis (01:45) Thanks for being here. Can you paint us a picture of your life before the stroke? What were your days like? Judy Kim Cage (01:51) Hmm. Well, my life before the stroke was me trying to be a high achiever and a corporate nerd. I think so. I think so. I, you know, I was in the Future Business Leaders of America in high school and then carried that forward to an accounting degree. Bill Gasiamis (02:04) Did you achieve it? Judy Kim Cage (02:20) and finance and then ⁓ had gone to work for Deloitte and the big four. ⁓ And after that moved into ⁓ internal audit for commercial mortgage and then risk and banking and it all rolled into compliance, which is a kind of larger chunk there. But ⁓ yeah, I was living the corporate dream and Traveling every other week, basically so 50 % of the time, flying to Columbus, staying there, and then flying back home for the weekend and working in a rented office for the week after. And I did that for all of 2018. And then in 2019 is when my body said, hang on a second. And I had a stroke. Bill Gasiamis (03:17) How many hours a week do you think you were working? Judy Kim Cage (03:19) Well, not including the treble, ⁓ probably 50-55. Bill Gasiamis (03:26) Okay. Judy Kim Cage (03:26) Oh, wish, that wasn’t that that really wasn’t a ton compared to my Deloitte days where I’d be working up to 90 hours a week. Bill Gasiamis (03:37) Wow. in that time when you’re working 90 hours a week. Is there time for anything else? you get to squeeze in a run at the gym or do you get to squeeze in a cafe catch up with a friend or anything like that? Judy Kim Cage (03:51) There are people that do. think, yeah, I mean, on certain particular weekends and my friends, a lot of my friends were also working with me. So there was time to socialize. And then, of course, we would all let off some steam, you know, at the pub, you know, at the end of a week. But ⁓ yeah, I remember on one of my very first jobs, I had been so excited because I had signed up to take guitar lessons and I was not able to leave in order to get there in time. ⁓ so that took a backseat. Bill Gasiamis (04:40) Yes, it sounds like there’s potentially lots of things that took a backseat. Yeah, work tends to be like that can be all consuming and when friendships especially are within the work group as well, even more so because everyone’s doing the same thing and it’s just go, Judy Kim Cage (04:44) Yeah, definitely. Absolutely. We started as a cohort essentially of, I want to say 40 some people all around the same age. And then, you know, as the years ticked by, we started falling off as they do in that industry. Bill Gasiamis (05:19) Do you enjoy it though? Like, is there a part of you that enjoys the whole craziness of all the travel, all the hours, the work stuff? it? Is it like interesting? Judy Kim Cage (05:31) Yeah, I do love it. I actually do love my job. I love compliance. I love working within a legal mindset with other lawyers. And basically knowing that I’m pretty good at my job, that I can be very well organized, that it would be difficult even for a normal healthy person and challenging and that I can do well there. And yeah, no, was, when I had put in a year, when I was in ⁓ acute therapy, ⁓ I had spoken with a number of students and they had interviewed me as a patient, but also from the psych side of it all, ⁓ asking, well, what does it feel like to all of a sudden have your life stop? And I said, well, ⁓ and things got a bit emotional, I said, I felt like I was at the top of my game. I had finally achieved the job that I absolutely wanted, had desired. ⁓ I felt like I’d found a home where I was now going to retire. And all of a sudden that seems like it was no longer a possibility. Bill Gasiamis (06:55) So that’s a very common thing that strokes have over say who I interviewed. They say stuff like I was at the top of my game and there’s this ⁓ idea or sense that once you get to the top of the game, you stay there. There’s no getting down from the top of the game and that it just keeps going and keeps going. And, I think it’s more about fit. sounds like it’s more about fit. Like I found a place where I fit. found a place where I’m okay. or I do well, where I succeed, where people believe in me, where I have the support and the faith or whatever it is of my employers, my team. Is that kind of how you describe on top of your game or is it something different? Judy Kim Cage (07:41) I think it was all of those things, ⁓ but also, you know, definitely the kindness of people, the support of people, their faith in my ability to be smart and get things done. But then also ⁓ just the fact that I finally said, okay, this was not necessarily a direct from undergrad to here. However, I was able to take pieces of everything that I had done and put it together into a position that was essentially kind of created for me and then launched from there. So I felt as though it was essentially having climbed all of those stairs. So I was at the top. Yeah. you know, looking at my Lion King kingdom and yeah. Bill Gasiamis (08:43) just about to ascend and, and it was short lived by the sound of it. Judy Kim Cage (08:49) It was, it was, it was only one year beforehand, but I am actually still at the company now. I ⁓ had gone and done ⁓ well. So I was in the hospital for a few months and following that. Well, following the round of inpatient and the one round of outpatient, said, okay, I’m going back. And I decided, I absolutely insisted that I was going to go back. The doctor said, okay, you can only work four hours a week. I said, four hours a week, what are you talking about? ⁓ But then I realized that four hours a week was actually really challenging at that time. ⁓ And then ⁓ I climbed back up. was, you know, I’m driven by deadlines and… ⁓ I was working, you know, leveraging long-term disability. And then once I had worked too many hours after five years, you know, I graduated from that program, or rather I got booted out of the program. ⁓ And then a year later, I was actually, well, no, actually at the end of the five years I was promoted. So, ⁓ after coming back full time. Bill Gasiamis (10:20) Wow. So this was all in 2019, the stroke. You were 39 years old. Do you remember, do you remember the moment when you realized there was something wrong? We’ll be back with more of Judy’s remarkable story in just a moment. If you’re listening right now and you’re in that stage where recovery feels invisible, where the fatigue is heavy, your brain feels slower. or you’re trying to explain a rare condition like Moyamoya and nobody really gets it. I want you to hear this clearly. You’re not failing. You’re recovering. If you want extra support between episodes, you can check out my book at recoveryafterstroke.com slash book. And if you’d like to help keep this podcast going and support my mission to reach a thousand episodes, you can support the podcast at Patreon by visiting patreon.com/recoveryafterstroke. All right, let’s get back to Judy. The Moment of the Stroke Judy Kim Cage (11:16) Yes, although I was in a lot of denial. ⁓ So we had just had dinner with ⁓ my stepdaughter and her husband ⁓ and ⁓ we were visiting them in Atlanta, Georgia. ⁓ And we said, OK, we’ll meet for brunch tomorrow. You know, great to see you. Have a good night. It was four in the morning and I was told I woke up screaming and I felt this horrible, horrible worst headache ever ⁓ on the right side. And I think because I have, I have Moyamoya syndrome, because of that and because I had had brain surgeries, ⁓ 10 years or back in December of 2008, I had a brain surgery on each side. And that at the time was the best of care that you could get. You know, that was essentially your cure. And so I thought I was cured. And so I thought I would never have a stroke. So when it was actually happening, I was in denial said there’s no way this could be happening. But the excess of pain, ⁓ the nausea and ⁓ it not going away after throwing up, the numbness ⁓ and then the eventual paralysis of my left side definitely ⁓ was evidence that something was very very wrong. Bill Gasiamis (13:09) So it was four in the morning, were you guys sleeping? Judy Kim Cage (13:14) ⁓ yeah, we were in bed. Yep. And yeah, I woke up screaming. According to my husband, I don’t remember the screaming part, but I remember all the pain. Bill Gasiamis (13:24) Yeah, did he ⁓ get you to hospital? Did he the emergency services? Judy Kim Cage (13:30) I apparently was kind of threatening to divorce him if he called 911. Bill Gasiamis (13:38) Wow, that’s a bit rough. Oh my lord. Judy Kim Cage (13:41) I know. mean, that could have been his out, but he didn’t. Bill Gasiamis (13:45) There’s worse things for a human to do than call 911 and get your support. Like marriages end for worse things than that. Judy Kim Cage (13:53) because I’ve been to the ER many, many, many times. And because of the Moyamoya, you would always, it being a rare disease, you would never be told, well, you would have to explain to all the doctors about what Moyamoya was, for one. For two, to say if I had a cold, for instance, that Moyamoya had nothing to do with it. Bill Gasiamis (14:11) Wow. Judy Kim Cage (14:19) But also, you know, they would give me an MRI, oof, the claustrophobia. I detested that. And I said, if you’re getting me into an MRI, please, please, please, a benzodiazepine would be incredible. Or just knock me out, whatever you need to do. But I’m not getting into that thing otherwise. But, you know, they would take the MRI, read it. and then say, hours and hours and hours later, there’s nothing we can do. The next course of action, if it was absolutely necessary, would be another surgery, which would have been bur holes that were drilled into my skull to relieve some sort of pressure. ⁓ In this particular case, the options were to ⁓ have a drain put in my skull. and then for me to be reliant on a ventilator. Or they said, you can have scans done every four hours and if the damage becomes too great, then we’ll move on. Otherwise, we’ll just keep tabs on it, essentially. Bill Gasiamis (15:37) Yeah. So I know that feeling because since my initial blade in February, 2012, I’ve lost count how many times I’ve been to the hospital for a scan that was unnecessary, but necessary at the time because you, you know, you tie yourself up in knots trying to work out, is this another one? Isn’t it another one? Is it, it, and then the only outcome that you can possibly come up with that puts your mind at ease and everybody else around you is let’s go and get a scan and then, and then move on with life. Once they tell you it was, ⁓ it was not another bleed or whatever. Yeah. However, three times I did go and three times there was a bleed. So it’s the whole, you know, how do you wrap your head around like which one isn’t the bleed, which one is the bleed and It’s a fricking nightmare if you ask me. And I seem to have now ⁓ transferred that concern to everybody else who has a headache. On the weekend, my son had a migraine. And I tell you what, because he was describing it as one of the worst headaches he had ever had, I just went into meltdown. I couldn’t cope. And it was like, go to the hospital, go to the hospital, go to… He didn’t go, he’s an adult, right? Makes his own decisions. But I was worried about it for days. And it wasn’t enough that even the next few days he was feeling better because I still have interviewed people who have had a headache for four or five or six days before they went to hospital and then they found that it was a stroke. it’s just become this crazy thing that I have to live with now. Judy Kim Cage (17:26) I essentially forced Rich to wait 12 hours before I called my vascular neurologist. And once I did, his office said, you need to go to the ER. And I said, okay, then that’s when I folded and said, all right, we’ll go. ⁓ And then, ⁓ you know, an ambulance came. Bill Gasiamis (17:35) Wow. Judy Kim Cage (17:53) took me out on a gurney and then took me to a mobile stroke unit, which there was only one of 11, there were only 11 in the country at the time. And they were able to scan me there and then had me basically interviewed by a neurologist via telecall. And this was, you know, before the days of teams and zoom and that we all tested out ⁓ from COVID. ⁓ yeah, that’s. Bill Gasiamis (18:35) That’s you, So then you get through that initial acute phase and then you wake up with a certain amount of deficits. Judy Kim Cage (18:37) Yeah. my gosh. ⁓ Well, yeah, absolutely. ⁓ Massive amounts of pain ⁓ from all the blood absorbing back into the brain. ⁓ The left side, my left side was paralyzed. My arm fell out of my shoulder socket. So it was hanging down loosely. ⁓ I had dropped foot, so I had to learn to walk again. Double vision and my facial group on the left and then. Bluff side neglect. Bill Gasiamis (19:31) Yeah. So, and then I see in our, in your notes, I see also you had diminished hearing, nerve pain, spasticity, cognitive fatigue, ⁓ bladder issues. You’d also triggered Ehlers-Danlos symptoms, whatever that is. Tell me about that. What’s that? Moyamoya Syndrome Stroke Recovery Judy Kim Cage (19:56) So I call myself a genetic mutant because the Moyamoya for one at the time I was diagnosed is discovered in 3.5 people out of a million. And then Ehlers-Danlos or EDS for short is also a genetic disorder. Well, certain versions are more genetic than others, but it is caused by a defect in your collagen, which makes up essentially your entire body. And so I have hypermobility, the blood, I have pots. So my, my blood basically remains down by my feet, it pulls at my feet. And so not enough of it gets up to my brain, which also could, you know, have affected the moimoya. But Essentially, it creates vestibular issues, these balance issues where it’s already bad enough that you have a stroke, but it’s another to be at the risk of falling all the time. Yeah. Or if you get up a little too fast, which I still do to this day, sometimes I’ll completely forget and I’ll just bounce up off the sofa to get myself a drink and I will sway and all of a sudden Bill Gasiamis (21:07) Yeah. Judy Kim Cage (21:22) onto the sofa or sit down right on the floor and say, okay, why did I not do the three-step plan to get up? ⁓ But sometimes it’s just too easy to forget. Bill Gasiamis (21:37) Yeah, yeah. You just act, you just move out of well habit or normal, normal ways that people move. And then you find yourself in a interesting situation. So I mean, how, how do you deal with all of that? Like you, you go from having experienced more and more by the way, let’s describe more and more a little bit, just so people know what it is. Judy Kim Cage (22:02) Absolutely. So, my way is a cerebrovascular disorder where your internal carotid progressively constricts. So for no known reason, no truly known reason. And so because it keeps shrinking and shrinking, not enough brain, blood gets to your brain. So what the brain decides to do to compensate is it will form these collateral vessels. And these collateral vessels, which there are many of them usually, you know, the longer this goes on, ⁓ they have very thin walls. So due to the combination of the thin walls, and if you have high blood pressure, these walls can break. And that is what happened in my case. ⁓ Well, the carotids will continue to occlude, but what happens is, ⁓ least with the surgery, they took my temporal artery, removed it from my scalp, had taken a plate off of my skull and stitched that. temporal artery onto my brain so that it would have a separate source of blood flow so that it was no longer reliant on this carotid. So we know that the carotid, sorry, that the temporal artery won’t fail out. ⁓ So usually, ⁓ and this was my surgery was actually done at Boston Children’s Hospital ⁓ by the man who pioneered the surgery. And he was basically head of neurosurgery at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s because they more often find this in children now. And the sooner they find it, the fewer collateral vessels will form once the surgery is performed. Bill Gasiamis (24:17) Okay, so the long-term risk is that it’s decreased, the risk of a blade decreases if they do the surgery early on too. I love that. Judy Kim Cage (24:25) The rest. But I was diagnosed at the age of 29. So I had quite a while of these collateral vessels forming in what they call a puff of smoke that appears on the MRI. ⁓ And that is what, you know, Moyamoya essentially means in Japanese, is translated to in Japanese, it’s puff of smoke. Bill Gasiamis (24:50) Wow, you have been going through this for a while then. So I can understand your whole mindset around doctors, another appointment, another MRI. Like I could totally, ⁓ it makes complete sense. You you’re over it after a certain amount of time. Yeah, I’m the same. I kind of get over it, but then I also have to take action because you know what we know what the previous Judy Kim Cage (25:07) Absolutely. Bill Gasiamis (25:19) outcome was and now you’re dealing with all of these deficits that you have to overcome. Which are the deficits that you’re still dealing with that are the most, well, the most sort of prolonged or challenging or whatever you want to call them, whatever. Cognitive Fatigue and Executive Functioning Judy Kim Cage (25:34) The most significant, I guess it’s the most wide ranging. But it is. ⁓ Energy management and cognitive fatigue. ⁓ I have issues with executive functioning. ⁓ Things are, you know, if I need to do sorting or filing. ⁓ That actually is. one of my least favorite things to do anymore. Whereas it was very easy at one point. ⁓ And now if I want to clean up my inbox, it is just a dreaded task. ⁓ And so now I’ve learned that if I do a little bit of it every day, then I don’t have, it doesn’t have to take nearly as long. ⁓ Bill Gasiamis (26:26) What it’s dreaded about it is it making decisions about where those emails belong, what to do to them or. Judy Kim Cage (26:33) Oh, no, it’s just the time and energy it takes to do it. It drains me very quickly. Because you have to evaluate and analyze every line as you’re deciding what project it belongs to. And there’s a strategic way to do it in terms of who you normally deal with on each project, etc. etc. This chunk of time, calendar dates you’ve worked on it, etc. But, know, That might by the time I get to this tedious task, I’m not thinking about it strategically. ⁓ Yeah, I’m just dragging each individual line item into a little folder. ⁓ So, ⁓ but yeah, like the cognitive deficits. gosh. mean, I’m working on a computer all day. I am definitely a corporate desk rat or mouse, you know, on the wheel. ⁓ And a lot of Excel spreadsheets and just a lot of very small print and sometimes I get to expand it. ⁓ And it really is just trying not to, well, the job involves making as few errors as you possibly can. Bill Gasiamis (28:01) Yeah. Judy Kim Cage (28:02) ⁓ Now when I get tired or overwhelmed or when I overdo it, which I frequently frequently do, ⁓ I find out that I’ve made more errors and I find out after the fact usually. So nothing that’s not reversible, nothing that’s not fixable, but it still is pretty disheartening for a perfectionist type such as myself. Bill Gasiamis (28:30) Wow. So the perfectionism also has to become something that you have to deal with even more so than before, because before you were probably capable of managing it now, you’re less capable. yeah, I understand. I’m not a perfectionist by all means. My wife can tend to be when she’s studying or something like that. And she suffers from, you know, spending Judy Kim Cage (28:46) the energy. Bill Gasiamis (29:00) potentially hours on three lines of a paragraph. Like she’s done that before and I’ll just, and I’ve gone into the room after three hours and her, and her going into the room was, I’m going to go in and do a few more lines because she was drained or tired or, you know, her brain wasn’t working properly or whatever. I’m just going to go do three more lines and three hours later, she’s still doing those three lines. It’s like, wow, you need to get out of the, you need to get out. need to, we need to. break this because it’s not, it’s not good. So I totally get what it’s liked to be like that. And then I have had the cognitive fatigue where emails were impossible. Spreadsheets forget about it. I never liked them anyway. And they were just absolutely forget about it. Um, I feel like they are just evil. I feel like the spreadsheets are evil, you know, all these things that you have to do in the background, forget about it. That’s unbelievable. So, um, What was it like when you first sort of woke up from the initial stroke, got out of your unconscious state and then realized you had to deal with all of this stuff? I know for some time you were probably unable to speak and were you ⁓ trapped inside your body? Is that right or? Judy Kim Cage (30:19) I was in the ICU. I was paralyzed on the left side, so I was not able to get up, not really able to move much. ⁓ I was not speaking too much, definitely not within the first week. I was in the ICU for 10 days. ⁓ And yeah, I just wasn’t able to do much other than scream from the beam. ⁓ And then I, once I became more aware, I insisted that I could get up and walk to the bathroom myself. I insisted that I could just sit up, get up, do all the things that I had done before. And it being a right side stroke as well, you know, I think helps contribute to the overestimation or the… just conceitedness, guess, and this self-confidence that I could just do anything. Yes, absolutely. And I was told time and time again, Judy, can’t walk, Judy, can’t go to the bathroom, Judy, you can’t do these things. And I was in absolute denial. And I would say, no, I can, I can get up. And meanwhile, I would say that Bill Gasiamis (31:30) Delusion Judy Kim Cage (31:51) husband was so afraid that I was going to physically try to get up and fall over, which would not have been good. ⁓ And so, you know, there was, there were some expletives involved. ⁓ And, ⁓ and then eventually once I was out of the ICU, ⁓ I didn’t truly accept that I couldn’t walk until Bill Gasiamis (32:00) but. Judy Kim Cage (32:20) one of the PT students had put me into an exoskeleton and I realized that my foot did not move at all, you know, like a full five seconds after I thought I picked it up. And I said, wait, hang on, what’s going on here? And I said, ⁓ okay, I guess I have to admit that I can’t walk. And then I can’t, I can’t sit upright. I can’t. You know, and like you had mentioned, you know, I had lost the signals from my brain to my bladder. They were slow or whatnot. And I was wetting the bed, like a child at a sleepover. And I was pretty horrified. And that happened for, you know, pretty much my, pretty much all my time at Kratie, except I got the timing down. ⁓ eventually, which was fantastic. But then when I moved to post-acute, ⁓ then I had to learn the timing all over again, just because, you know, of different, rules being different, the transfers being different, and then, ⁓ you know, just ⁓ the timing of when somebody would answer the call button, et cetera. Bill Gasiamis (33:45) Yeah. Do you, what was it like going to rehab? I was really excited about it. I was hanging out because I learned that I couldn’t walk when the nurse said to me, have you been to the toilet yet? And I said, no, I hadn’t been to the toilet. We’re talking hours after surgery, you know, maybe within the first eight or nine hours, something like that. And I went to put my left foot down onto the ground. She was going to help me. She was like a really petite Asian. framed lady and I’m and I’m probably two feet taller than her, something like that, and double her weight. And then she said, just put your hand on my shoulder and then I’ll support you. So I did that. I put my hand on her shoulder, stepped onto my left foot and then just collapsed straight onto the ground and realized, ⁓ no, I’m not walking. I can’t walk anymore. And then I was then waiting. hanging out to go to rehab was really excited about that. ⁓ What was it like for you? Moyamoya Syndrome Stroke Rehabilitation Experience Judy Kim Cage (34:48) Initially, well, do you so you mean. ⁓ Bill Gasiamis (34:56) Just as in like, were you aware that you could ⁓ improve things? Were you kind of like, we’re gonna overcome this type of stuff? Because you had a lot more things to overcome than I did. So it’s like, how is that? How do you frame that in your head? Were you the kind of person who was like, ⁓ rehab’s around the corner, let’s do that? Or were you kind of reluctant? Judy Kim Cage (35:19) It was a combination of two things. One, I had been dying to go home. I said, I absolutely, why can’t I go home? I was in the hospital for three weeks before we moved to the rehab hospital. And once we had done that, I was there basically for the entire weekend and then they do evaluations on Tuesday. And so I was told on Tuesday that I would be there for another at least four to six weeks. And so that was even before therapies really began. So there was a part of me saying, I don’t care, let me go home and I’ll do outpatient every day and everything will be fine. At least I get to go home. But then the other part. Bill Gasiamis (35:52) Thanks. Judy Kim Cage (36:11) said, okay, well, once I realized I was stuck and that I couldn’t escape, I couldn’t go anywhere, ⁓ I actually, I did love therapy. ⁓ I loved being in speech therapy, being in OTE, being in PT even, because my girls were fantastic. They were so caring, so understanding. They made jokes and also laughed at mine, which was even better. And when you’re not in therapy, especially on the weekends, you’re just in your room by yourself. And you’re not watching TV because that input is way too heavy. Listening to music. maybe a little bit here and there. ⁓ You know, all the things that you know and love are nowhere to be found, you know, really. ⁓ Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, yeah. And I get claustrophobic in the MRI, in the hospital, et cetera. yeah. Bill Gasiamis (37:14) Oscillating. Yeah. I was on YouTube, searching YouTube videos that were about neuroplasticity, retraining the brain, that kind of stuff, meditations, type of thing. That really helped me on those weekends. The family was always around, but there was delays between family visits and what have you that couldn’t be there that entire time. ⁓ So I found that very interesting. And you know, rehab was a combination of frustration and excitement, excitement that I was getting the help, frustration that things weren’t moving as quickly as I wanted. ⁓ And I even remember the occupational therapist making us make breakfast. And I wouldn’t recommend this breakfast for stroke survivors. I think it was cereal and toast or something like that. And I remember being frustrated, why are they making me make it? My left side doesn’t work. Like I can barely walk. I cannot carry the glass with the tea or anything like that to me. What are these people doing? They should be doing it for us. I wasn’t aware. I wasn’t aware that that was part of the therapy. I just thought they were making us make our own bloody breakfast. I thought these people are so terrible. And it took a while for me to clue on like, ⁓ okay. Judy Kim Cage (38:44) you Bill Gasiamis (38:52) They want me to be able to do this when I get home. ⁓ understood. Took a while. I’m thick like that. Judy Kim Cage (39:00) Fortunately, wasn’t made to cook until close to the end. And also during outpatient, I was tasked to make kind of a larger, you know, crock pot dinner so that, you know, I could do that at home. Meanwhile, the irony of it all is that. I can cook and I used to love cooking, but I don’t do it nearly as much as I used to. So that skill did not really transfer over. ⁓ I have Post-it notes up by the microwave that tell me right hand only because if I use my left hand, the temperature differential I will burn myself ⁓ without even realizing it or even reaching for a certain part of a pan that I think is going to be safe and is somewhat heat resistant. And I touch it and then poof, well, you know, get a burn. So there are post-it notes everywhere. There’s one by the front door that says, watch the steps, because I had a couple of times flown down them and gashed my knee. Bill Gasiamis (40:13) Yeah. Judy Kim Cage (40:26) And it’s amazing actually how long a Post-It note with its temporary stick will stay up on a wall. Bill Gasiamis (40:35) Well, there’s another opportunity for you there, like do a project, ⁓ a longevity of Post-it Notes project, see how long we can get out of one application. Judy Kim Cage (40:46) Yeah, well, this one actually, so I think it was three months after I had moved in, which would have been 10 months into my stroke recovery. And that’s when I fell down these steps. And that’s when I put up the Post-It note. it has been, a piece of tape has been added to it. but it only fell down, I think, a couple of years ago. Bill Gasiamis (41:18) Yeah. So 3M need to shift their entire focus. I feel like 3M. Yeah. I think 3M needs to have a permanent ⁓ post-it note application, but easy to remove. if I want to take it down, like it’s permanent once I put it up, but if I want to take it down, it’s still easy to remove and it doesn’t ruin my paint or leave residue. Judy Kim Cage (41:44) They do actually have that tech. have it for, they call it command. It’s what they have for the hooks for photos and whatnot. And then if you pull the tab and then release it, it will come off and leave the wall undamaged, but it will otherwise stay there for a long. Bill Gasiamis (42:04) Yes, yes, I think you’re right. Most of the time it works, yes. Okay, well, we’re moving on to other things. You’ve overcome a lot of stuff. You’re dealing with a lot of stuff. And yet, you have this disposition, which is very chirpy and happy, go lucky. Is it real, that disposition, or is it just a facade? Using Humor in Moyamoya Syndrome and Stroke Recovery Judy Kim Cage (42:29) No, no, it’s real. It’s real. ⁓ I think I’ve always ⁓ tried to make light of things. ⁓ Humors, probably my first defense mechanism. ⁓ And I think that helped out a lot ⁓ in terms of recovery. And also, ⁓ it put my therapist in a great mood. Also, because not many people did that apparently. You know, most people curse them off or, you know, were kind of miserable. And there were times when I was miserable too. Absolutely. But, but I probably took it out more on my husband than I did the staff. And he, and he would call, you know, I said, I was so mean to you, Rich. was so mean to you. And he said, yeah, you were nicer to the nurses than to me. And I. I apologized for it, but at the same time I’m like, yeah, but sometimes, bud, you are so annoying. Bill Gasiamis (43:33) You had it coming. Judy Kim Cage (43:34) Yeah. Why are you so overprotective? Why do you point out every crack in the sidewalk? Why do you know, you still say I have to stop to tie up my hair when we’re walking on the sidewalk, you know, because you’re not supposed to do two things at once. ⁓ Yeah. So I felt as though I would make jokes all the time. I when my left hand would start to regain function. I called it my evil twin because I didn’t even recognize that it was mine. But then I would give it a high five every time I started gaining function back. And I would say things like, yeah, hey, evil twin, congrats. Or ⁓ I would say, I guess I don’t have to clean the house anymore. I don’t have to use my left hand to dust. I’m not capable of doing it. So why do it? Bill Gasiamis (44:29) Yeah. Judy Kim Cage (44:30) And I’m like, let’s always look for the silver lining. And it would usually be a joke. But, you know, if you couldn’t make fun of it or think about the ridiculousness of it, then I think it would be easier to fall into a pit of despair. Bill Gasiamis (44:48) I agree with you and laughing and all that releases, know, good endo, good endorphins and good neurochemicals and all that kind of stuff really does improve your blood pressure. It improves the way that your body feels, you know, the tightness in your muscles and all that kind of stuff. Everything improves when you laugh and you have to find funny things about a bad situation to laugh at, to kind of dial down the seriousness of the situation. can you know, really dial it down just by picking something strange that happened and laughing at it. I found myself doing that as well. And I’m similar in that I would go to rehab and they would, you know, we would chit chat like I am now with you and would have all sorts of conversations about all kinds of things. And the rehab was kind of like the, the, it was like the vessel, you know, to talk shit, have a laugh. ⁓ you know, be the clown of the rehab room. And I get it, everyone’s doing it tough, but it lightened the mood for everybody. You know, was, it’s a hard thing. You know, imagine it being just constantly and forever hard. And it was like, I don’t want to be that guy and wish they have fun as well. And, and I think my, my, my tough times were decreased as a result. Like, you know, those stuff, mental and emotional days, they, they come, but they go. then you have relief from them. And I think you need relief. Judy Kim Cage (46:23) Absolutely. Otherwise, just could feel perpetual and just never ending. ⁓ And why or how could you possibly survive feeling that way? Bill Gasiamis (46:39) Yeah. So who are you now? as in your, how does your idea of who you are sort of begin to shift after the initial acute phase and now six years in, almost seven years into your stroke journey? Finding Purpose After Stroke Judy Kim Cage (46:59) I think I am. I’m pretty confident in who I am, which is funny. ⁓ I ⁓ actually lean more into making more jokes or ⁓ lean into the fact that things don’t, they don’t have nearly the importance or the impact that you would otherwise think. ⁓ One of my sayings, I guess I say all the, you know, how they say don’t sweat the small stuff. my big stuff, like big stuff became small stuff, you know. So it would have to be something pretty big in order for me to really, really, you know, think about it. And a lot of the little things, you know, the nuisances in life and stuff, would usually just laugh or if I tripped or something, then I would just laugh at it and just keep moving on. ⁓ And I think, you know, It’s funny because some people will say, ⁓ gosh, like stop, you know, there is toxic positivity, right? And there’s plenty of that. And ⁓ I stay away from that, I think. But when I try to give people advice or a different outlook, ⁓ I do say, well, you you could think of it this way, you know. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows and flowers and, you know, care bears, but it is, you know, but it, but you can pull yourself out of a situation. You can try to figure out a way to work around it. You can, you know, choose differently for yourself, you know, do things that you love. You know, you’re only given a certain amount of limited time on the earth. So how do you want to spend it? And if you are on your deathbed, you know, would you have, do you have any regrets? You know, like you did read the books about, you know, that, ⁓ why am I forgetting? Doctors ⁓ that perform palliative care and, you know, they’ve written books about you know what people’s regrets have been after, know, once they are about to pass and you know, that not taking action was a regret. You know, like why didn’t I do this? Or why didn’t I do this? Why didn’t I try this? Like really, what would have been the downfall to trying something? ⁓ And I find that, you know, aside from just naturally being able to see things to laugh at or, or positive sides of things. ⁓ I tried, like, I wish that people could experience that without having gone through what we went through. ⁓ but that’s virtually impossible. I think. Bill Gasiamis (50:18) I think it’s impossible, totally, 100 % impossible because everybody thinks they’re doing okay until they’re not. You just cannot prevent somebody from going through something by taking the learning first. The learning has to come second. Sad as that is. Judy Kim Cage (50:39) ⁓ Well, and we all think we’re invincible to a large extent. ⁓ But ⁓ I think what I’ve been trying to do or me now, I’ve always, you know, volunteered in various ways, but now I take and hold extra value in being a mentor for other stroke patients. Bill Gasiamis (51:03) Yeah, yeah, that’s Judy Kim Cage (51:04) And for, you know, individuals that even just come up to me and talk about all of their medical problems, it doesn’t matter if it’s circulated or not, you know, it’s medically they’re like, there’s some white matter on my MRI, what do think I should do? I’m like, it’s not that simple of an answer. I think you should go to the doctor. Get on a list. Bill Gasiamis (51:29) Yeah. Your journey seems like you’re growing through this adversity, like as in it’s very post-traumatic growth type of experience here. Something that I talk about on my book, the unexpected way that a stroke became the best thing that happened. Not something that I recommend people experience to get to the other side of that, of course. But in hindsight, like it’s all those things that you’re describing. Judy’s Book: Super Survivor And I look at the chapters because in fact, you’ve written a book and it’s going to be out after this episode goes live, which is awesome. And the book that you’ve written is called Super Survivor. And indeed that is a fitting title. Indeed it is. How denial, resistance and persistence can lead to success and a better life after stroke. Right? So just looking at some of the chapters, there’s a lot of overlap there, right? And one of the chapters that there’s overlap in is the volunteering and purpose. I’ve got parts of my book that specifically talk about doing stuff for other people and how that supports recovery and how the people who said that stroke was the best thing that happened to them, the ones that I interviewed to gather the data, one of the main things that they were doing was helping other people, volunteering in some way, shape or form. And that helped shape their purpose in life. and their meaning in life. And it’s how I got there as well. It was like, okay, I’m gonna go and prevent stroke. I’m gonna go talk on behalf of the Stroke Foundation. We’re gonna raise awareness about what stroke is, how to take action on stroke, what to do if somebody’s having a stroke. And I started to feel like I gained a purpose in my life, which was gonna to not allow other people to go through what I went through. And then, With that came public speaking and then with that came the podcast and then the purpose grew and it became really ⁓ all encompassing. It’s like, wow, like I know what my mission is. I didn’t seek to find it. I stumbled across it and the chapter in my book is called stumbling into purpose because you can’t think it up. You just have to take action and then bam, bam, it appears. Like, is that your experience? Judy Kim Cage (53:53) ⁓ Well, so much of my identity had been wrapped up in my occupation. ⁓ And so when, you know, the stroke first happened, et cetera, but then as time has passed, ⁓ yeah, I’ve absolutely found more meaning in providing comfort to other stroke patients. whether it’s because they see me as inspiring that I was able to recover so quickly or that I was able to go back to work, you know, permanently. And just to give them hope, really. And ⁓ when I was in acute, I felt as though like, We do so much of the recovery alone ⁓ and there isn’t a ton of, you know, of course our therapists are fantastic and they’re, you know, they’re loving and they’re caring. But in terms of having to make it through, you know, certain darkness alone or, ⁓ you know, just feeling sorry for yourself even sometimes, or feeling like, hey, I can do everything, but nobody’s encouraging that. because they think it’s dangerous. ⁓ I had wished that, you know, there were more people who could understand ⁓ what survival and then recovery was, you know, truly like. And so I had read that in a number of books before hearing people tell me their stories in person because Emotionally, I absorbed too much of it. ⁓ I wanted to, I think I passed that five-year survival mark of the 26.7%, which I know varies for everybody. ⁓ at the same time, I said, wow, I did, I made it to the other side, I beat these odds. I think I wanted to keep it secret from all the people I worked with. which I still have actually, it won’t be for too much longer. ⁓ But ⁓ just being able to share that and to be vulnerable and to say all the deficits that I have and what I have overcome, ⁓ I think it’s also given people some hope that they can, if she was able to do it, then maybe it isn’t as tough as I think it is. Bill Gasiamis (56:43) Anyone can. Yeah, I love that. That’s kind of my approach to, you know, I’m just a average, humble, normal, amazing guy. You could do it too. You know, I could, I could teach you to what you need to do is learn. ⁓ but that’s true. It’s that it’s that we are, I get, I get people come on the podcast going, I’m so nervous to meet you. You’re on the, I’m on your podcast. Dude, you don’t know who I am. Like if you think I’m the podcast guy, you’ve got no idea. I’m in the back of my, in my garden, in a shed. what was something that’s meant to be a shed that looks like a studio and amazing and all this kind of stuff. Like, dude, I’m just. Judy Kim Cage (57:29) would not have known if you hadn’t told me. Bill Gasiamis (57:32) That’s right, because looks can be deceiving and that ideas that we get of people are just, you know, they’re just not accurate until we get to spend time with people and understand them. And I always try and play down who I am so that people can see that I am just a regular guy who went through this and had no, no equipment. had no ⁓ knowledge. had no skills overcoming learning. Like I just, I picked up what I needed when I could just so that I can stumble through to the next hurdle and stumble through that one and then keep going. I really want people to understand that even the people who appear to be super fabulous at everything, like they’re just not, nobody is that, everyone is just doing their best they can. Even the guy who’s got more money than you, a bigger house, whatever, a better investment, all that stuff, they’re all faking it until shit hits the fan and then they’ve got to really step up to be who they are. You know, that’s what I find. But attitude, mindset, ⁓ approach, know, laughing, doing things for other people all help. They are really important steps, you know. The other chapter that kind of. made me pay attention and take note ⁓ was you talk about the night everything changed, complicated medical history, lifesavers, volunteering and purpose, the caregivers, ⁓ easing back into life, which I think is a really important chapter, returning to work, which is really important. then chapter nine, life after stroke continued. That kind of really is something that made me pay attention because that’s exactly what it is, right? It’s life after stroke. It’s like a continuation. It’s a never ending kind of ⁓ unattainable thing. Judy Kim Cage (59:27) It just keeps rolling on. doesn’t stop. You know, even if you’ve gone through a hardship and overcome it, it doesn’t mean that life stops. You’ve got to keep learning these lessons over and over and over again. Even if you don’t want to learn them, however stubborn you are. ⁓ And I, you know, I one thing that I had written about was that I had resented ⁓ you know, what I had gone through for a little while. I said, why do I still have to learn the same lessons that everybody else has to learn? You know, if I’ve gone through this kind of transcendental thing, why do I still have to learn, you know, these other things? But then I realized that I was given the opportunity ⁓ from surviving, was given another chance to be able to truly realize what it was like to be happy and to live. And I’d never, I mean, I had, I had been depressed, you know, for an anxious for years. And, you know, I’ve been in therapy for years and, ⁓ you know, it really wasn’t truly until kind of getting this push of the fast forward button on learning lessons that it truly became happy, like true, true happiness. And I said, wow, that was the gift. And then to try to pass that on. Bill Gasiamis (1:01:10) It’s a pretty cool life hack. A shit way to experience it, but a pretty cool life hack. Judy Kim Cage (1:01:15) Yeah, yeah, yeah, definitely don’t I don’t recommend it I don’t Bill Gasiamis (1:01:20) Yeah. You get the learning in a short amount of time instead of years of years of wisdom and developing and learning and overcoming, which you avoided up until your first, you know, 38 years. And then, you know, you then, and then you kind of all of a sudden go, okay, well, I really have to buckle down and do these, ⁓ these modules of learning and I’ve got no choice. And I was the same. ⁓ and I have my days, I have my Good days, bad days, and I even recently had a bit of a day where I said to my wife, I got diagnosed with high blood pressure, headaches, migraines, a whole bunch of stuff, and then just tomorrow, I’m I’ve had enough. Why do I need to to be diagnosed with more things? Why do I need to have more medical appointments? Enough, it’s enough. I need to stop this stuff. It’s not fun. And then it took me about half a day to get over myself and go, well, I shouldn’t be here, really. Technically, Somebody has three blades in the brain, you know, I don’t know, maybe 50 years ago, they weren’t gonna make it. So now you’ve made it also high blood pressure. If you had high blood pressure 50 years ago, there was nothing to do to treat it. It was just gonna be high until you had a heart attack or ⁓ a brain aneurysm burst or something. And it’s like, I get to live in a time when interventions are possible and it is a blip on the radar. Like just all you do is take this tablet and you’re fine. Not that I revert to give me the tablet solution. I don’t, I’m forever going under the underlying cause. I want to know what the underlying cause is trying to get to the bottom of all of that. But in the meantime, I can remain stable with this little tablet and ⁓ decrease the risk of another brain hemorrhage. So it’s cool, know, like whatever. And that kind of helps me get through the, why me days, you know, cause They’re there, they come, they turn up, especially if it’s been one day after the next where things have been really unwell and we’ve had to medical help or whatever. When it’s been kind of intense version of it, it’s like, okay, I don’t want any more of this. So I get the whole, I’ve experienced the whole spectrum in this last 13, 14 years. We’re coming up to, I think the 20th or 21st, I think is my, maybe the 25th of my anniversary of my brain surgery. Jeez, I’ve come a long way. It’s okay. It’ll be like 11 years since my brain surgery. A lot of good things have happened since then. We got to live life for another 13 years, 11 years. I keep forgetting the number, it doesn’t matter. Yeah. Judy Kim Cage (1:04:17) Mine will have been my 17th ⁓ anniversary of my brain surgery ⁓ will be in January, sorry, in December. And then the seventh anniversary of the stroke is in January. So lot of years. Bill Gasiamis (1:04:33) Yeah, yeah. A lot of years, a lot of years, great that they’ve happened and I’m really happy with that. Keep doing these podcasts, makes me forget about myself. It’s about other people, so that’s cool. know, meet people like you, putting out awesome books. And when I was going through early on, there wasn’t a lot of content. It was hard to get content on stroke surviving, recovery, all the deficits, all the problems. That’s part of the reason why I started this. And now I think I’ve interviewed maybe 20 or 30 people who have written a book about stroke, which means that the access to information and stories is huge, right? So much of it. ⁓ Your book comes out in early December. Where is it going to be available for people to buy? Conclusion and Final Thoughts Judy Kim Cage (1:05:20) It is currently available to download ⁓ through the Kindle app and through Amazon. The hard copies will be available to order through Amazon and hopefully in other booksellers, but that’s TBD. Bill Gasiamis (1:05:39) Yeah, well, we’ll have all the current links by then. We’ll have all the current links available in the show notes. ⁓ At the beginning of this episode, I would have already talked about the book and in your bio when I’m describing the episode and who I’m about to chat to. So people would have already heard that once and hopefully they’ll be hearing it again at the end of the episode. So guys, if you didn’t pay attention at the beginning, but now you’re at the end, it’s about to come. I’m going to give all the details. Judy Kim Cage (1:06:07) stuck around. Bill Gasiamis (1:06:09) Yeah. If you stuck around, give us a thumbs up, right? Stuck around in the comments or something, you know? ⁓ Absolutely. Thank you so much for joining me, reaching out, sharing your story. It is lovely to hear and I wish you well in all of your endeavors, your continued recovery. yeah, fantastic. Great stuff. Thank you so much. Thank you. Well, that’s a wrap for another episode. want to thank Judy for sharing her story so openly. The way she spoke about denial, rehab, reality, cognitive fatigue and rebuilding identity is going to help a lot of people feel less alone. If you’re watching on YouTube, let us know in the comments, what part of Moyamoya Syndrome stroke recovery has been the hardest to explain to other people for you? Was it the physical symptoms or is it the invisible ones? like fatigue and cognition. And if you’re listening on Spotify or Apple podcasts, please leave a review. It really helps other stroke survivors find these conversations when they need them most. Judy’s book is called Super Survivor, How Denial Resistance and Persistence can lead to success and a better life after stroke. And you’ll find the links in the show notes. And if you want more support from me, you can Grab a copy of my book at recoveryafterstroke.com/book, and you can become a Patreon supporter at patreon.com/recoveryafterstroke. It genuinely helps keep this show alive. Thanks again for being here. Remember you’re not alone in this recovery journey and I’ll see you in the next episode. Importantly, we present many podcasts designed to give you an insight and understanding into the experiences of other individuals. Opinions and treatment protocols discussed during any podcast are the individual’s own experience and we do not necessarily share the same opinion nor do we recommend any treatment protocol discussed. All content on this website and any linked blog, podcast or video material controlled this website or content is created and produced for informational purposes only and is largely based on the personal experience of Bill Gasiamis The content is intended to complement your medical treatment and support healing. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical and should not be relied on as health advice. The information is general and may not be suitable for your personal injuries, circumstances or health objectives. Do not use our content as a standalone resource to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease for therapeutic purposes or as a substitute for the advice of a health professional. 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However, third party links from our website are followed at your own risk and we are not responsible for any information you find there. The post Moyamoya Syndrome Stroke Recovery: How Judy Rebuilt Her Life After a “Puff of Smoke” Diagnosis appeared first on Recovery After Stroke.

Welcome to the Speaking Podcast. Guest Maria Garcia shares her powerful story of resilience after a massive stroke at 25 and the long recovery that followed. Maria discusses relearning basic functions, writing her memoir Breaking Into Delight, and discovering a transformative nutritional approach years later that significantly improved her recovery. She now coaches others to reset their relationship with food and reclaim their health and purpose.   --- All Episodes can be found at ⁠⁠https://www.podpage.com/speaking-podcast/⁠   All about Roy / Brain Gym & Virtual Assistants at ⁠⁠https://roycoughlan.com/⁠⁠   #mariagarcia #speaker #wildfit    Bio of Maria Garcia Maria Garcia is a powerful example of resilience and self-discovery. After earning double majors in Finance and International Business, she initially made her mark in the corporate world. But her path took an unexpected turn when a massive stroke altered her life forever. Through sheer determination and a long, challenging recovery, Maria emerged stronger, with a deeper sense of purpose.Maria channeled her transformative journey into her memoir, Breaking Into the Light: A Journey of Self-Discovery and Transformation, sharing her journey and the lessons learned along the way. Almost a decade after the book's release, she discovered a groundbreaking nutritional methodology, which played a pivotal role in her continued recovery and personal transformation.Today, Maria is a passionate coach, committed to helping others navigate their own journeys of recovery and transformation. She specializes in guiding individuals to reset their relationship with food, unlocking profound shifts in their overall life experience. What we Discussed:   00:00 Intro   00:20 Who is Maria garcia   02:10 How she got ill   03:30 Organ donation company speaking to her family   04:40 What was going on in her head when she could not move for 2 weeks   05:30 Her 1st movement in her body   07:00 Getting scared when sh saw the Nurse walk in   07:50 Dr's do not always get it right   09:25 The Next stage after the hospital   10:30 Birth Control pills can be dangerous   12:30 When she went home in a wheelchair and diapers   14:15 What was going on in her head at this stage   15:20 How she got out of the wheel chair   16:10 How Yoga helped a lot   17:30 Investigating different ways to heal   18:53 How her family kept Hope Alive   20:05 Getting into Personal Development   23:52 The importance of rereading a good book   26:00 When she found an ad about Nutrition   28:25 Developing a career on Nutrition   30:13 How the Food has been made toxic   30:30 The Wheel of Health   32:30 People lost touch with Nature   33:23 How to find healthy food   35:00 The Food Pyramid was inverted   35:40 Listen to your body   36:50 Pringles are not healthy or safe   38:30 Pork and Chicken are not the best meat to eat   39:45 What has she seen of illnesses being cured   41:30 How I cured my back pain   43:30 How they create confusion with food   46:10 Her Book on the journey   48:00 How she got onto the speaking stage   49:40 Tapping into her intuition   55:00 Sometime the vitamin pills are not natural   How to Contact ⁠www.genuinelymaria.com⁠ ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-garcia-7273a8230/⁠ ⁠https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61565412543083 ⁠ ⁠https://www.instagram.com/genuinelymaria.wf/ ⁠ ------------------ All about Roy / Brain Gym & Virtual Assistants at ⁠⁠https://roycoughlan.com/⁠⁠  

Welcome to the Speaking Podcast. Guest Maria Garcia shares her powerful story of resilience after a massive stroke at 25 and the long recovery that followed.Maria discusses relearning basic functions, writing her memoir Breaking Into Delight, and discovering a transformative nutritional approach years later that significantly improved her recovery. She now coaches others to reset their relationship with food and reclaim their health and purpose.---All Episodes can be found at ⁠https://www.podpage.com/speaking-podcast/ All about Roy / Brain Gym & Virtual Assistants at ⁠https://roycoughlan.com/⁠ #mariagarcia #speaker #wildfit  Bio of Maria GarciaMaria Garcia is a powerful example of resilience and self-discovery. After earning double majors in Finance and International Business, she initially made her mark in the corporate world. But her path took an unexpected turn when a massive stroke altered her life forever. Through sheer determination and a long, challenging recovery, Maria emerged stronger, with a deeper sense of purpose.Maria channeled her transformative journey into her memoir, Breaking Into the Light: A Journey of Self-Discovery and Transformation, sharing her journey and the lessons learned along the way. Almost a decade after the book's release, she discovered a groundbreaking nutritional methodology, which played a pivotal role in her continued recovery and personal transformation.Today, Maria is a passionate coach, committed to helping others navigate their own journeys of recovery and transformation. She specializes in guiding individuals to reset their relationship with food, unlocking profound shifts in their overall life experience. What we Discussed: 00:00 Intro 00:20 Who is Maria garcia 02:10 How she got ill03:30 Organ donation company speaking to her family04:40 What was going on in her head when she could not move for 2 weeks05:30 Her 1st movement in her body07:00 Getting scared when sh saw the Nurse walk in07:50 Dr's do not always get it right09:25 The Next stage after the hospital10:30 Birth Control pills can be dangerous12:30 When she went home in a wheelchair and diapers14:15 What was going on in her head at this stage15:20 How she got out of the wheel chair16:10 How Yoga helped a lot17:30 Investigating different ways to heal18:53 How her family kept Hope Alive20:05 Getting into Personal Development23:52 The importance of rereading a good book26:00 When she found an ad about Nutrition28:25 Developing a career on Nutrition30:13 How the Food has been made toxic30:30 The Wheel of Health32:30 People lost touch with Nature33:23 How to find healthy food35:00 The Food Pyramid was inverted35:40 Listen to your body36:50 Pringles are not healthy or safe38:30 Pork and Chicken are not the best meat to eat39:45 What has she seen of illnesses being cured41:30 How I cured my back pain43:30 How they create confusion with food46:10 Her Book on the journey48:00 How she got onto the speaking stage49:40 Tapping into her intuition55:00 Sometime the vitamin pills are not natural How to Contact www.genuinelymaria.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-garcia-7273a8230/https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61565412543083 https://www.instagram.com/genuinelymaria.wf/ ------------------All about Roy / Brain Gym & Virtual Assistants at ⁠https://roycoughlan.com/⁠ 

Welcome to the Speaking Podcast. Guest Maria Garcia shares her powerful story of resilience after a massive stroke at 25 and the long recovery that followed. Maria discusses relearning basic functions, writing her memoir Breaking Into Delight, and discovering a transformative nutritional approach years later that significantly improved her recovery. She now coaches others to reset their relationship with food and reclaim their health and purpose.   --- All Episodes can be found at ⁠⁠https://www.podpage.com/speaking-podcast/⁠   All about Roy / Brain Gym & Virtual Assistants at ⁠⁠https://roycoughlan.com/⁠⁠   #mariagarcia #speaker #wildfit    Bio of Maria Garcia Maria Garcia is a powerful example of resilience and self-discovery. After earning double majors in Finance and International Business, she initially made her mark in the corporate world. But her path took an unexpected turn when a massive stroke altered her life forever. Through sheer determination and a long, challenging recovery, Maria emerged stronger, with a deeper sense of purpose.Maria channeled her transformative journey into her memoir, Breaking Into the Light: A Journey of Self-Discovery and Transformation, sharing her journey and the lessons learned along the way. Almost a decade after the book's release, she discovered a groundbreaking nutritional methodology, which played a pivotal role in her continued recovery and personal transformation.Today, Maria is a passionate coach, committed to helping others navigate their own journeys of recovery and transformation. She specializes in guiding individuals to reset their relationship with food, unlocking profound shifts in their overall life experience. What we Discussed:   00:00 Intro   00:20 Who is Maria garcia   02:10 How she got ill   03:30 Organ donation company speaking to her family   04:40 What was going on in her head when she could not move for 2 weeks   05:30 Her 1st movement in her body   07:00 Getting scared when sh saw the Nurse walk in   07:50 Dr's do not always get it right   09:25 The Next stage after the hospital   10:30 Birth Control pills can be dangerous   12:30 When she went home in a wheelchair and diapers   14:15 What was going on in her head at this stage   15:20 How she got out of the wheel chair   16:10 How Yoga helped a lot   17:30 Investigating different ways to heal   18:53 How her family kept Hope Alive   20:05 Getting into Personal Development   23:52 The importance of rereading a good book   26:00 When she found an ad about Nutrition   28:25 Developing a career on Nutrition   30:13 How the Food has been made toxic   30:30 The Wheel of Health   32:30 People lost touch with Nature   33:23 How to find healthy food   35:00 The Food Pyramid was inverted   35:40 Listen to your body   36:50 Pringles are not healthy or safe   38:30 Pork and Chicken are not the best meat to eat   39:45 What has she seen of illnesses being cured   41:30 How I cured my back pain   43:30 How they create confusion with food   46:10 Her Book on the journey   48:00 How she got onto the speaking stage   49:40 Tapping into her intuition   55:00 Sometime the vitamin pills are not natural   How to Contact ⁠www.genuinelymaria.com⁠ ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-garcia-7273a8230/⁠ ⁠https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61565412543083 ⁠ ⁠https://www.instagram.com/genuinelymaria.wf/ ⁠ ------------------ All about Roy / Brain Gym & Virtual Assistants at ⁠⁠https://roycoughlan.com/⁠⁠  

Stem Cell Stroke Recovery: What the Research Says (and What It Doesn't) If you've had a stroke (or you love someone who has), you've probably seen the same promise pop up again and again: “Stem cells can fix the damage.” And when you're tired, frustrated, and doing the hard work of rehab every day, that promise can feel like a lifeline. But here's the problem: hope is powerful… and hype knows it. A viewer recently asked me a question that's become more common over the last few years: “What can you say about the effectiveness of STC30 stem cell treatment?” And my honest first reaction was: I don't even know what that is. So instead of guessing, I did what I always encourage stroke survivors to do: I checked. Carefully. Because the last thing I want is to sound confident while accidentally sending someone into an expensive rabbit hole. What most people think stem cells do (and why that's not quite right) When people hear “stem cells,” it's easy to imagine a simple story: “New cells will replace the damaged brain cells… and I'll be back to normal.” But most current thinking in research is closer to this: Stem cells may act more like helpers than replacements. Instead of becoming brand-new brain tissue, the hope is that stem cells may release signals that support healing, things like: calming inflammation improving the “repair environment” in the brain supporting blood flow and recovery processes encouraging new connections (neuroplasticity) So rather than “magic new brain,” the real question becomes: Does this create better conditions for recovery? That's still an exciting idea. But exciting isn't the same as proven. The honest truth about stem cell stroke recovery research When you zoom out and look at the research as a whole, the most accurate summary is this: There are encouraging signals… and real uncertainty. Some studies suggest stem cell approaches might help some people improve things like movement, function, or daily activities especially under certain conditions. But here's the fine print most people never see: 1) Studies don't all use the same approach Trials vary widely in: the type of cells used how they're prepared when they're given (early vs later) how they're delivered (IV drip vs artery delivery vs other methods) what outcomes they measure how long participants are followed So when someone says, “stem cells work,” the real question is: Which stem cells are given when, given how, and for who? 2) Quality varies across trials Not all trials are designed equally. Some are small. Some use different measurement scales. Some follow up for shorter periods. And that makes it hard to draw strong conclusions that apply to everyone. 3) Long-term certainty still isn't there Even when short-term safety looks okay in some studies, long-term tracking can be limited depending on the approach used. So the responsible stance is not “yes” or “no.” It's: “Show me the details.” Why branded programs confuse people (and what to do about it) This is where many survivors get stuck. A clinic or company may use a name that sounds scientific, something like “STC30,” “protocol X,” “advanced regenerative therapy,” but the name itself doesn't automatically tell you: what the cells actually are whether it's been tested publicly whether results are published whether it's regulated as treatment, trial, or something else So if the name is unclear, don't decide based on the label. Decide based on the details. “Promising doesn't automatically mean proven.” My simple 3-question filter for any stem cell offer You don't need a science background to avoid being misled. Here's the filter I use simple, practical, and hard to game: 1) Is this proven… or experimental? If a provider can't clearly explain in plain English what the treatment actually is, where it comes from, and what the protocol involves, treat it as experimental. Experimental doesn't automatically mean bad. It just means: you're stepping into uncertainty, and you deserve to know that upfront. 2) What evidence is public and checkable? Look for things like: published studies you can read registered clinical trials clear reporting on outcomes and side effects follow-up data over time If all you're getting is testimonials and before/after stories, that might feel hopeful… but it's not enough to make a serious decision. 3) What's the real cost (money and focus)? This one is huge in stroke recovery. Sometimes people chase a big intervention and accidentally reduce the things that are already proven to help: consistent rehab practice repetition and movement training sleep and recovery emotional support and community nutrition and general health basics So if you ever explore stem cells, my personal view is: Don't let it replace the fundamentals. Treat it as an add-on decision, not the main plan. Questions to ask any provider before you spend a cent If you're seriously considering stem cell therapy, print this list or screenshot it. Ask your provider: What exactly are the cells? Where do they come from? How are they prepared and tested for quality? How is it delivered: IV drip, injection, artery, or other? Who is it best suited for, and who should NOT do it? What are the known risks and side effects? What follow-up do you provide, and for how long? Is this part of a registered clinical trial or private treatment? Can I see the trial registration or published data? If they can answer calmly and clearly, that's a good sign. If they dodge, rush, or oversell? Pause. The research shortcut that changed how fast I can respond I used to spend half a day digging through articles, trial registrations, and scattered resources, especially when someone asked a question about a product or protocol name I didn't recognize. Now I use Turnto.ai to speed up the finding part, and then I still do the most important step: I check what matters. That means: reading beyond headlines looking at study details comparing sources staying honest about what's known vs unknown If you're the kind of person who wants to stay current, tools like that can help you find relevant research faster but the real power is still the same skill: curiosity without getting fooled by hype. Where to go next if you feel stuck in recovery If you're reading this and thinking, “I just want something that works,” I get it. But the best progress usually comes from: a clear plan consistent practice the right supports and not wasting energy on shiny distractions If you want to go deeper, here are two ways I can support you: Book: recoveryafterstroke.com/book Patreon: patreon.com/recoveryafterstroke And if you haven't watched the video yet, it's embedded above because seeing how I search and how I evaluate claims can help you do the same. This blog is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Please consult your doctor before making any changes to your health or recovery plan. The post Stem Cell Stroke Recovery: What the Research Says (and What It Doesn't) appeared first on Recovery After Stroke.

How is advanced genetic engineering, stem cell biology, and AI-driven analytics reshaping the future of brain repair? Dr. Ruslan Rust, an Assistant Professor of Research Physiology and Neuroscience at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, joins the podcast to share his insights… With over 15 years of translational neuroscience research, Dr. Rust is developing next-generation gene-edited, induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived therapies designed to overcome the biggest barriers in cell therapy — crossing the blood-brain barrier, immune rejection, and long-term safety. Dive in now to find out: Why current stem cell therapies struggle in stroke and neurodegenerative disease. Where stem cells are harvested.  How gene-edited iPSC-derived cells are engineered to cross the blood-brain barrier. The role of AI and single-cell omics in optimizing brain repair strategies. With additional training in MBA, bio-entrepreneurship, and scientific leadership, Dr. Rust brings a uniquely pragmatic lens to what it actually takes to turn cutting-edge neuroscience into viable therapies. Listen now for a rare look at how stroke recovery and Alzheimer's treatment may move from experimental promise to real clinical impact. You can keep up with Ruslan on X or by visiting his USC academic website!

In this episode, Matt speaks with Haley and Scott Hills, a married couple and co-owners of Hills Cooper Performance. Hallie is a physiotherapist with a background in neuro rehab, and Scott is a personal trainer, nutrition coach, and strength and conditioning specialist with deep experience in stroke rehabilitation.Together, they offer a compassionate and practical conversation about life after stroke — and why recovery is possible.In this conversation, they explore:What a stroke actually is and what early hospital treatment involvesCommon myths and misconceptions around stroke recoveryThe critical role of neuro rehab and why it needs more visibilityHow strength training can play a part in physical and neurological recoveryThe emotional and mental impact a stroke has on individuals and familiesTips and strategies to support progress — physically, mentally, and emotionallyWhy a multidisciplinary, long-term approach matters in stroke rehabWhether you're a stroke survivor, a caregiver, or someone working in health and wellness, this episode offers hope, clarity, and real-world advice for navigating one of life's most difficult challenges.Want to connect with Scott and Haley. Details below Instagram @scotty.is.my.coach  @haleyrhills @hcperformace_ If you have a question for the podcast or are interested in working with Matt, you can reach out at: • Email: info@wellnesseducationdubai.com • Website: www.wellnesseducationdubai.com • Instagram: @wellness_education_dubai • Facebook: @mattmarneyfitness • LinkedIn: Matt Marney (Wellness Education Dubai)    

In this episode, we'll explore emerging strategies to enhance recovery after stroke. Stroke rehabilitation has long relied on physical, occupational, and speech therapy, but advances in neuroscience are opening new opportunities to directly modulate brain networks, promote plasticity, and hopefully help patients regain function. Dr. Sean Dukelow's work focuses on neurorehabilitation and the mechanisms of recovery after stroke. He's a professor and head of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in the Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Calgary. Dr. Dukelow was interviewed by Dr. Cheran Elangovan, vascular neurologist at University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Series 7, Episode 3  Disclosures: Dr. Dukelow serves on the advisory board for Merz and Ipsen, provides consultation for AbbVie, receives speaker fees from Merz

Foot Drop Solutions After Stroke Without an AFO: Ken Kerns' “New Way to Walk” (Plus Aphasia Recovery After a 10-Day Coma) Ken Kerns didn't just wake up from a stroke. He woke up from a 10-day medically induced coma after an AVM brain hemorrhage, facing a reality that would shake anyone's identity: right-side paralysis, aphasia, and the exhausting work of rebuilding everyday life from scratch. And then, because stroke recovery loves a twist, one of the nurses kept calling him Frank. That moment might sound funny now, but in the early days of brain injury, it landed like a true identity crisis. Ken would later turn that experience into a book title: Anything But Frank—and into a bigger message that matters for every survivor and caregiver: recovery isn't one problem to solve. It's dozens. And you solve them one by one. This episode covers the full story (AVM, coma, aphasia, purpose). But it also includes something many survivors are actively searching for: foot drop solutions after stroke without an AFO—specifically, a practical tool Ken found that helped reduce falls and made walking feel more natural again. The day everything changed: an AVM hemorrhage at home Ken's stroke happened early in the COVID era, when work had shifted home and hospitals were under intense strain. He was preparing for a meeting when he went to the bathroom and collapsed. His wife, Carrie, couldn't open the door—he'd fallen behind it. She called emergency services. Ken has no memory of those moments. Like many survivors, he had to rebuild the story from what others told him. What followed was terrifying uncertainty. A neurosurgeon reviewed imaging and initially feared a tumor (Ken had a history of kidney cancer years earlier). Carrie was allowed into the emergency room to say goodbye because it wasn't clear Ken would survive surgery. But in surgery, the cause became clear: an arteriovenous malformation (AVM). The surgeon removed it, and Ken was placed into a medically induced coma for 10 days. Aphasia: when your brain is fast… and your mouth won't cooperate When Ken woke, his deficits were immediate and brutal: Paralyzed on the right side Unable to speak Had to relearn swallowing Severe aphasia that improved over time One of the most honest parts of Ken's story is how confusing aphasia can feel from the inside. Ken described it like this: his cognition is there, answers are forming—yet the “path” to speech is obstructed. “My brain works much faster than my mouth.” “There used to be a direct path… and now that path is worn… covered by weeds.” That metaphor matters because it reframes aphasia as a communication access issue—not a lack of intelligence. Ken found a major turning point through a Minnesota-based communication group: Minnesota Connect Aphasia Now (MNCAN). Practicing weekly conversations (with support from a speech-language pathologist) rebuilt something more than words. It rebuilt confidence. He went from relying on Carrie to order food or check in at airports… to speaking up again in real-world settings. And eventually, he didn't just participate—he stepped into leadership and became president of the board. If you're living with aphasia, this is one of the most powerful “hidden wins” in recovery: you don't have to wait until speech is perfect to start practicing in the world. “Anything But Frank”: identity, emotion, and meaning after stroke In the hospital, a nurse repeatedly called Ken “Frank.” It sounds like a paperwork mistake—but for someone fresh out of coma, it triggered fear and confusion: Did I die? Am I someone else? Who will I FaceTime? When the iPad finally turned around and he saw Carrie, he cried—not from sadness, but relief. Later, Ken's siblings did what siblings do: they turned the story into a running joke. They called him Frank. Ken's response became a line that carried him forward: Call me anything but Frank. That phrase became the title of his book and a symbol of what recovery often is: reclaiming identity while your body and brain renegotiate who you are. Ken also spoke candidly about emotional recovery. In rehab, he felt intense anger—then shifted into a daily question that gave him structure: “Guide my day. Show me the purpose.” Whether you share Ken's faith or not, the takeaway is universal: When recovery feels chaotic, survivors need a meaningful frame to keep going. Foot drop solutions after stroke without an AFO: the “new way to walk” Ken found Foot drop is one of those stroke problems that seems “small” until it isn't. It can quietly steal independence through trips, falls, and fear—especially on stairs, uneven ground, and (in Ken's case) Minnesota snow and ice. Ken described classic foot drop challenges: Difficulty lifting the foot Frequent falls Trouble on the stairs Reduced confidence walking He used an ankle-foot orthotic (AFO), which helped. But later, he discovered a product that—for him—became a workable AFO alternative: Cadence shoes. Ken's experience was specific and practical: The shoe design helped his foot glide during the swing phase Then grip when the weight shifted forward He reported no falls since wearing them He said he no longer needed his AFO He felt stair descent improved because the shoe gripped rather than sliding off the step This is crucial: this isn't “one weird trick.” It's a tool that matched Ken's exact pattern of movement, environment, and needs. If you're exploring foot drop solutions, here's the smart way to use Ken's story: Treat tools as experiments, not guarantees Trial safely (with your physio/OT if possible) Test on the surfaces that actually challenge you (stairs, carpet edges, outdoor paths) Measure results: falls, near-falls, fatigue, confidence, walking speed Ken also used another independence tool: a left-foot accelerator to return to driving while his right ankle remained immobile. That's a reminder that “walking recovery” isn't only rehab—it's also smart adaptation. What to take from Ken's story (even if your stroke was different) Ken's recovery wasn't a straight line. It was many small wins, stacked over time. If you're in the thick of it, consider this simple plan: Name the real problem (not “I'm broken,” but “I trip when my foot drags.”) Practice communication in community (groups like MNCAN show what's possible) Choose tools that reduce risk today (falls steal momentum) Rehearse what matters (Ken practiced speeches until they were automatic) Protect your inputs (Ken avoids depressing “poison” media that drains recovery energy) And if you're a caregiver: the biggest gift is often helping your person keep experimenting—without pressure, without shame, and without rushing the timeline. Keep going with the full episode Ken's “new way to walk” is a valuable segment—but the whole episode is the real promise: AVM stroke recovery, aphasia progress, identity rebuilding, and the meaning that can emerge after trauma. If you want more stories like this (and practical tools survivors are actually using), you can also check out Bill's book and support the podcast here: Book: The Unexpected Way That A Stroke Became The Best Thing That Happened Patreon This blog is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Please consult your doctor before making any changes to your health or recovery plan. Ken Kerns: 10-Day Coma, AVM Stroke Recovery, Aphasia Progress & Walking Confidence Ken woke from a 10-day coma after an AVM stroke, unable to speak or move his right side, then rebuilt his voice and his walking confidence for life. Book – Anything but Frank: A Journey of Healing, Patience, and Rediscovery Archway Publishing Amazon (U.S.) Amazon (Australia Additional Resources: Minnesota Connect Aphasia Now (MnCAN) Cadense Adaptive Shoes The Transcript Will Be Available Soon… The post Ken Kerns: 10-Day Coma, AVM Stroke Recovery, Aphasia Progress & Walking Confidence appeared first on Recovery After Stroke.

Introduction After a stroke, recovery doesn't end when rehab does. For many survivors, that's when confusion begins. Fatigue, brain fog, limited appointment time, and conflicting advice make it incredibly hard to know what actually helps. And while research is advancing rapidly, most survivors are left trying to piece together answers from podcasts, Facebook groups, and late-night Google searches. That's why this conversation with Jessica Dove London, founder of turnto.ai, matters. The Hidden Problem in Stroke Recovery: Information Overload Stroke survivors aren't lacking motivation. They're drowning in disconnected information — and often too exhausted to process it. Bill shares how, after stroke and brain surgery, even short bursts of research felt impossible. Jessica explains how parents and patients are expected to become full-time researchers — on top of surviving life-changing diagnoses. Why “Just Ask Your Doctor” Isn't Enough Doctors care deeply. But no clinician can keep up with thousands of new stroke-related publications every week. This gap leaves survivors feeling dismissed — not because professionals don't care, but because systems aren't built for rapid knowledge sharing. “You shouldn't have to rely on luck or Facebook groups to find something that could change your recovery.” How Tunrto.ai Changes the Stroke Recovery Equation turnto.ai doesn't replace doctors. It reduces the cognitive load on survivors. Jessica explains how the platform: Reads thousands of new stroke resources weekly Filters by your stage of recovery and priorities Surfaces research, patient experience, and expert insight together Updates automatically as your needs change For survivors managing fatigue, this alone is transformative. Real Examples: From Spasticity to Stem Cells Bill demonstrates how Tunrto.ai can instantly surface: Evidence and cautions around emerging treatments Patient experiences that add real-world context Research trends and unanswered questions Instead of hours of searching, survivors gain clarity — and better conversations with their care teams. Why This Restores Hope After Stroke Hope doesn't come from miracle cures. It comes from visibility — knowing what exists, what's emerging, and what's worth asking about. Tunrto.ai doesn't promise answers. It promises orientation — and that changes everything. Conclusion & CTA If you're a stroke survivor who feels lost, overwhelmed, or unsure where to look next, tools like turnto.ai represent a new way forward. Learn more at turnto.ai Read Bill's book at recoveryafterstroke.com/book Support the podcast at patreon.com/recoveryafterstroke You're not alone — and better answers are closer than you think. Footer disclaimer: This blog is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Please consult your doctor before making any changes to your health or recovery plan. When Stroke Recovery Meets AI — Finding Clarity Faster with Jessica Dove London After stroke, finding answers shouldn't depend on luck. Discover how AI is changing stroke recovery with Jessica Dove London. Turnto.ai Jessica’s LinkedIn Support The Recovery After Stroke Podcast on Patreon Highlights: 00:00 Introduction to the Journey 09:17 The Birth of Turn2.ai 19:07 Navigating Information Overload 27:10 The Onboarding Process Explained 35:28 Real-Life Applications and Success Stories 43:57 Empowering Patients Through Collaboration Transcript: Introduction to AI for stroke recovery Bill Gasiamis (00:00) Hey everyone, if you’ve ever struggled to find information about tools, treatments, or resources that could actually help you on your stroke recovery journey, this interview is a game-changer. One of the reasons I’m so passionate about doing this podcast is because of my purpose behind it. And that purpose is simple, to connect people with information, to connect people with tools, and to connect people with other people. who truly understand what this journey is like. After a stroke, finding reliable up-to-date information is exhausting. You’re dealing with fatigue, brain fog, limited time, and often very little guidance beyond rehab. In today’s episode, you’re going to hear from Jessica Dove London, my new hero, the founder of Turnto.ai, a tool designed to help people like us find relevant stroke recovery information much faster with less effort and far less energy delivered straight into your email inbox. This is not a sponsored episode, but it is an episode about a solution I genuinely believe can change how stroke survivors find answers. Let’s get into it. Bill Gasiamis (01:13) Jessica Dove London, welcome to the podcast. Jessica Dove London (01:16) Great to be here Bill Bill Gasiamis (01:17) Sometimes when people send me emails, they go into the inbox and then they’re kind of like, I’ll look at that when I get back to it, when I get back to it, I get back to it. And I saw the email that you sent to me when you reached out to tell me about this amazing new product. And I thought, well, another amazing new product. There’s plenty of them. And usually the products that people kind of email me about are not relevant to Stroke. And people are just trying to get onto podcasts and all that kind of stuff. And I get it. I’ve got no issue with that. If they’re relevant, I love sending new information to people. And one of the biggest challenges is determining what’s going to be the most helpful thing. How can I get things out that are not just another thing to talk about for the sake of talking about it? And then I didn’t respond to your email because it kind of goes down to the bottom of the list when all the other new ones come in and I’ll get to that. get to that. And then I saw a link in my I comment on my LinkedIn and I thought, okay, this is familiar. I’ve seen this before. Let me check it out. And then I checked it out and thought, what an idiot. Why haven’t I contacted this person back quicker? This product is amazing. But before we talk about turnto.ai, give me a little bit of a background. I just want to get a sense of how it is that somebody comes up with the idea. I know what I’m going to do. I’m going to create a product that brings information to people. more rapidly than ever before so that they can decrease the amount of time it takes to learn new and amazing things that are coming up about their condition. Jessica Dove London (02:50) Yeah, well, Bill, I did really like your podcast. That’s why I linked in you as well. I actually really liked your podcast because, you know, from where I come from, my son has a rare type of cerebral palsy. We actually don’t have a podcast like this where it’s a patient-led, you know, quest for finding the most useful, cutting-edge, relevant type information. So I really liked your channel. But I guess where do, where do, you know, where do a lot of these things come from? from my lived experience. So when my son was 18 months old, he was diagnosed with a rare type of cerebral palsy, which is a little bit similar to Parkinson’s in his rare type. And when I went along, when he got diagnosed, I went along to his appointment, we knew he had something and I took a big research paper along systematic review and the doctor said, nothing you can do to help him. There’s no medication, surgery. She even told me, don’t bother reading those papers. And I just, went on this journey that maybe a lot of people listening relate to when you are given something or you’re recovering, we have this huge life change of wondering what can I do to improve my son’s quality of life? And this real question, like, can I do anything? He’s amazing as he is, but we want to unlock the whole world for him. So I just went on this journey for years, finding treatments for him. And we just kept finding treatments and some were incredibly life impacting. And almost all of them were in the medical literature. I just had to decipher them. I traveled the world, how did every world leader ended up studying neuroscience? We, we had a big YouTube channel where we shared our stories and I went to a huge conference with all these academics and this one world leader got up on the stage and she shared these incredible things coming for cerebral palsy, which actually is some relevance for stroke because there’s a lot of things that are free. They’re, sort of based on neuroplasticity. They’re very accessible. And I actually put my hand up and said, I shouldn’t have to fly around the world. to learn about cutting edge things that could help my son or help people right now. you know, I guess I just live this experience that think many people do where all the cutting edge information can be all over the place. It can live in these research papers. It can live in the patient community. It can live in those incredible healthcare providers, but you have to sign or in clinical trials, you know, you don’t know, you have to piece it all together and then work out what’s relevant for me. because you know, you could be sitting in a Facebook group, you could be listening to podcasts like this, but there’s so much time that is wasted and opportunity that is wasted while you’re trying to work out all these things. And for most people, you don’t have the world leading best healthcare providing team. Who knows everything doing that work for you. You have to do it on your own. So yeah, just live that problem of trying to find the cutting edge thing to help my son and you know, For two years, it took me two years, we did find a whole lot of things. Bill Gasiamis (05:40) Yeah, two years. my gosh. And I mean, you’d give more than two years to your son, but it’s not about that. It’s about, doing it more quickly than two years. And from stroke perspective, do you have a stroke? Your brain doesn’t work properly. And then trying to sit there and get through, data, texts, videos, all that kind of stuff. I only was able to find like very small amounts of time in between. ⁓ feeling terrible most of the time. And then, ⁓ my gosh, I’m feeling good right now. And then it’s a priority. Like what do I do now that I’m feeling good for five minutes or 10 minutes or an hour? And for me, I, I was very keen to kind of, understand what I can do to support myself. And I knew for certain there was stuff that doctors weren’t delivering when able to deliver, didn’t know about, weren’t telling me that if I did the research that, and I found that I could implement something that was easy for me to implement. for me, just perfect example would be nutrition. But in my conversations with doctors, when I asked them about, this something I can stop eating or start eating to help my brain? There was no information out. There’s probably nothing that wouldn’t matter. Just go about the treatment that we’re offering. And then as a mom or a parent, let’s say as a parent who has a child who has needs beyond the quote unquote normal. It’s like, I’ve got to do all these extra things as a parent for my child. And I’ve got to have my life. I’ve got to do work and do all the things that parents do other than just parenting. And then somehow in there, I’ve got to find a flight to a conference to the other side of the world to hear a researcher maybe, and it’s only like a maybe share something that’ll be life-changing and supportive. And that’s kind of… where I was at, was in the same place. And I thought, what I’ll do is I’ll create a conversation so that people can come to me. We can chat about it amongst other things, share stories. But then hopefully somebody on my YouTube channel says, do you know about this? And then that happened. And then that was a problem as well, because it’s like, I don’t know about this. I don’t even know where to begin to have a conversation about that with you. And if I needed to… do the research on something that I was asked about will take ages. Now, one of the questions I had recently was, you know about methylene blue? And it’s this ridiculously kind of current topic about improving mitochondrial function for people. And as a result of that, people are finding out how you can take that and they’re taking it, which I wouldn’t recommend. And, and now I don’t… The Birth of Turnto.ai And now I’ve got to go and do, I don’t know how many searches to find all the data on Methylene Blue and I don’t know where they’re hiding. Read them, spend my entire time to read them, know, spend all my time to read them and then somehow kind of give people feedback on what I’ve read because that’s the role that I’ve decided to play. And now that’s what they’re expecting of me, but it takes ages. It’s forever. So then a little while later, what happened was you, you said, you know, have a look at turnto.ai. check it out, tell me what you think. And then I did. And I was able to see the power of being able to have the research just sent to me in my inbox because I asked the AI to do it and it does it on a regular basis. And in a moment we’ll share about it. But then tell me a little bit about that transition for you from I’m traveling all over the world to nah, stuff that. I’m gonna do that from. my office in Brisbane, in Australia. I’m not going to travel the whole world to find out this information. It’s not efficient enough. How do you move from mum with a problem to mum with a massive solution? Jessica Dove London (09:31) I mean, I guess, you know, those first five years I was just full-time mom and just doing, you know, we did all the things we did into all the therapy centers. And I, you know, I guess it’s really interesting that question you had. you have these really tricky questions or people ask you questions or you’re on a Facebook group and you see people talking about something you’ve never heard about. Yeah. I was just trying to pull those pieces together because I had the capacity to do that reading. Often it was late at night. think one of the biggest challenges is often at the beginning of your journey, you don’t have the context. You don’t know the map that you’re even looking at. All you know is the impact it’s having immediately and the potential future impact and all those really hard things that you’re facing. so probably for those first five years, I was just pulling everything together messily and someone’s trying things, low risk things, all these different things, trying to get the best people to give us that advice. However, you know, after those five years, I went to that REITs big conference and actually initially got an AI grant to do a research project, an AI research project. And I had a really good friend get lung cancer, stage four lung cancer and a good friend get MS. And they just had the same problem that I was having. And so I just knew there was something here. And so initially what we did is we actually just brought all the treatments that exist for cerebral palsy in one place. And there were over 220 treatments and most patient knew about five to 10. And these are, science backed different protocol treatments people are doing and having some impact on. They having some evidence of things that are working. And so the problem is just really wild because you again, you’re told, I’ll just try these few things, but there’s actually legitimate scientific leading people with all these other ideas and some of it’s really working. So I just, I initially I did that. And then when my kids started school, ⁓ I decided to start a tech platform because I saw this as a really huge problem, but I knew I needed a world-class engineering team because I knew AI had to be part of this. And this was before all the LLM, all the open AI. don’t know if people’s familiar with AI, familiarity with AI is. Before all of this amazing sort of last few years, I was using sort of different, more sort of machine learning to try and just bring the data in and categorize it. but really just trying to make it accessible for people. Bill Gasiamis (11:51) Before we continue, want to pause for just a moment. If you’ve been listening to this conversation and thinking, I don’t have the energy to search research papers, Facebook groups, podcasts, and forums just to find one useful thing, you’re not alone. exact problem is why this episode matters. What Jessica has built with turnto.ai is a way to reduce the mental and physical effort it takes to stay informed. after a stroke. Instead of searching endlessly, relevant information is found for you based on where you are in your recovery and sent straight to your inbox. There’s a listener discount available which you’ll find in the show notes and I’ve also created a page with more details at recoveryafterstroke.com/turnto that’s recoveryafterstroke.com/turnto But stay around, listen to the rest of this episode before you go and check out recoveryafterstroke.com/turnto, to get the discount code. All right, let’s get back to the conversation. Jessica Dove London (12:55) yeah, I guess it was definitely a journey I didn’t go from, know, the first few years it was just heads down, fully in care mode, trying to deliver all the care, trying to access all the experts. And then slowly I just went on this journey to eventually being full time running this team of amazing people from the tech space. I knew this should be a tech solution because You know, I think one of the unfortunate things is, is amazing groups out there, amazing orgs out there, but they often are technology specialists. So I don’t build things that can continue to be relevant. They often make really high quality resources and then the resources are actually not relevant even for you doing a search. You know, you do a search and then what happens in a month when there’s something new that’s come out about that. So yeah, we’re on that journey and probably the cornerstone of what we’ve built is this belief we have that all the voices matter. And so research matters, patient experience matter, leading professionals, experts matter. And actually they sometimes can hold different pieces of the puzzle. probably unlike other tools that you’ll see out there and when we show what we’ve built and how we build it, that’s the key thing. The other thing we believe is that new information matters and it’s too much work for one person, let alone a doctor, a specialist can’t even stay up to date on the disease because know, stroke is actually got an unbelievable amount of things that are created every week. can be over 2000 new things every week in stroke that are being published from expert interviews to new research to clinical trials to patient discussions to incredible events. It’s just wild. Like there’s actually so much incredible stuff happening. But you can’t find it all and you can’t read it all. Bill Gasiamis (14:39) Yeah, absolutely. And that’s why when I had a little bit of a play with Tony, with Turn 2… It was cool because I’m not interested in everything that stroke has to offer me. The research has taught me, but I’m interested in certain things and I’m interested on things specifically that my followers and listeners on my podcast want to know about, you know, so I’d love to be able to bring that to them. So then I had a bit of a play and then we’re going to move to that. I’m going to share the screen in a minute and we’ll talk about that actual screen and the solution, but there is an onboarding process, which we’re not going to. show today but can we talk about it a little bit just to give people a sense of how people they’ll come across turn to and then they’ll go okay ⁓ i want to start and then i want to make sure i get information information for just the stuff that i’m interested in how does the onboarding work Jessica Dove London (15:21) Yeah. Yeah, I guess this is again, thing of like, you know, we’ve built a tool that you’re about to see where we want to keep you up to date, read every single new thing and just give you a handful of things. So how do we do that? And so the way we designed this is to find out what’s on top right now. If you’ve just had a stroke, you’re in a very different stage to one year post, two year post, five year post. the reality is of a patient journey is Bill Gasiamis (15:40) Hmm. Jessica Dove London (16:02) you are always changing, know, you know, we have things, new things come up and then you suddenly feel like you’re at the beginning again or new symptoms come up and you get very confused. Like, is this related? I’m like, I have to talk to my doctor. What’s happening here? I’ve just started a new medication. There’s always things happening. So we ask just five questions and the questions are just all about right now. and sort of some key different attributes around your recovery journey or your journey because Sometimes some information is less relevant for certain groups than others. I’m in a cerebral palsy space, your subtype really matters because it’s actually completely different neurology. And so you might find this incredible breakthrough and it just not be relevant for the subtype, which is actually the case for my son. My son has a very rare subtype, which makes like, you know, anything published on his subtype is like gold because you’re like, wow, a new sort of thing has come out. Yeah. So what we’ve done is, made the onboarding about what are you facing this week with your stroke recovery? You know, what is the symptom you’re worried about? And the thing about the tool is, you know, that week it’ll, it’ll go and read the thousands of new things and it will then match you according to what’s on top for you. And it’ll also go and do specific searches on your location. So if you’re living in Sydney, you’re living in anyway, Los Angeles, London, it’ll search for that week for stroke. what is happening in that city. And the reason that’s so helpful sometimes is there are groups, there’s new clinical trials, there’s so many things that are all these incredible people are putting on webinars, like online support, online educational things. So we match you to all of those things every single week. But yeah, really it’s what are you doing with dealing with right now? And then if you get to Sunday, cause that’s when we send our update out and you’ve got something new that’s come up, you just can talk or type and say, hey, I’m not interested, I’m now interested in keto and I’m interested in this and it will just make you, it’ll create new priorities. Cause that’s the real journey of living with a competition. Bill Gasiamis (18:05) I love that it does change at the beginning. It was all about fatigue. How do I improve my fatigue? And then later on it was like, how do I improve my sleep? And then later on it was after, you know, after brain surgery, it’s a completely different, uh, um, inquiries that I was making on YouTube, Google, wherever I was like, you know, how do I overcome a brain surgery, all that kind of stuff. Um, and then also at the beginning, some of those problems I solved like, then Jessica Dove London (18:25) Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. Bill Gasiamis (18:35) I thought, okay, what’s the next one I need to solve? Jessica Dove London (18:38) Yeah, that’s right. The funny thing about health information is though, cause one of the things we’ve built, if let’s say you’ve tried something though, and there has been new research that’s come out about post impact, you may get that in your update because, know, let’s say you did a surgery or you did sort of some sort of intervention there. Sometimes studies coming out about five years post that intervention. And actually that’s really useful for you because what if it, this new potential thing you should be testing for? I think the key to what we, Navigating Information Overload Have learned from building these tools is you don’t actually know what you don’t know. And like, I think most people here have had that experience of sitting in a Facebook group, listening to your podcast. You learn something new and you go, ⁓ I wish I knew this. ⁓ it feels like luck. And I think that is just a really challenging thing because your health is so much more important than luck, but it can feel like that. You know, I can literally remember when I’ve been in a Facebook group and someone first mentioned this surgery that we ended up doing. took us a year to make the decision, but it was like, ⁓ my goodness, what is this they’re talking about? And then I went to my, our surgeon and the surgeon was very, very dismissive even though there was huge body of literature behind this particular intervention. So then I had to find another specialist and so it begins. Bill Gasiamis (19:53) Yeah. That’s a great thing too, as well. Like if you could be facing roadblocks that are based on other people and that, and then if you don’t have like some kind of ammunition to take to them to say, but you know, how about this? That’s one of the challenges. Cause then, you know, they kind of say, well, there’s no data. I haven’t seen it. If I haven’t seen, I’m a doctor. Like, you know, what do you know? How are you going to be the perfect person that makes the decision? gatekeepers of information bother the hell out of me. Like I hate people who have information and think that because they have it, that they sort of hold the key to how that information is disseminated. But then also people who discourage people from doing searches on what may help them, you know, this is my life, it’s my condition. I wanna be able to find things to help me to make my life better. So I don’t have to be in the hospital system so I can go back to life. so I can improve things. So luck is not part of the equation. If I didn’t jump into that Facebook group today and didn’t see that post, I would have missed it for years maybe. Jessica Dove London (20:56) And this stuff just is always happening. It is pretty wild. And again, the reality is that there is just information is everywhere. And I think even for people who favor research, research takes years to come out. And who decides what should be researched? When we did our first research project, when I started this work, one of the things we did is we collected patient stories of treatment reviews. popular treatment at the time, had no research behind it in the cerebral palsy space, but very low risk. It was like an intensive physio type protocol. And I actually shared this with a whole bunch of academics and a world leader came up to me and said, she’s now going to study this treatment. Because again, you know, are not academics sitting in Facebook groups. or they’re not always, know, they’re not, you know, it takes years for these things to even begin to be getting researched. However, at the same time, are, like research has been, can be very, very helpful and it can also, you know, there are definitely a variety of things out there. Some things are snake oil, some things are, some things can look like snake oil and actually be the next best thing because there’s actually a sign, you know, reason why it’s working or we don’t know why it’s working. It is very hard to decide for all of this. Yeah. Bill Gasiamis (22:17) used to be hard. Now it’s a lot easier. Thank you very much. So I’m going to share my screen now so we can have a bit of a look at what we’re talking about. Jessica Dove London (22:19) Yeah. Bill Gasiamis (22:26) so this is the screen. Now, I’ve purposely resisted from clicking on the first two weekly updates at the top because I wanna kind of tell people what happened, why they’re there. But then I wanna go all the way down to the very first catch up that ⁓ I had with the software after I was onboarded, after I answered all the questions and did all that stuff. It came to me, it said, these are some things that we found for you. And, ⁓ it said it found 18 things. It gave me this, ⁓ bar chart thingy, me jiggy here, which is not a bar chart. It’s actually an audio file telling me what it found. ⁓ and it gave me top insights, six things, and it told me one thing that was near me now, just for context. said, I’m in Australia, in Melbourne, but I said I was in New York, New York. Okay. Just so that I can kind of get a sense of what happens when people from ⁓ other places in the world do a search. I kind of have an idea that if I had done the same thing, what type of results I would have got here. But the reason I did that is because I believe it or not, stroke survivors have reached out to me from New York and said, do I know any stroke survivors in New York? I’m in Australia, in Melbourne. Like technically that answer should be no. but I know heaps of people in other areas. But what I don’t know is what’s happening in those other areas. And what Tony found was ⁓ groups, meetups or something along those lines that were happening in New York for people. So I found that really interesting. So I could immediately do that search and get that I click near you, all right, I’m not in New York guys, but if I click near you, look what it found. Hybrid event stroke support groups at Mount Sinai, Sinai, I know I butchered that, but it’s. probably an event that is happening ⁓ in that area. Union Square, I think I know what that is. I think that is in Manhattan. And then it gives its thoughts. It says, this group could help you connect with survivors for emotional regulation and post-traumatic growth. Like, what? That was like a few minutes of searching immediately now. If I had even moved. to New York, it was a brand new place where I’m living and I want to connect with people, I’ve automatically found that. mean, that is fantastic. Jessica Dove London (24:58) So Bill, when you get your update, you go to the, I found you, you can actually flick through all of the updates. And for people as well, can, if you go to click on what I found you, or if you just go back into it and then you can actually flick through them all. So you can flick through the research, the expert interviews, the patient discussions, the online events. And also for people who like email, you can get it all in an email. That’s sort of an easier experience for you, but you can just really quickly flick. Bill Gasiamis (25:06) what I found. Yeah. Jessica Dove London (25:28) through all the relevant things that have found you. And it’s just matching to what you’ve said. So you would have said all those different sort of key things that are important to you. And then the whole thing we believe is we try not to use AI to give you necessarily a generic answer. We’re trying to use AI to find you the most interesting resources that already exist. Bill Gasiamis (25:30) Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I love it. this one, this week’s daily update. So I’ve had a few of those updates and I’ve clicked a lot of them. And they, as I was going through my mind a few weeks after I logged in for the first time, I would then put in a new search. And then the most recent email that I got or update that I got was this one here. And It has found 17 new things for me and the top insights have been updated because one of the additional searches that I put in later after I did the onboarding was about hand spasticity. And then also I did, and look at this, I did a podcast with, a stroke survivor called Jonathan and it has already found it and brought that to my attention as if I didn’t know about it. And Jonathan Aravello shares his story. That’s an interview that I did with a stroke survivor a little while ago and it already knows that it’s there. And then if you scroll down, I found if you scroll down, you just go through other things that people are talking about. Vivastim is a new product that stroke survivors are talking about because it’s an implantable and it attaches to autonomic, to the vagus nerve and somehow it supports people to improve function and it helps with neuroplasticity and all that kind of stuff. I’m just stunned by all the information that came to me and… The Onboarding Process Explained And I had a question this week in my YouTube channel. Let me tell you what it is. And let’s see if we can just do a search and find some information on that product. STC30 stem cell treatment. I’ve got no idea where to start. How would I answer that question for the person? They asked me a lovely question. What can you say about the effectiveness of STC30 stem cell treatment? So I’m getting asked like I’m an expert in these areas. I don’t mind, but that’s the kind of information that people are looking for. They’re going, how do I find information about that thing when nobody else out there will talk to me about it? They’re kind of like doing a Hail Mary shot. They’re going, I’m going to ask this guy on the podcast, maybe he knows about stem cells. Who would know about that? But check this out. If I do ask a question, if I say,tell me. about ST. C 30. stem cells. I’m going to generate. And I love this part about it too, the searching and the thinking that it does. ⁓ What specific outcomes or improvements are you hoping to achieve? And I’ll just say. ⁓ Less brain fatigue. That’s brain fatigue. Jessica Dove London (28:52) It’s okay. It’s actually you can make spelling mistakes. Bill Gasiamis (28:56) It knows it’s smarter than me. Jessica Dove London (28:58) mean, AI is very good at that. And probably for people watching this, you what would be the difference of this with ChatGPT? Because ChatGPT is amazing and it’s going to get better and better. But the difference of people to understand is we actually have an intelligent data set on stroke. So what we’ve done is we’ve taken the past 10 years of all the stroke information. So from research papers, we’ve actually gone through YouTube and found webinars with experts. We’ve gone through patient discussions, we’ve collected resources. And the reason we’ve done this is because Bill Gasiamis (29:00) Yeah. Jessica Dove London (29:27) Again, I really love Chatjibity. I highly recommend people use it. However, the difference is our belief is all voices matter. So when you ask questions, we’re actually going to give you answers from experts, from patients and from research. So that would be the difference of this tool. And the reason it can take probably up to a minute to find you an answer is Stroke actually has, I Stroke has 450,000 resources in the database that we built for Stroke. So Stroke’s a really, really big database. I mean, it’s trying to look for that answer and then it’s trying to match you to it. I think that’s just, it hasn’t actually restarted. It’s just. Bill Gasiamis (30:05) It’s doing its thinking. It did seventy nine thousand searches. Jessica Dove London (30:09) And it’s trying to just match it to your profile, give you that answer. And it can get, there we go. Bill Gasiamis (30:15) Wow. And then here we go, ST stem cells is marketed as a supplement that claims to support cellular repair and regeneration, but its efficacy and safety are not well established in clinical research. So that’s like a little bit of ⁓ initial information. And then here you go, the patient view, which is so important in this, isn’t it? It’s important to find people who may have had a procedure and have something to share about it. That’s so, so helpful. And then what the research says, how many research papers has it got here? Wow. Look at that one, two, three, four, five, six, seven already research papers. And they’ll all have links to other research papers that, you know, made those ⁓ studies that sort of give those studies the initial information to get the ball rolling on them. And then, systemic review here which check Jessica Dove London (31:15) Sometimes there’s not actually even a full paper on that. I actually don’t know this topic, obviously, but if you go up to the summary, might even say, sometimes you might learn, there’s actually not specific papers on this. However, here are papers that are relevant. you click show style. It’s on the research here. you click post. So if you go down to what research says. Bill Gasiamis (31:31) Where’s the summary? do I do that? Jessica Dove London (31:37) You just scroll down, yep. And then you click show summary, see that pink little, but here we go. It shows you research trends, key findings, unknowns and mixed opinions, and all of it’s referenced. And that’s just because again, we’re trying to show patients as quickly as possible. Is there information? Is there mixed opinions? Because I think sometimes there’s been a tendency to have one answer to these things and there isn’t one answer. And sometimes there isn’t papers, you know? So we actually have trained our tool to Bill Gasiamis (32:01) Yeah. Yeah. Jessica Dove London (32:07) to sometimes not make up answers. And so, you know, we tested it on very rare protocols and it often says, hey, there is no protocol for your subtype. However, here are protocols that are being studied in other sort of use cases. Bill Gasiamis (32:19) Yeah. And then if I do this view source, this is cool too, right? It just goes directly to the article PubMed article. And you can read that. That’s brilliant. Okay. So then, ⁓ And look, here we go again. It’s found my podcast two times here. ⁓ that is brilliant. love it. And then I did this. went, I think I went back and then I asked the question here because I had like a thing that popped up in my brain today. Right. Somebody kind of said, Hey, have you heard about that? And, ⁓ somebody did that. And, ⁓ and then I just can go. immediately into that and go okay where is it i’m just trying to search on my Jessica Dove London (33:05) While you’re searching, guess the thing that we built with our weekly tool as well, so let’s say you really want to learn about STC 30. I think that’s it’s called. You can just put that in your weekly, your profile, and every week our tool will look for that specific topic because that’s the other thing. So if you click strengthen my profile, can you see that purple box down at the bottom? Yep. If you click on strength, you click on that, you can just say, you can type anything new in here and it’s going to then keep searching it. Bill Gasiamis (33:20) How do I do that? Why would I do that? ⁓ yeah? There you go, there’s all of my data that I put in at the beginning, New York, New York, early 50s age group, approximately 13 years post stroke, all the topics that I was interested in. And where would I put that? Would I put that here, add new? Jessica Dove London (33:34) Or if you Yeah, yeah. And if you start, then we’ll know that that’s at the top. Yeah. But you can, to be act, to actually be honest, you can actually, if you go back, I’ll show you an easier way. So at the end of every weekly update, there’s a huge box that just says, me anything new. but if you go back, I’ll show you something on the dashboard as well. Yep. So if you see, do you see want to do a deep dive, see how this says update me the top on the right. Bill Gasiamis (33:52) ⁓ dashboard. Jessica Dove London (34:13) next to ask, yeah, if you just talk at it and say, I’m now interested in this as a priority, it’ll then put it at the top for your next week’s update. Bill Gasiamis (34:13) ⁓ ⁓ okay. Next question I had a day ago, somebody wanted to know about red light therapy. So why don’t I do that? If I press that and then do that, right? Click this button here. Is that the one? Jessica Dove London (34:31) Or you can talk or type, whatever works for you. Bill Gasiamis (34:34) I’m gonna talk, let’s see if it does. Jessica Dove London (34:36) Let’s see if it works with the podcast, whether it’s taken them. Yeah, I think it’s not working just because you’re doing a podcast, because you’re using the speaker. Bill Gasiamis (34:39) Alright. ⁓ no. Okay, so I’ll type I’ll just say ⁓ red light therapy. Jessica Dove London (34:53) This won’t give you an answer. This is just going to go on to your weekly update now, Bill. Bill Gasiamis (34:58) Okay, okay, so if I if I do that Jessica Dove London (34:59) Yeah. And now, yep. So now it’s actually just added it to your health profile whenever you want to know. So for your next Sunday’s update, you’re now going to have red light therapy in there. But yeah, but the reason we put the voice box is it’s actually sometimes useful to talk a bit more like, Hey, I’m thinking about doing red light therapy. I’m really worried about this, this, this, just actually giving more context. Cause at the of the day, if there’s a thousand new things a week in stroke, you know, this is just a matter of how do you, how does Bill Gasiamis (35:11) my gosh, that’s ugly. Jessica Dove London (35:28) How does any sort of system get you what’s relevant? AI for Stroke Recovery – Real-Life Applications and Success Stories Bill Gasiamis (35:32) It’s a game changer. I’m telling you now. ⁓ I mean, you know that, I don’t know why I’m telling you, but you know that this is the one that was the weirdest thing, methylene blue. Do know it’s a food dye? Sorry. No, it’s not a food dye. It’s a clothes dye. I think it’s like a Indigo clothes dye and people take it. And it’s very risky because, ⁓ it’s very few people that, ⁓ actually experiencing the exact condition that’s related to, ⁓ Jessica Dove London (35:41) Okay. Really? Bill Gasiamis (36:01) neurological dysfunction or mitochondrial dysfunction that methylene blue can help for. And then if you take methylene blue and you take too much of it, ⁓ then it decreases mitochondrial function if you don’t have a need for it. And there’s no way of knowing whether you have mitochondrial dysfunction unless you have the right kind of doctor take you through that process and determine whether your mitochondria are functioning properly. I mean, not many people have access to that, but this is what happened when I, ⁓ put that in there, came up with a whole bunch of information again. This is just like the most obscure thing that everyone’s talking about now. And unfortunately, people are taking Methylene Blue ⁓ without knowing whether or not they’re a candidate. And when they request information from me, I want to be able to give them accurate information and don’t be like that. person who holds onto the data and then doesn’t release it. But I’m confident it could say if you’re somebody considering taking Methylene Blue, do not take Methylene Blue. is so, ⁓ it’s such a nuanced bit of like tool. It’s such a nuanced tool and you need to know like the most amazing people in that space and there’s probably only two of them in the world. So it’s like great that everyone’s talking about it. But I feel really confident now about having the information in front of me to share with stroke survivors. And I would not have felt like that if this tool did not exist. Jessica Dove London (37:34) Again, you could also put that into your weekly updates so that it keeps looking for that particular topic. Because I guess the challenge, the reality is, and the challenge for all of us is we hear these things or we don’t even know things exist. And I think, you know, there is the reality. Like I think you’re always looking for that one thing as well, right? Particularly with any sort of neuro condition, you’re like, is there something really big I’m missing? Bill Gasiamis (37:40) Yeah. you Jessica Dove London (38:00) You know, is there something that could really improve when you’re facing something that maybe, maybe there’s a symptom that won’t go away or, you know, in cerebral palsy, it’s a lifelong condition. So you’re all often like, looking for that. Is there something we’re missing kind of experience or there’s a new topic. like just to give you one example, which is a real example is I was worried about my son having osteoporosis. So I told the tool, I’m worried about my son having osteoporosis. I went to the doctor’s consultant and the consultant said, don’t worry, we don’t need to scan. He said we’re going try and them. But the doctor said, don’t worry. And then the week later, my son got very bad knee pain. We ended up doing an x-ray, which showed potential osteoporosis. I pushed and we got a dextrose. And doctor rings me and he says, yes, your son has osteoporosis. And I said, what can we do to treat this? And he actually told me. we wait for children to break their bones when they have cerebral palsy. Now, if you’re a wheelchair user and you break a bone, that could be a year of rehab for your life. Now I’d put this into the tool and in the period of two to three weeks, it had found me two papers studying children with osteoporosis with cerebral palsy and an expert interview. I said to the doctor, why are we not testing his calcium? Why are we not looking at his vitamin D? And the doctor said, you’re right. We need to test those levels. Now like, One, the reality is that consultant just can’t stay to date. Like I actually understand he’s busy. He’s actually serving lots of different conditions. And so like my passion and my hope is that we can do that work for people. because I have organized my son to get these blood tests now because we’re being proactive. Cause I don’t want him to break, break his bones. You know, I care more than anybody. He, know, it’s quality of life. And also when you have a label like cerebral palsy or stroke, Sometimes things can be disregarded, you know, it’s really, they think, ⁓ this is complex. We don’t really know. Well, maybe we just haven’t read the paper from three months ago or that really useful webinar from a conference that was last week. I’m talking about that exact symptom that is legitimate. So yeah, that’s my real passion, Bill is empowering people because, know, I think we all have these stories of being disregarded or. You know, and I do have a lot of hope for the future and I love medical professionals. I have some incredible people that I work with, but curiosity is just not usually the experience of most professionals when they’re, you know, they are just humans doing their best overwhelmed and usually not fully up to date. Bill Gasiamis (40:39) Yep. And they also don’t know what they don’t know. It’s no different to us, right? If they have, if it hasn’t fallen onto their lap and if they haven’t had a lucky day where they saw an article or, know, they’re in the same boat and as frustrating as it can be, and as much as you want to kind of dude, you know, you’re the guy leading my, my healthcare, you know, like I, I’m entrusting you with more than just this blasé attitude at that, like Jessica Dove London (40:43) Yes! That’s right. Bill Gasiamis (41:06) And that’s not helpful either. I totally get it as well. Jessica Dove London (41:08) That’s right. That’s right. You want to do it together. You know, I was on a call this week with not someone from stroke or cerebral palsy, but it was a consult specialist from another disease. I won’t mention what disease, but they said to me on the call, they picked up something from their desk and they said, I have a journal sitting here from early October and I’ve been trying to read it every day. But this person is a surgeon and is very, very busy. And they were telling me to build my tool, like this tool for doctors. She was like, We can’t stay up to date and we really want to, and we do. Like she will read that paper. But it’s such a burden on healthcare professionals. So my real hope in the future is that we go to our professionals and we look together at the evidence. know, there is that, cause you know, the truth is some world leaders obviously in a lot of professionals know a lot more and their lens is very useful of going, actually that is interesting. this is something we hadn’t thought about, or let’s look at this. Just that there’s time limitation. All right, sound good. Bill Gasiamis (42:08) I know they care. And when you’re a surgeon and somebody says, ⁓ emergency just rocked up through the door and it’s 1am, they drop everything and they go right. So then you want to give that person a break as well and say to my care what what do you want to sleep tomorrow morning? Okay, no worries, by all means sleep. And it makes complete sense why a journal could be on somebody’s desk and not get read. I mean, that happens with my taxes. They’re there forever. Jessica Dove London (42:19) Yeah. actually. Bill Gasiamis (42:35) and they need to get done. And I can come up with a million things that I prioritize over that thing because it’s actually a priority. I’m not saying that I don’t pay my taxes. I definitely do. But with a surgeon, you can understand where they would rather spend their time is helping people get through that particular situation that they’re finding themselves in. the, what is it like? It’s like, ⁓ by the way, there’s this journal there yet. I’m going to spend an hour reading that. what somebody needs surgery. No problem. Let’s go. I totally get it. I get it. And this tool kind of enables patients, I think, to have more information and take that to a meeting with a surgeon with a clinical, you know, in a clinical setting, wherever they are, and begin a conversation that perhaps wouldn’t have begun again. That information then does go kind of in that Jessica Dove London (43:09) That’s right. Bill Gasiamis (43:31) either at the front of the mind of that person or at the back of the mind of that person so that they can access it when they need it and then go, you know, I’m going to be curious about that. I’m going to go down that path. Or if you take that to your doctor or a clinician or someone in that space and they say, don’t worry about that, then that’s also a good sign for I need to find a new doctor. I need to find a new clinician, someone who’s going to take the feedback and the information that I bring them seriously. Empowering Patients Through Collaboration Jessica Dove London (43:57) Yeah. 100%. 100%. I think it’s that collaboration. know, we have a person on our team right now. He’s not the most knowledgeable, but just, and he isn’t the specialist, but he’s very supportive and really wants to look at evidence and is always helping us find the right specialist. And it’s just an incredibly wonderful experience to have someone who’s on that side of always validating. then she knows that we’re reading more than she is on some of these topics. And I want to help. don’t want to be doing this alone. Like that’s the other thing you want. You want people to help you and have the answers and give you better. You know, you don’t want to be doing the wrong treatment or wasting that, you know, I always think you can’t try everything even if lots of things worked. But you can do things that don’t work or you can do things that are risky. And I think for so long, has been very risk averse. However, there are so many treatments that are You know, have huge outcomes. You know, we, one of the things we did with our son, he started school in continent. And I listened to a podcast interviewing a world leader out of UCLA. They, um, you know, we’ve actually got a lot of these stories, barely we’ve been able to talk before about some of the things we’ve tried, but it’s a, an external device giving, uh, this is a different one building what we talked about, but it’s a device you put on your back. And it was this new breakthrough about, uh, the spine is connected to motor planning and he. within two days became fully continent. And this is a $300 machine. It was free. The protocol was free and he’s completely continent at school. Like that’s his whole life changed. And the reason I did it is because I listened to a podcast with a world leader and it’s heaps of evidence. There just wasn’t yet evidence in cerebral palsy because they just brought it to cerebral palsy from spinal cord injury. And his whole life changed and I actually have a friend who’s a world leading researcher in this space in cerebral palsy and me and him have spoken about this technology and it’s very exciting. But not everyone can go and talk to this world leading research to go, yeah, this is valid. This makes total sense. You should be trying this. And so how many people are incontinent because of that one particular insight that’s not being shared. know, there’s just so many stories like this of things that are low risk, that have really good. ⁓ potential to change people’s lives. Bill Gasiamis (46:17) Yeah, that’s brilliant. We’re going to obviously get the link to that particular device and we’re going to put it in the show notes. Jessica Dove London (46:23) We should do a session just on devices. I love technology. ⁓ Bill Gasiamis (46:28) Yeah, but that’s the beauty of it, right? We wouldn’t have had that information hadn’t it been for this particular product coming up in the search in the results. ⁓ Jessica Dove London (46:37) That’s right. So one of the things I tell Tony is I want new technology and new equipment. And so last week in my update, it found me a patient comment of someone who’s built a device, a hand device to hold things and they have a web link, but they themselves went and built this device. All the plans are online. And because I’m obsessed with new technology, it’s doing that for me. I’m also obsessed with like new wheelchairs and new, you know, know, new scooters and it’s all. Bill Gasiamis (46:44) you Jessica Dove London (47:06) I love this, like that’s one of my personal sort of like things I’m always looking for. But again, that tool is doing some of that, a lot of that lifting for me, because I can’t read it all. Bill Gasiamis (47:17) Yeah, brilliant. love it. I can’t read it all either. And I definitely don’t know what the obscure things are that people ask for my podcast. And I’m expected to know which is a really, it’s a really lovely thing. Like, you know, like people are coming to me for advice and I want to, I want to be the guy I want to be the connector. want to see people to read. Jessica Dove London (47:37) You can actually share that page when you ask Tony, you can do a URL and share that for your listeners so they can get access to it. Just so you know the bottom so they can just share it and see if it’s useful or not. And that’s the thing like it’s more about is it useful or not for you. Bill Gasiamis (47:44) Yeah, I will be doing that. Yeah, I think what I’ll be doing is answering people’s questions because they’re so lovely to ask them. What I’ll do is I’ll do a search for them on tourney. I’ll record the whole thing and I’ll tell them, you know, one of my stroke survivors who listens to my podcast wants to know about this information. Give me the data. We’ll come up with some research. I’ll answer the question. And then like, I’ll feel amazing that that happened relatively quickly as well, which is going to before for me to actually my gosh, I just had that feeling where I’m like that doctor who gets asked these questions and doesn’t know. So says, my God, I’m going to leave that unanswered or or I’ll tell them there’s nothing about that that we can talk about because there’s no information. I just felt like that doctor where somebody asked him the question and I was like, I’ve got no idea what you’re talking about. Just keep doing what you’re doing or what I’m telling you to do. Whereas now that goes away. That feeling of I don’t think I can help you, goes away. We might not be able to have the answers. We might find out that in fact there is nothing available yet in that space, right? So that’s kind of where Tony will also go. It’ll go, well, there’s nothing here. Jessica Dove London (49:04) and might just find things that are related because that’s the other thing. Like if I’d asked Tony about this, this technology, it’s called spinal. It’s confusing because there’s a few things called spinal stimulation, but it’s trans trans. I’m not going to, I’ll give, can put it in a note. So it’s a technical term, but in the cerebral palsy community, call it spinal stim. Yeah. If I’d put that in, nothing would come back because it was only last year that two research papers had come out about this. However, it would find related things because there is a lot of related concepts. that particular technology and that thinking. Like there was actually a surgery of how that was using the same, doing the same amount of healing. But the benefit of obviously using a machine that you put on your back is it’s not, or brain surgery, which is hugely risky or implanting devices and all that. It’s just not always answers. There’s not always evidence, but there is things, there’s not much happening. And that’s probably my last thought to share is just. Bill Gasiamis (49:49) Yeah. Jessica Dove London (49:57) There is so much happening and I think you’ve lived this bill, like there is a lot of new technologies, new treatments, lifestyles. There’s so much happening in the recovery space and you know, there’s a lot of hope to be had. And that’s one of my biggest feelings of this tool when I use it for myself is hope. literally it found me an advantage. my son is very adventurous and wants to be a, I do not want him to be this, but he wants to be like a wheelchair stunt person. And there was an online event about teenagers getting into skate parks. And I just had such hope that there’s all these people out there trying to make like a Yeah, I didn’t attend because I’m like, he’s only 10. I’m like, no, we can’t do this yet. Bill Gasiamis (50:40) I love that you don’t want to I love that you don’t want him to break his arm roller skating. Jessica Dove London (50:47) You Bill Gasiamis (50:48) I love it. love it. That’s what normal, normal moms do. Right. But there you go. Yeah. Oh, of course it does. That’s Yeah, I love it. Absolutely. Um, that’s exactly why I like Tony because it will do things that we’ve struggled to do for a long time is find resources, information, all that kind of thing. And it’ll do it quickly and it’ll do it. Jessica Dove London (50:51) That’s right. dad does take him to the skate park. His dad takes him. And he goes down. It’s terrible. It’s so scary. Bill Gasiamis (51:15) specifically for you and it’ll send it to your inbox. You don’t have to go anywhere. Now there will be a link for people to click on and go across and get a little discount or some kind of like a, can we talk about that briefly? Jessica Dove London (51:31) Yeah, yeah. So we, this is a low cost AI tool. So we charge two US dollars a week for that weekly update. And it actually costs us $2.80 per update just because we read a million tokens per person to generate that. And we want to provide the most valuable, those value and the most accessible, valuable focus. Not everybody can be spending $30, $40 a month on the really advanced AI tools either. But you can try it for free. So you can just try it for three weeks and see if it’s valuable because end of the day, that’s all we want. And you know, we want your feedback. If you’re like, I’d love it to do this, to do that. We’re a team that really just want to, you know, that’s the beauty of being a technology team is we can build some of these solutions pretty easily. So yeah, you can go through the link and get a 10 % discount, but you can also just try it for free and see if this is valuable for you. Bill Gasiamis (52:22) Yeah, I tried it for free for three weeks and the it’s like having subscribed to the full thing because you’ve got everything that it can possibly do in that three weeks. I’ve got a really good feel for it. So I’ll have that linked as well in the show notes. And then if you’re watching this video and you want to get a sense of ⁓ what this thing is like, what it’s like when I use it, et cetera, I’ll be doing my answers to red light therapy and STC 30. Jessica Dove London (52:29) Yeah, 100%. That’s right. That’s right. Bill Gasiamis (52:49) I’ll be doing all those types of videos. People will be able to see it. The website is turnto.ai. So it’s T-U-R-N-T-O.ai. I’ll have the links in the show notes for that as well. Jessica, thank you so much for reaching out, persevering when I was being a little bit slack with my inbox and then, yeah, kind of developing this tool with your team and bringing it to us. really appreciate it. that you’ve done that and that it’s there because it’s definitely going to improve. It’s going to decrease the amount of time that I take to find information to help me as well because I’m a stroke survivor and I’ve got my own stuff I go through. So thank you for that. Jessica Dove London (53:30) been great to be here, Bill Gasiamis (53:31) You’ve just heard how AI can fundamentally change the way stroke survivors find recovery information, not by replacing doctors, but by reducing overwhelm and helping us ask better questions. In this episode, we explored why stroke recovery information feels so scattered, how fatigue and brain fog makes searching harder and how tools like turnto.ai can bring clarity, speed and hope back into the process. If this conversation resonated with you, I encourage you to explore the tool for yourself. You’ll find a listener discount code in the show notes. More information at recoveryafterstroke.com/turnto, and remember this podcast exists so that no stroke survivor ever has to feel like they’re doing this alone. If you would like to support the work that I do here, you can support me on Patreon at patreon.com/recoveryafterstroke. Your support helps me continue recording these conversations and working toward my goal of a thousand episodes. Thanks for listening. I’ll see you in the next episode. The post Tunrto.ai for Stroke Recovery: Why This Tool Is a Game Changer for Survivors appeared first on Recovery After Stroke.

In Episode 100, Jamie and Matt reflect on a year that fundamentally reshaped how Matt experiences healthcare—as both a patient and a caregiver. Matt shares an update on his active surveillance prostate cancer journey, including lifestyle changes, monitoring, and learning to live with uncertainty.The conversation expands beyond Matt's diagnosis to include the realities of caregiving: navigating a father's dementia and hospice journey, processing anticipatory grief and loss, supporting a teenage daughter through surgery, and helping a mother recover after a stroke. Matt speaks candidly about caregiver burnout, moments of emotional paralysis, and the importance of asking for help.Together, Jamie and Matt explore how grief lingers, how recovery often proves harder than the crisis itself, and why healthcare must focus on what happens after discharge. Episode 100 closes with a powerful reminder: it's okay not to be okay—but it's not okay to face it alone.

Double Vision After Stroke: What Jorden's Story Teaches Us About Brainstem Stroke Recovery Double vision after stroke is one of those symptoms no one imagines they'll ever face—until the day they wake up and the world has split in two. For many stroke survivors, it's confusing, frightening, and completely disorienting. And when it happens as part of a brainstem stroke, like it did for 45-year-old attorney Jorden Ryan, it can mark the beginning of a long and unpredictable recovery journey. In this article, we walk through Jorden's powerful story, how double vision after stroke showed up in his life, and what other survivors can learn from the way he navigated setback after setback. If you’re living with vision changes or recovering from a brainstem stroke, this piece is for you. The Morning Everything Changed Jorden went to bed preparing for a big day at work. By morning, nothing made sense. When he opened his eyes, the room looked doubled—two phones, two walls, two versions of everything. He felt drunk, dizzy, and disconnected from his own body. Double vision after stroke often appears suddenly, without warning. In Jorden's case, it was the first sign that a clot had formed near an aneurysm in his brainstem. As he tried to read his phone, he realised he couldn't. As he tried to stand, he collapsed. And as nausea took over, his vision became just one of many things slipping away. He didn't know it then, but this was the beginning of a brainstem stroke recovery journey that would test every part of who he was. When the Body Quits and the World Keeps Moving Even when paramedics arrived, the situation remained confusing. “You're too young for a stroke,” they told him. But the double vision, vomiting, and collapsing legs said otherwise. By the time he reached the hospital, he was drifting in and out of consciousness. Inside the MRI, everything changed again—his left side stopped working completely. He couldn't move. He couldn't speak. He couldn't swallow. His ability to control anything was gone. For many survivors, this is where the fear sets in—not only the fear of dying, but the fear of living this way forever. Understanding Double Vision After Stroke Double vision happens when the eyes no longer work together. After a stroke—especially a brainstem stroke—the nerves that control eye alignment can be affected. Survivors often describe it the way Jorden did: blurry, overlapping images difficulty reading nausea when focusing a sense of being “detached” from reality exhaustion from trying to make sense of their surroundings In Jorden's case, double vision wasn't the only issue, but it shaped everything that came after. It influenced his balance, his confidence, and even whether he felt safe leaving his home. Three Weeks Missing: The Silent Part of Recovery Jorden spent nearly three weeks in a coma-like state. Days blurred together. Friends visited. Family gathered. He remembers fragments, but not the whole chapter. When he finally became more aware, nothing worked the way it used to—not his speech, not his swallow, not his limbs, and certainly not his vision. This is something many survivors aren't prepared for: Stroke recovery often begins long before you're fully conscious. Starting Over: The Fight to Stand Again Inpatient rehab became Jorden's new world. It was full of firsts, none of them easy. The first time he tried to sit up. The first time he attempted to transfer out of bed. The first swallow test. The first attempt to speak. Everything required more energy than he had. And yet, small wins mattered: “When my affected hand moved for the first time, I felt human again.” Double vision made everything more complicated, especially balance and spatial awareness. Even brushing his teeth triggered trauma because of early choking experiences in hospital. Still, he kept going. Life Doesn't Pause for Stroke Recovery Just like so many survivors say, the world didn't stop for Jorden to recover. On the very day he left inpatient rehab, his close friend—who had also lived with paralysis—died by suicide. Not long after, his dog passed away too. It felt unfair. Cruel. Like everything was happening at once. But even in that darkness, Jorden found a way to keep moving. Not fast. Not perfectly. Just forward. Learning to Walk Again With Vision Working Against Him Double vision after stroke made walking terrifying. Every step felt unpredictable. Every movement demanded complete attention. He used a slackline as a walking rail. He held onto countertops, walls, chairs—anything that would keep him upright. He practised daily, even when the exhaustion was overwhelming. This is something survivors often underestimate: Vision problems drain energy faster than physical limitations. Your brain is constantly trying to make sense of visual chaos. Of course you get tired faster. Of course progress feels slow. But slow progress is still progress. Humour as a Survival Tool Many survivors rely on humour to keep themselves grounded. For Jorden, it showed up in moments like these: His leg falling off the footrest of a wheelchair and being dragged without him realising. Gym sessions where he pushed through fatigue—even after peeing his pants slightly. Laughing at situations that would've once embarrassed him. Humour didn't erase the trauma, but it gave him permission to keep going. “Now it's me versus me. Every step I take is a win, even if no one sees it.” What Jorden Wants Every Survivor to Know Recovery doesn't end after 12 months. Double vision after stroke can improve—even years later. Brainstem stroke recovery isn't linear. You're allowed to grieve what you lost and still fight for what's ahead. The simplest achievements matter. Hope is not naïve—it's a strategy. His story is proof that even when everything falls apart, life can still move forward. If You're Living With Double Vision After Stroke You are not alone. Your progress might feel invisible. Your days might feel slow and frustrating. But your brain is still rewiring, still adapting, still learning. And you don't have to navigate that alone either. Take the Next Step in Your Recovery If you want guidance, support, and practical tools for rebuilding life after stroke, you're invited to explore the resources below: Read Bill's Book: The Unexpected Way That a Stroke Became the Best Thing That Happened Join the Patreon: Recovery After Stroke This blog is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Please consult your doctor before making any changes to your health or recovery plan. Jorden Ryan: Living With Double Vision After Stroke & Finding a Way Forward He woke up seeing double, and everything changed. Jorden's journey through double vision after stroke shows how recovery can begin in the darkest moments. Jorden’s Facebook Highlights: 00:00 Introduction to Double Vision After Stroke 03:15 The Day Everything Changed 10:26 When the Diagnosis Finally Made Sense 16:32 Surviving a Second Stroke 21:47 What Recovery Really Feels Like 32:16 The Emotional Toll No One Talks About 44:57 The First Swim After Stroke 54:08 Finding Light in the Darkest Moments 59:28 Living with PTSD After Stroke 01:15:01 Being Told “You'll Never…” by Doctors 01:26:40 Finding Meaning After Stroke Transcript: Introduction to Jorden Ryan’s Double Vision After Stroke Bill Gasiamis (00:01) Welcome again to the Recovery After Stroke podcast. I’m Bill Gasiamis. And if you’re listening right now, chances are stroke recovery feels confusing and isolating. I get that. I’ve been there. Leaving the hospital, feeling lost, desperate for clarity and unsure of what comes next. That’s why this podcast exists. Recovery After Stroke gives you real stories and expert insights that help guide your recovery so you can feel more confident, informed. and in control of your progress. And so you never have to feel alone or uncertain again. Today you’ll hear from Jordan Ryan, a 45 year old attorney who woke up one morning and nothing worked anymore. His story is raw, honest, and filled with moments that every stroke survivor will recognize. Fear, frustration, identity loss, and the courage to begin again. But I won’t spoil the episode. I’ll let you hear it from him. Jordan Ryan, welcome to the podcast. Jorden Ryan (00:58) Thank you, Bill. Happy to be here. Bill Gasiamis (01:01) Great to have you here. So if I recall correctly, your stroke was in March, 2024. So not that long ago. What was life like before that? Jorden Ryan (01:10) Life, I would say, was pretty normal. I didn’t have any symptoms or anything and I was a attorney. I walked to work every day about two miles and everything was going well. So right up until the night that I went to sleep, I had no symptoms at all. Bill Gasiamis (01:26) What kind of person were you then? Your routine, for example, and your relationships, where were they at? What kind of life did you lead? Jorden Ryan (01:34) I was awesome, right? No, just kidding. Yeah, they were good. Like I had a lot of friends and work colleagues and they did a lot. Like I was mostly a social person and went out a lot. So not home that much. I mean, I made a lot of friends in my loft, like down the halls were a lot of friends, but I lived by myself. Bill Gasiamis (01:55) ⁓ Well, if you thought you were awesome, I’m going to go with that. I got no problem with you thinking you are awesome. What about your health? Did you have a sense of your health? You know, we often talk about how we felt and what we were like and how energetic we were. Did you have a sense of where your health was at now in hindsight? Jorden Ryan (02:17) No, I did not. Actually, ⁓ I had a deviated septum from somebody hitting me in the face a while back from me trying to stop a fight. And so it took three surgeries to finally get it correct. Like they had to take a piece of my rib and some of my ear to straighten out my nose. But anyways, I say all that because it made me gain a lot of weight and I guess have sleep apnea. I didn’t know that, but you know, the girl I was dating at the time told me. So anyways, I got it fixed. And I had just seen a person to help me lose weight, the doctor and everybody. so I thought my health was good. And I had probably maybe a year and a half ago, I got into a jet ski, just knocked on conscious when I hit the water. So they did a cat scan and I didn’t know, but I thought that when they did that, I was fine. I was healthy. I didn’t know it would take an MRI to know that stuff. So I felt. totally fine until the event. The Day Everything Changed Bill Gasiamis (03:17) So after the nose surgery, things started to improve with regards to your weight and your sleeping. Yeah. Jorden Ryan (03:22) I don’t know that, like, I tried to get a CPAP machine before my surgery and yes, I was starting to work out more but I was still a little bit tired I guess but I mean nothing like, un-normal like, really bad or anything like that. Bill Gasiamis (03:38) Yeah, I do hear that sleep apnea is kind of that strange kind of a thing that people don’t realize they have until somebody diagnoses it and says to them, this is why you feel so drained, so tired all the time. And then they get it resolved in one way or another and things improve, especially with a, sometimes with a CPAP machine. So, ⁓ but then you’ll fit an active and you were pretty well. So take us back to that moment of that first stroke or what? What was it like? What happened? Jorden Ryan (04:08) So when I had ZPAP like to get a diagnosis or whatever they sent something in the mail and you just put it on your finger it was not as comprehensive as an actual sleep study and they said well that will be fine anyway so I got the machine it was very hard for me to sleep with so it would keep me up it did the exact opposite of what it was supposed to do so anyways that night I went to bed I had a big day the next day work call international call and I was gonna be the only one on the call, only attorney on the call. And so I woke up, I could not sleep, which was kind of normal with the CPAP machine. So I watched a movie and then went to sleep maybe an hour before it was time to wake up. And I went to bed and my alarm went off and I got up and I felt like really strange. I saw double, basically like I felt like I’d been drinking all night or something. Then, ⁓ I called into work and said, I’m sorry I cannot help you. Like, I was looking at my cell phone, which I do all the time, and I couldn’t read it or anything like that. being, you know, kind of naive, I think I took a quick shower, like, rinse some cold water on me, thinking maybe that would fix it. No, that’s ridiculous, but I thought it would, and when it got worse, that’s when I called on my one. Bill Gasiamis (05:35) Yeah, how long did they take to arrive? Do you feel Jorden Ryan (05:38) Mmm, I felt like forever, but I think it was pretty short. I lived in the city So the ambulance was right down the street. So I think like maybe 15 minutes or something like that Bill Gasiamis (05:49) Were you able to let them in? Jorden Ryan (05:52) I was, I, you know, the dispatch 911 person said to make sure I unlocked the door first. I thought I was having a stroke, but I fell down on my knees and laid against my bed and it was very difficult to go open the door to let them in. So yes, I was able to unlock the door and I did that. And I just started throwing up like more than I’ve ever vomited before in my life. Like something was really wrong. my leg went out. I didn’t know that it like couldn’t move at all. I just fell backwards and it was kidney due to throwing up. So then they came and I was still able to stand and talk and I felt, I mean, other than throwing up and double vision, I felt fine. So they told me that I was probably too young to have a stroke and that maybe it was just ready to go. So I was thinking that, okay, well I’ll just go to the hospital and you know, get checked out and I’ll come home early. But it seemed to get worse as things were going. I pulled myself up onto the gurney the EMTs had and I remember thinking like I’ve got to go to the hospital now and they were like being nice and getting my stuff and my phone and whatever else and if I threw up they were getting the trash can and I remember thinking I didn’t care if all of my stuff was stolen. I need to go to the hospital now. So we definitely got up there. When I was kind of in and out of consciousness by that time and I got to the hospital and they checked me out like an actual MRI. And when I was inside of it is when my left side of my body completely quit working. So I didn’t know what was going on. I mean, I had no clue. So I pulled myself out of the MRI. And some people get claustrophobic or whatever, but this was a square machine and because I felt sick already and half my body quit working while I was in there, it really put fear in me to get out. Bill Gasiamis (07:59) ⁓ So you had the right to the hospital, they saw you rather rapidly before they got you into the MRI? Jorden Ryan (08:10) The EMTs did see me pretty quick. They did not think I had a stroke, so it wasn’t as maybe punctual as possible. they were still… I mean, the fire department, I think, was maybe a quarter of a mile from my house. So they got there pretty fast. Bill Gasiamis (08:27) Yeah, okay. So when you got to hospital, what was that like? What happened then? Jorden Ryan (08:33) Yeah, by the time I got to the hospital, I was barely able to be coherent at all. Like someone would say, hey, Jordan, I would bring me to for a second, like, what is your phone number? And I could answer, but then I would be out again. when they were taking me to the MRI, they kind of with me. And this was the first time that I was frightened for my life. I think that one of the nurses was like, I can’t believe they’re going to waste the time to do MRI on this person. He’s gonna die anyway. There are people that need them. Machine. Bill Gasiamis (09:04) Wow, they didn’t say that, did they? Jorden Ryan (09:07) Well, I was like, couldn’t talk, couldn’t move. I don’t know if they said it for real, but I think so. I believe that’s what they said. then I was like, this is not how I die. I’ve done so much crazy stuff. can’t be just cause I was going to work early in the morning. ⁓ Bill Gasiamis (09:22) Wow. So you have a sense that that’s what they said while you’re being, while you’re on the bed being moved to the MRI. Jorden Ryan (09:32) Well, I was in going to like a holding area, like a waiting area to do MRI. Yeah. And so they left me and I couldn’t move. And so it was pretty scary. Yeah. And then after the MRI, the nurse did say, you know, we need to call your family. And so I did unlock my iPhone and I remember her calling, but it’s kind of hazy in and out of that. And I think They said, need to call the family so they can say their goodbyes. I think I overheard that. And I was like, what is going on? This can’t be this serious, right? So I really do believe I did hear that though. Bill Gasiamis (10:12) Seems like they may have very quickly upgraded your condition from vertigo, which they originally said when they arrived and seems like they kind of knew that something else dramatic was happening. Jorden Ryan (10:19) Yeah When the Diagnosis Finally Made Sense That’s correct. I wish it would have been just ready to go. Right. But it was all of a sudden went from, you know, pretty good news or decent, extremely dire consequences or like something bad was going to happen. Yes. Bill Gasiamis (10:42) Yeah. How old were you in 2024? Jorden Ryan (10:46) I was 45. Bill Gasiamis (10:49) Yeah. And do you have a sense now? Do you understand what it was that caused the stroke? We’ll jump back into Jordan’s story in just a moment. But first, I wanted to pause and acknowledge something. If you’re listening to this and stroke recovery feels confusing and isolating, I want you to know you’re not imagining it. I know exactly what that feels like. That’s why I created Recovery After Stroke to bring you real stories and insights that guide your recovery and help you feel more confident, informed and in control. And if you’d like to go deeper, remember to check out my book, The Unexpected Way The Stroke Became, The Best Thing That Happened, and support the show on Patreon at patreon.com slash recovery after stroke. Jorden Ryan (11:34) Yes, I do have ⁓ an aneurysm in my, ⁓ in the brainstem. can’t, it affected the pontine area and the salabella. Like I cannot remember the nerves. Unfortunately, I’m sorry. The veins that it’s in, but it is really big and the blood being kind of, ⁓ kind of mixed around. mean, like because my vein is so wide, the clots can form just. Yeah. Bill Gasiamis (12:03) Okay, so with an aneurysm, you’re at risk of it bursting, but then because of the different shape, the high pressure and the low pressure systems that occur in the aneurysm create a different blood flow. It causes the blood to turn into a clot and then perhaps get stuck there. And then when it gets big enough, it can break off or move and then it causes the clot. Jorden Ryan (12:31) Yeah, I don’t know if it breaks off and or just makes a clot and get stuck in there, but same concept, I think. Right. And so, yeah. Bill Gasiamis (12:40) Okay, so then you know that now after they did the MRI, what happened then? Did you have to ⁓ go through some kind of a procedure to sort out the clot and to remove the blockage and to fix the aneurysm? What was the situation? Jorden Ryan (12:59) Yeah, unfortunately they cannot fix aneurysm. They are just throwing as much medicine as they can, like all the tools that they have at the disposal at this time. But after they found out I had a clot, they’re just kind of like, let’s see what happens now. So that is when I went kind of again unconscious in probably about three weeks. I do not remember very much at all. Bill Gasiamis (13:26) Okay. Was that because they were, were in an induced coma to help you with it, with the healing? Jorden Ryan (13:32) I don’t think it was induced. think it was just my body went into a coma. mean, at the time I thought probably I was just very tired because I’d only slept an hour, but I mean, three weeks is a long nap. So a lot of my friends come in to visit me in the hospital, but I was like, I felt like just tired, but I didn’t feel bad. Like I was going to die or something. But so it was very strange because I felt very coherent. Like every day is just a different day. but my body like wouldn’t move like I could tell my left hand to move and it would not. So, but other than that, like, ⁓ I felt normal so to speak. Bill Gasiamis (14:13) I can see those three weeks. Did you have a sense that you had a stroke? Did that actually sort of say you’ve had a stroke? Did you understand that for the first time? Jorden Ryan (14:25) Yeah, I understood that I had a stroke, but I just didn’t understand what that meant. Like, for example, to sit up, which I would do in my whole life, I was not able to do that anymore. So during that three weeks, they would have a hoist system to move me to a couch. So I wouldn’t get bed sores, I think, you know, just precaution, but that was like a really scary, like I did not like that at all. was, which would normally be super easy. ⁓ Yes, they said I had a stroke, but I had no idea how bad it was. Bill Gasiamis (14:58) Yeah. family and friends. You had people rally around to do people have to fly. Excuse me. Do people have to fly in or come from out of town or were they all nearby? How, how did you go and see that? Jorden Ryan (15:13) I think that my sister put something on Facebook, on my Facebook. And so I had people close by and I did have people fly from a couple of different areas because at that time I think I was in ICU. So, you know, that may be the last chance I had to talk to me. So they did come say goodbye, but the hospital for so long, I mean, people got me flowers and I would think that would be as long as possible, but then those flowers would die. and people would bring plants and when those died, I mean, wow, that’s really a long time to be in the hospital, you know? And the plants died because I couldn’t water them because I’m paralyzed, so, at that time. Bill Gasiamis (15:54) Yeah, how long were you in hospital in total? Jorden Ryan (15:58) The first stroke I was probably, I got out May 17th, but that’s out of the inside rehab that what do you call inpatient rehabs? think that I was in hospital for maybe three weeks, maybe a month. Like, you know, they downgraded me from ICU for a week and then sent me to the internal rehab. Bill Gasiamis (16:23) Yeah, so the stroke was March 22 and then you got out of hospital in May. Jorden Ryan (16:29) That’s great. In mid-May, yeah. Surviving a Second Stroke Bill Gasiamis (16:32) Yeah. And you said that that was the first stroke. So was there another stroke? Jorden Ryan (16:37) Yeah, it’s crazy. So I had my first stroke and then I really tried hard like no sugar, no pop, no alcohol. I did everything I thought is best I could and even in rehab they had me bake cookies and I didn’t eat them because they had sugar in them. And then I had another stroke when I woke up to go to rehab. So that was October 7th. So it was, it started out with just my hand wouldn’t move like it should like I was regaining everything back pretty well from the first stroke. And I thought I was Superman basically. I was healing pretty fast and I was like, I beat it. This is great. And then right back to being in a bad stroke and being a wheelchair and all of that. Bill Gasiamis (17:25) So the same issue in the cerebellum near the pons again caused another clot or was it just something else that happened? Jorden Ryan (17:34) No, you’re right. It was the same thing, basically affected the same areas of my brain. So they say that your brain with spasticity can do like a detour. So now I have a detour of a detour, basically. So my brain had just rewired and was working pretty decently and then that area got damaged as well. Bill Gasiamis (17:57) Okay. And were you on blood thinners or something to help thin the blood to kind of minimize the risk of another blood clot or? Jorden Ryan (18:06) Yes, I was on the Eloquist, so I thought that that would be enough, but it was not. So now I am also on aspirin, but it’s just a small pill every day. I think that, like I said, they don’t really have a whole lot they can do. So they’re just telling me to take this medicine out for the best and maybe it will happen again and maybe it won’t, but they can’t operate on it because the risks outweigh the reward. Like there is a Good chance of death. Bill Gasiamis (18:37) Yeah, understood. How long did you spend in hospital for the second incident? Jorden Ryan (18:42) I was out, ⁓ towards the end of November. think mid and like either the second or third week in November. Bill Gasiamis (18:52) And then when you left hospital that time, you left with the deficits, which had kind of eased up or you didn’t really have before the, after the first one, is that right? Jorden Ryan (19:04) Yes, that’s right. I will, will wheeled out in wheelchair and had no use of my leg or my arm and my face was not really healed from the first stroke, but a little bit and I still had that too. I could not talk. I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t drink. Like, I mean, I could, guess, but not how, yeah. So like holding glass to my face would come all over down my face and stuff. so This area right here always felt wet. Like it felt like I was in a pool, even though I wasn’t. So I couldn’t tell if I had food all over me or what have you that I would have to rely on people to tell me. I could chewing a salad is, I mean, it was really, really hard. That was kind of the, as I advanced, that was something I could do. My first stroke, I could not, you know, a steady is it. I don’t know if you know what that is for using the restroom. It’s like a basically a dolly. put you on and I had a really hard time even trying to use that. I went through a lot of swallow tests. I could not swallow my own saliva. So that was very difficult for me. ⁓ They brushed my teeth and I felt like I was gonna die. I could not breathe. Like probably for that went on for like five minutes. Like, I mean, I could breathe, sorta, but it was very difficult. Bill Gasiamis (20:29) They brushing your teeth for you and it, and it, and triggered some kind of a reaction or. Jorden Ryan (20:34) Like the yeah, the saliva that you have in your mouth that is I mean was enough for me to drown in basically I guess Yeah Bill Gasiamis (20:45) So it wasn’t the actual tooth brushing. It was the saliva that was being generated that you couldn’t. Jorden Ryan (20:50) I so. didn’t know for sure what it was, right? Like, but I’m pretty sure was alive. It was something I couldn’t manage. That’s for sure. And it just tasted like toothpaste probably because I just had done brushing my teeth. But they did give me a peg tube so I could get food and nutrition and water in me. However, the way that they installed it the first time was ⁓ caused ulcers in my… I think in my colon, so I had to go back to the ICU. Bill Gasiamis (21:24) Yeah. Such a dramatic time, right? A lot of stuff going wrong. What’s going through your head at the time? Because you went, like we said, like it was a year earlier, everything was going fine. Everything was all okay. And now you’re dealing with all this stuff. How do you, you know, what are you saying to yourself? How do you feel about what’s happening to you? What Recovery Really Feels Like Jorden Ryan (21:47) I wish that I could give you like a really good answer, but to be honest it was more like, why is this happening to me? I can’t believe this is happening. I’m too young. Like I have to take decent care of myself. I cannot believe this. I mean, when I was in the hospital, I was watching like my 600 pound life and like, I’m just saying that I was, I thought, you know, at least that healthy, but at that time I was really devastated by what was going on. Bill Gasiamis (22:16) Yeah, you would be, it makes complete sense, right? How do you go from being quote unquote normal? Everything’s just going along as it always has. And now all these hurdles that come your way that are really challenging to overcome. you probably don’t have the skillset to deal with them in such a dramatic short amount of time. Jorden Ryan (22:17) Yeah. Yeah, I think that’s right. And I think probably if it would have just been on me, maybe I could have, but I was like, I’m going to be such a huge burden to my family in my way life is going to be so bad. Like, I was just like, how is this happening? You know, I don’t smoke and like, I don’t do heavy drugs or any of that stuff. So what is going on? And then they said, well, you must drink a lot of energy drinks. And I was like, no, I don’t drink any energy drinks. So they’re like, we don’t know what’s going on then. So just that was. So for me, I really didn’t know what was going on. Bill Gasiamis (23:15) Yeah. And in hindsight, it was just random. It’s just one of those things with the aneurysm and how can you possibly, how can you possibly deal with it when you don’t know that it’s happening to you? Similar to me, like I had a brain hemorrhage three times because of a blood vessel that I was born with. I wasn’t having the best lifestyle, but I also wasn’t causing it. I also didn’t. I wasn’t able to solve it. Everything was kind of handed over to other people. It’s not, it was nothing. It was not up to me. And I had to just kind of go through it. Jorden Ryan (23:51) Very similar. was, you know, couldn’t be in charge or control anything basically, like even really simple things. I mean, I had a diaper on, I couldn’t even go to the restroom by myself. So it was just very hard. It was a lot of stuff all at once, right? Like, it wasn’t just like I a cold or something. It was very difficult. And at first, when I was there, I couldn’t talk. So people would come and visit me but and to me what’s very strange is that my voice sounded exactly the same before the stroke which it didn’t in real life I was probably like I have no idea what I sounded like but people couldn’t understand me so I would say something to them and they’re like sorry I can’t understand you but in my head I said it perfectly it sounded like me I can hear ⁓ like my slur now but I could not at first Bill Gasiamis (24:47) Yeah. Yeah. It was there somebody that you met who helped support you and guide you through those really sort of tough bits early on, like was there kind of a mentor or somebody that came out of nowhere and just helped you navigate this? Jorden Ryan (25:06) ⁓ I don’t know really like who navigated like how it happened, you know, I had a chaplain that came in there maybe a doctor would help I Didn’t have my phone or anything at the time But when I was able to do that I saw your channels and stuff and so I listened to it and probably the totality of a lot of things there wasn’t like a one person or one thing that helped me really a lot so I remember being kind of upset at you because you said it was the best thing that ever happened to you and that was it was too new for me. I was like, what do you mean? That’s not possible. And a nurse came and said, well, you have the beautiful blue eyes and that my eyes are green. So I was like, well, maybe my hair will grow back and I’ll have blue eyes. Maybe it’ll be the best thing that ever happened. But yeah, I mean, I wasn’t really mad at you. I just said the time I could not accept those that verbiage. Bill Gasiamis (26:02) that is perfectly understandable. And it’s exactly why I chose the title, not to piss people off or make people upset while they’re recovering. In fact, I never expected that people would find it so early on in their journey. I just thought it was a story I was gonna tell and it was gonna go out there. But of course, the very first time I spoke about my book a few years ago on YouTube, the very first comment was a negative comment along the lines of, Similar to what you said. It was a bit more rude. It wasn’t so polite ⁓ And I and I was like, ⁓ no, no, no, you guys have got it wrong I don’t think I think you missed the boat. No, sorry. You missed the point the point being that It was really terrible when I was going through it for three years But when I came out the other side, there was a lot of personal growth. There was a lot of ⁓ Things that I had appreciated that I’d done that I’d learned that I’d overcome etc that became the reason why I was able to say it was the best thing that happened to me because I started a podcast, I wrote a book, I’ve spoken publicly about it, I have this platform, I’ve created a community, all these things, right? So the things that I didn’t know that I was lacking in life before the stroke, I thought my life was complete, waking up in the morning, going to work, coming home to the family, cooking dinner, paying the bills. paying the mortgage, the car lease. I thought it was all cool, all complete, but I was kind of unhappy. There was a lot that I was lacking in my life. And only because of the stroke journey, the end result of the podcast, the book and all that stuff, did I realize, ⁓ actually the… Aftermath, the things that I have grown and discovered were the best things that happened to me. And it was because of the stroke. It’s such a weird and dumb thing to say. Like I can’t even wrap my head around it, that I had to go through something so dramatic to accomplish some amazing things. I wish I would have just done it before the dramatic events. I wish there didn’t have to be one. And that being said though, I’m 13 years. post stroke, the first one, and I still live with the deficits. I still have problems sleeping on my left side because it’s numb and it’s burning and it tingles and all that kind of stuff. When I get tired, I still have balance issues when, ⁓ you know, sometimes my memory is a bit flaky because of it, but you know, a little bit, I still have deficits in my muscles and spasticity and all that kind of stuff and it hurts. I’ve accepted that part of it. how it feels in my body, but I’ve also ⁓ gone after the growth. Like I’ve really, ⁓ seriously, dramatically gone after the post-traumatic growth that comes from a serious episode. And what I hope- Jorden Ryan (29:10) explaining that in other episodes. was just my friend that I had heard and I was still like too bitter to hear that. Right. And now I kind of make sense. Like there are a of things that I didn’t appreciate as much as I should have. All the cliches, know, kind of true. Like I wake up and like that is a good day then because most of my stroke, both of my strokes came from when I was sleeping when I woke up. So kind of like Bill Gasiamis (29:21) Yeah. Jorden Ryan (29:38) Even being in the hospital, I saw more sunsets than I did in my regular life or post stroke, whatever you want to call it. I definitely get it and I can appreciate what you’re saying now, but after that time, was just more difficult. Bill Gasiamis (29:45) Yeah. I definitely come across people regularly, even though ⁓ I’ve been speaking about it for a little while, who come across the first podcast episode that I’ve done, that they’ve found in the 370 odd. And then they hear me say that again. And then there’s also, there’s sometimes a repeat of that incident where I know exactly where they’re at. Like I know exactly what’s happening. I know they don’t know that. And then what I hope that happens is say in three or four years, they can, when they go, there was that crazy guy who said stroke was the best thing that I wonder what that was about. I’m going to go get that book now and I’m going to read it. And I’m going to see if I can, you know, shift my mindset from perhaps something that’s been bugging me to something that we can grow from. And the book has got 10 steps to recovery and personal transformation. It not 10 steps to getting your perfect walk again, or making your hand work perfect again, or you know, getting rid of your deficits. It’s not that kind of book. It’s an inspiring book. We’re trying to give people some tools that they can use that doesn’t cost them any extra that will improve the quality of their health and their life. And it doesn’t matter how injured you are because of a stroke. That’s what the book helps people to do. I love challenging people. I’m not, of course, you know, I’m not intending to make people think that I promote. stroke is something that they must experience as ⁓ you know. Jorden Ryan (31:23) the ⁓ Bill Gasiamis (31:26) Yeah. ⁓ It’s not on audible. I am going to remedy that at some stage. I’m going to remedy that and I’m going to get people the ability to listen to it because ⁓ Jorden Ryan (31:46) Well, I will be your first customer, hopefully. Bill Gasiamis (31:49) Yeah, a he-man. Jorden Ryan (31:51) cannot read because my eyes are cro- like not crossed but I have double vision so they are off I cannot read so but yeah Bill Gasiamis (32:01) ⁓ After your three weeks in ICU the first time, I think you began inpatient rehab. What were those days like going through that first few motions of trying to get yourself up and about? The Emotional Toll No One Talks About Jorden Ryan (32:16) Yeah, it was very emotional, right? because you want right away, I thought just to get back to where I was. And I mean, I read some other things and I had friends of friends send me stuff and that chapter of my life is over. I mean, it was a good one, but it’s time to rewrite another one, right? Like I have to move forward. So the whole journey was really difficult. Probably took me longer than most people, but, ⁓ I was very lucky in the fact that I had a friend that had told me like, hey, you have done hard things before you were, you know, in Muay Thai, you were a attorney, you can do it again. And then in my mind, I was like, you’re not a brain doctor. What are you talking about? Leave me alone. So even though the expression was being really nice internally, that’s what I was thinking. Then I saw something like, um, it was, you know, I think it was a PT, a physical therapist who said, think that you’re gonna heal yourself in three hours a week or a day or whatever, that’s not it. Then I had another friend who told me that his sister had a stroke and she wished she would have done more during recovery. So I eventually got to the point thinking like, well, all these doctors are saying it depends, which is a fair answer, right? And I tell clients that and they hate it. But I thought that’s better than absolute no. They’re not saying and so they’ve made it to me like, well, maybe I won’t get better, but it’s not going to be from me not trying. I think another one of the people on your episodes ⁓ saying like they were always very positive and I was like, that’s not me. That’s I’m not 100 % going to be better. That just wasn’t my attitude during it. I mean, it’s good. wish I would have been, but unfortunately I wasn’t. But it kind of. Over time it’s gotten better, but at first it was very difficult for me. Bill Gasiamis (34:17) Yeah, that’s completely understandable. ⁓ You had, did you have some small wins in rehab that kind of made you shift a little bit slowly and kind of realize you’re making ground or things are, you’re overcoming things. Jorden Ryan (34:35) Yes, I did. I was very lucky in the fact that, I mean, I would just notice my therapist face like when my affected arm started to work or I did something, they didn’t say like, that’s unbelievable. But it was kind of like I was making progress faster than a lot of people. And I’m not saying I’m better. I was very lucky and I would never come to other people, but they were like, wow, that’s really amazing that you’re able to do that. So it was, it felt good. Being able, like, even just to move my finger, like, in my defective hand for the first time was huge, and then I was able to use my thumb to… I feel human again. I mean, to be honest with you, when I couldn’t talk and I couldn’t move and everything, it just felt weird, like it wasn’t me. Bill Gasiamis (35:22) Yeah, absolutely. So were there some setbacks during that time as well? Jorden Ryan (35:27) There were some setbacks. I, again, I watched one of your episodes and a gentleman told me, like I said, he had the fatigue set in later on in his journey. And so one of the things I was like, well, I’m so lucky that I don’t have that because I go to the gym pretty often. And that would be devastating to have fatigue. And then I also had fatigue. I mean, to the point where I didn’t want to move around at all. didn’t want to get out of bed hardly so there’s setbacks in the fact that like my my sister and brother-in-law luckily took me in I mean they were like ⁓ angels so to speak but they live in a big one bedroom app like one one floor house I meant to like a ranch style and just going to the bathroom was a setback because it would take forever to walk down the hall or whatever I mean it was my gate it was a walking style was Pretty hilarious there, you saw me. Bill Gasiamis (36:27) And then fatigue doing that walk also then ties you out. Jorden Ryan (36:34) Yeah, just walking to the bathroom did tire me out. So, like, to brush my teeth, I’m already scared of, like, not feeling well. Plus, walking all the way there and brushing my teeth and walking all the way back, it would be… I would really have to get my strength together to do that. Bill Gasiamis (36:53) A journey, a proper journey. Jorden Ryan (36:55) I had to do it because I didn’t want to wet myself or soil myself, but it was very difficult. mean, looking back, it’s like, wow, that stuff was so easy now. But at that time, it was not easy. was very difficult. Bill Gasiamis (37:11) Yeah. I remember being in a similar situation and I don’t have that far to go to the toilet from my couch where the lounge room is and the TV is. But I remember going to the toilet and getting back to the couch and then being completely wiped out. that’s it. I was done for hours, done for hours, just sitting there resting and then hoping to get enough energy to get back up off the couch and be okay. Um, that was very early on. That was probably a few, maybe about four five months after the second bleed, it was still very dramatic. And I couldn’t really appreciate how ⁓ I took for granted that trip before that. Like it was just, it never crosses your mind. Jorden Ryan (37:55) You wouldn’t even think about it, right? Like getting out of a car to walk to the house was very difficult for me. Or when I came back, I would just fall on my bed because I was worn out. But before that, before my stroke, I would not ever think about that kind of stuff. Yeah. In a wheelchair at first, but I walked around the house with a walker and like two laps inside the house would wear me out. That’s maybe one. Bill Gasiamis (38:11) Yeah, hell no. Jorden Ryan (38:24) Like, one hundredth of a mile is not much, or not even close to a kilometer, and that would wipe me out completely. Bill Gasiamis (38:32) Yeah. You find yourself thinking about the steps that you’re taking. Are you putting a lot of brain energy into the actual task? How your leg is moving? What was the process like for you? Jorden Ryan (38:44) Yes, my- so all the things that your body does without you thinking about were affected in me. Like blinking, I have to think about it. To move my arms at the same time, I have to think about it. So to walk was- I had to really be like, okay, which foot goes first? Left foot. Okay, now what foot goes next, right? It sounds ridiculous, but that’s really what I was like. My mind was, I had to think every time like learning to walk. I was like, what hand goes in front? with what foot? Like it was, I mean, very, very basic, like to the beginning, right? Like before elementary school, like it was, so everything I did was taxing mentally because I just had to think about stuff that you don’t normally think about, right? Like Okay, I should breathe. It wasn’t quite as bad as that, but that’s pretty close. Bill Gasiamis (39:37) Wow, So in the notes that we shared between us, you mentioned something about the first time you were taken out of hospital ⁓ to go and eat, I think. Tell me a little bit about that story. What happened then? Jorden Ryan (39:53) Sure, so I noticed, to start a little bit further back, I lost my hearing. It wasn’t when I first had my stroke, but when I was in rehab, they were actually changing my diaper. And so I would lay on each side and I noticed when I laid on the side, I could not hear them. They were telling me to roll over or something. And so I had lost my hearing completely. Then, um… When I got out of the hospital, my friends and family and whatever got together and took me out to eat and the noises were so loud that my senses were too heightened. It was confusing to me. I had a lifetime of going out to eat with friends and going to drinking or whatever. This was just a lunch and I couldn’t really handle it. It was almost too much for me. The car ride from maybe a three hour car ride, had to close my eyes because I would feel sick if they were open. it was, I realized just how different my life is gonna be, right? Bill Gasiamis (40:59) Yeah, did that make you want to avoid those types of events? Jorden Ryan (41:02) Yes, I have to push myself to do that kind of stuff because I don’t know, I think it’s easy to become depressed, right? Like, it’s easy to just be like, I will just sit here on the couch, watch TV. I don’t really watch TV, but… And even that is hard with my eyes doubled, but I mean, like, I push myself to hang out with friends or go to eat or something. But it’s very difficult. I would rather just stay home. If you just ask me, like… I mean, I’m always excited to go out with people, that’s not what I mean, but it just is easier to stay home. Bill Gasiamis (41:37) Yeah, I understand that easier to stay home. It’s a trap as well, isn’t it? It’s a, if I stay home, I don’t have to deal with all those difficulties, all those challenges. I don’t have to overcome anything. I can just have the easy way out. But then that you pay a price for that as well. That’s not, it doesn’t work like that. You have to pay the price of, well, then you don’t go out and then you’re alone again. And then you’re in your thoughts again. Then you don’t interact with people again. And It’s not the easy way out. seems that way, it’s potentially leading you down a path that you don’t want to go down. Jorden Ryan (42:11) You’re exactly right. I tell people that because I’m so lazy, I try so hard now because I don’t want to have that life like that forever, you know? So I try very hard now so I can be lazy if that makes sense. Bill Gasiamis (42:26) That makes complete sense. love it because it’s kind of like you’re lazy. Jorden Ryan (42:31) Right, exactly right. You know, because going to the bathroom, if that’s hard forever, that’s gonna be terrible. I gotta get up and walk and have to go out with people. then life is not as hard, hopefully, because you’re doing the things, right? So. Bill Gasiamis (42:47) Yeah, yeah, and you’re getting all the genuine awesome things that come from interacting with people, going out, being ⁓ in public. ⁓ I know what you’re saying about the kind of the earning our lazy kind of thing, right? Because I would say to myself, ⁓ Saturday, I’m gonna go hard. Now, hard for me might’ve been just to literally go to an event and stay an hour longer than I normally would have stayed, whether it was a family event, a party or whatever. And then I’m gonna be really exhausted tomorrow. I know that tomorrow I’m gonna be really, and I’ve got nothing booked in. I’m gonna do absolutely nothing for the entire day so that I can go out and go hard tonight, whatever tonight looked like, whatever that was gonna be like. And that was where I earned my recovery, my lazy. I’m sitting on the couch and I’m watching TV or I’m reading a book or I’m not doing anything. That’s exactly how I kind of used to talk to myself about doing nothing on the following day. Jorden Ryan (43:54) That is a good way to put it, earn your laziness. Like that is exactly what I did. I did something hard or out of my comfort zone and then when I was lazy I felt better about it. If I just wanted to stay home and watch TV, I mean I would have won the lottery basically, you know, like that would be my life. But because that is not what I want to do, doing hard things and then being lazy is a good way to look at it. It would make me feel better about myself. people and everything just kinda makes it harder to be depressed. Bill Gasiamis (44:32) Yeah, agreed, 100%. I would encourage people to get out as much as they can. ⁓ Now, I’m very interested in your thoughts about this. Your first swim, I wanna know what that was like, cause I had a first swim as well. I remember my first swim after waking up from surgery, not being able to use my left side and needing to rehabilitate it. ⁓ What was it like for you to experience that? The First Swim After Stroke Jorden Ryan (44:57) Yeah, so I’ve been swimming before I can remember when I was a kid. So like being by a pool was very scary for me because I thought if I fell in, I could not like get out. And I got in the pool with a life jacket to try to walk and doing I don’t know what this stroke is called where move both arms like that. But only one would work at a time. But I’ve been doing it forever. So it was so strange to be in the pool and not both my arms work together. It was almost like I didn’t expect that that late in my recovery It was not that long but still it was strange to me probably maybe a month after I got out of the hospital so luckily my mom took me to the pool quite a bit and Pushed a wheelchair even though it’s really heavy and she is older so Bill Gasiamis (45:50) Yeah, I went to the pool for the first time during rehab. They asked me if I had anything particular I wanted to work with or a particular exercise I wanted to do. And for me going into the pool, I felt safe that I couldn’t fall over. So we kind of did aqua aerobics and my left side wasn’t working well, but in the pool you couldn’t tell that it wasn’t working well. then put on a, it just felt normal. It felt normal. It kind of. ⁓ appeared like it was working normally, but it felt strange because the water pressure on my affected side, that was different. Feeling the water pressure on my affected side for the first time was really strange. What was cool about it is they gave me a life vest, so there was no chance of falling over, drowning, dying, or anything like that in the water. And it was really a real relief because my body felt really free for the first time. And then as I got better and we started to get out and about, One particular summer we went to a ⁓ waterfall here near where I live. And in the pond at the bottom of the waterfall went for a swing. But the difference is ⁓ fresh water ⁓ is different from salt water. And I had never swum in ⁓ fresh water. Jorden Ryan (47:11) Yeah, there’s a big difference here, right? Bill Gasiamis (47:14) Wow, you’re heavier, you sink quicker. And I went for this very short distance swim and I was completely out of breath and fatigued like really rapidly and needed somebody that was with us to help me get out because I hadn’t realized how much more taxing it would be to do the swimming motions or do all those things and stay afloat. ⁓ And it was really scary because it was the first time I learned that. Jorden Ryan (47:17) Yeah. Bill Gasiamis (47:42) I am not as capable as I used to be ⁓ in the water. Jorden Ryan (47:47) Yeah, I think that brings up a good point for me is that people that try to help me tell me like, be careful. There’s a table there or something like very obvious, right? But they don’t know what I’ve been through and what I can see what I can’t. have to be ⁓ appreciative of them saying that stuff instead of annoyed. Like I usually am so yeah. I did a triathlon in the ocean and it was so much easier. I was pretty happy. I was the other way around. I’m used to swimming in fresh water and then in salmon and salt water and that was all post stroke. But I can know what you mean. There’s a huge difference. Bill Gasiamis (48:27) What’s your Yeah, you’ve done a triathlon post stroke. Jorden Ryan (48:33) No, I’m so sorry. I meant before stroke. ⁓ Yeah, I did one back when I was healthier, but it is hard for me to even raise my arm. I can kind of do it now, but so I just did water aerobics actually today. And I mean, I am the youngest person there probably by seems like 30 years, but in the worst one there, like you can definitely tell I have a stroke. Yeah. Bill Gasiamis (48:59) Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. What’s cool about, what’s cool is that now there’s competitions where people can go and compete ⁓ after they’ve been, like the Paralympics is a classic example, right? And all the events leading up to the Paralympics where people can go and compete, get physical, even though they have deficits. That wasn’t something that was possible decades and decades ago. It’s a fairly new thing. I love that even though people are injured and they’ve had difficult times, perhaps their limbs aren’t working correctly. Some people still decide, I know I’m gonna be a competitor still, I’m gonna be with one arm, with one leg, with whatever my, whatever I have left, I’m gonna do the most I can and compete as much as I can to be the best in my particular sport. I love that about the things that people can access today about participation in sport, even though they’re injured. Jorden Ryan (50:02) Yeah, for me, it is much different. Like I used to be a very competitive person and now it’s me against me, right? The me against the stroke or whatever. Like I don’t care that somebody can run really fast. Like, I mean, that’s good for them, but for me getting outside and even getting to the event was difficult. Now to, you know, sit in a tricycle or whatever it happens to be is just, it’s more like a golf or something like that where it’s just you against you, you know, so. It is good that they have that kind of stuff, I think. Like, I’m looking at bikes for mountain biking with three wheels and stuff, so. Bill Gasiamis (50:39) Yeah, I love what you just said you against you. It’s like you against your mindset. Jorden Ryan (50:45) I think it’s just… I don’t want to say me against the world but everything is so… ⁓ difficult I guess? Like everything is a win so if I get in a car to go to the event if I get a bike that I can ride even a tricycle like that’s win if I can finish the event well that’s a win before it was like what place that I get now that’s not important to me I mean sure I guess is this not as important as it was before. Bill Gasiamis (51:15) Yeah, your priorities have shifted. Jorden Ryan (51:18) Yeah, very much so. Like, I think that I have a lot more empathy for people that are disabled. It just clearly opened my eyes. And even though I work in the law, I am used to disability act or whatever. And I was like, these people, now I totally get it. You know, so I understand like why they should have these laws in place. So here in the States, I mean, Bill Gasiamis (51:44) Yeah. Yeah, same with us in Australia. mean, there’s lots of laws to try and protect people who have a disability of some kind, injury, whatever you want to call it, so that there’s less discrimination, so that there’s more services, so there’s more access. ⁓ It’s one of the best conversations that people have because they kind of say, well, we know that this particular service that is going to be provided is going to be provided for all the population and 93 % of the population, for example, it’s not a real number, will be able to access it beautifully. What about the other 7 % who are not gonna be able to access it? We need to think about them. We need to think about how they’re going to go about ⁓ traveling on this service or accessing this service or getting in and out of this particular office or building and all that stuff. is taken into consideration in the design and planning phase now. So you can move around Melbourne, my hometown, in a electric wheelchair or a regular push wheelchair. And you will not have to worry about getting on a train, getting on the public transport, a bus, the tram, ⁓ going down a curb, all the curbs are ⁓ angled down. So this beautiful, nice smooth path towards the road and then up again. Jorden Ryan (53:13) Yeah, that sounds very nice. I think I was just ignorant to people’s needs, I guess. And now I learned firsthand how important they are, right? So I was just like, man, that’s a lot of money to do that. But it makes sense if someone says, well, we have 99 bathrooms, but you can’t use any of them. It doesn’t do me much good, right? So to have this kind of, yeah, right. Bill Gasiamis (53:22) Yeah. Yeah, what’s the point? Finding Light in the Darkest Moments ⁓ Now, the thing about stroke is that unfortunately life doesn’t get put on hold for us to recover from it and then let us get back into life as if we were okay. And I remember going through the third bleed and then a couple of weeks later, literally two weeks later, I think, maybe about a week later, my mother-in-law passed away. And then we had to have her funeral before my brain surgery. and my wife had to deal with all of that, right? You also, you lost one of your friends soon after you got out of, I think it was at rehab. Jorden Ryan (54:19) It was the day I got out of, ⁓ like inside the hospital rehab, inpatient rehab, like he was a good friend and he also had, I think a something to do with he had a tumor on his spine or something that was removed, but it left him slightly paralyzed. Like he was, he had both arms and I remember being in the hospital being jealous of him because Such a little thing like, wow, this guy can go to the bathroom by himself. I wish I could do that, right? But unfortunately, yeah, he died by suicide the day that I got out. It was devastating and very hard. I mean, that was somebody I planned on spending a lot of time with because he lived in the same city that my sister took me in that I was going to hang out with. I mean, not just about me. It was just sad that that happened, obviously. Bill Gasiamis (55:14) Yeah, of course, man, that’s pretty sad. And also, then your dog passed away. Jorden Ryan (55:22) Yeah, so this guy, he had told me my last message with him, well almost last was, we didn’t ask for this, but we’re gonna get through it together. And then, you know, he took his life, so that made me seem like, what should I do now? Then my dog died, which was a big deal to me because, okay, now I have all this time to pet him or play or whatever, and you know, it was pretty dramatic. dick dab that, but I felt like I was in a country song. Bill Gasiamis (55:55) How did you get past it? Jorden Ryan (55:56) I don’t know, think that you you kind of learn to just roll with the punches as I say because there’s so much in life that I can’t control that I mean, just, stuff happens right? You just have to do your best and I try to tell people like, it’s very easy to be in darkness or the negativity but it is my job to open up the light, open the window or whatever, not literally the window but to see all the good things that are happening. around me. So I mean, there are so many amazing things. So I have to open that up and not stay in the darkness too long. I can’t stop from happening personally, like this part of my life, but I can get out of it. Like luckily I have those tools, so to speak. Like I can be like, okay, this is happening. This is amazing. Or my family is healthy or whatever it happens to be or just people being really nice, seeing that, right? But I did have, my hand was like clawed and I would open the door and some people were nice and be like, let me get that door for you. Well, I cannot open my hand to let go of the door. It would almost knock me over several times. So kind of funny. Bill Gasiamis (57:13) always funny opportunities like to things to laugh at in that moment. I remember being wheeled in my wheelchair when I first got out of hospital, out of the hospital ward and we were just going around the hospital grounds just to get some sun. My wife was pushing me and I couldn’t feel my left leg and it fell off the, you know, where the feet sit in the wheelchair, the footrest. It just fell off the footrest and it was getting dragged. beneath the footrest and kind of the wheel of the wheelchair and it was kind of getting dragged and I couldn’t feel it had no idea but my wife was struggling to push the wheelchair Jorden Ryan (57:54) She’s like, is wrong with this? It’s so hard. Bill Gasiamis (57:57) She was going, well, this so hard to push. And then we had to have a look around and realize the reason it was hard to push, because my foot is under the wheelchair and I have no idea that it’s there and it’s getting stuck. ⁓ We laughed about it because what else are you gonna do at that moment? It was pretty ridiculous and funny at the same time. Jorden Ryan (58:16) That is exactly right. I would say that if I had to give credit to one thing, it would probably be my odd sense of humor now, right? Like there’s so many things to laugh at that it’s hard to say, Matt. That situation you had, it could have been really devastating to you or whatever, or you can be like, that is pretty funny, right? So I had something similar happen to me. My foot came off the wheelchair, but it just stopped. I didn’t feel it. my leg, but I mean, it felt like I ran over a rock or something like, so similar, not the same, but similar to me. Like, didn’t know if my leg would ever come back, you know? So people are all different levels of their journey. Like I was not upset, but I was surprised to see people in patient rehab. They could walk so well. like, Hey, we are really struggling over here. We’re in a wheelchair. That’s not the right attitude to have, but that’s how it was, you know, Bill Gasiamis (59:12) Yeah, absolutely. Jorden Ryan (59:14) are fine, get out of here, let us sick people alone, leave us here, so. I mean, I am lucky in the fact that I’m getting a lot more back than I thought that I would, so everything from now on is icing on the cake, so to speak. Living with PTSD and Double Vision After Stroke Bill Gasiamis (59:28) Bonus for sure. I think you talked about PTSD around brushing your teeth, right? How does that show up in your daily life? Do you have moments when that kind of rears its ugly head? Jorden Ryan (59:42) Well, I just moved into a new house and the bathroom is right next to it and it’s not so bad now. But when I had to walk and it was more difficult and I had PTSD and self-diagnosed. So I don’t even know if it’s a real thing. It was very scary, right? Like it would almost like giv

Dr. Hoffman continues his conversation with Dr. Kevin J. Tracey, president and CEO at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research and author of "The Great Nerve: The New Science of the Vagus Nerve and How to Harness Its Healing Reflexes.”

The Revolutionary Role of the Vagus Nerve in Bioelectronic Medicine: Dr. Kevin J. Tracey, president and CEO at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research and author of "The Great Nerve: The New Science of the Vagus Nerve and How to Harness Its Healing Reflexes,” details the historical context and recent advancements in harnessing the power of the vagus nerve to control inflammation without causing immunosuppression. The conversation explores the journey from early experimental stages to the recent FDA approval for treating rheumatoid arthritis through vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) devices. He also delves into the potential applications of VNS in treating other inflammatory conditions, mood disorders, and the science behind non-invasive lifestyle techniques and commercially available devices. The episode provides valuable insights into the future of bioelectronic medicine and its potential to revolutionize medical treatments.

Dr. Ian Winship is an Associate Professor and a former Alberta Innovates Health Solutions Scholar in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Alberta. He is also Director of the Neurochemical Research Unit there. Ian is interested in understanding how we can reduce the damage early after a stroke and ways we can improve recovery in people who had a stroke a long time ago. His research also examines changes in the brain that lead to symptoms in other brain disorders like schizophrenia. Much of Ian's free time is spent on or near the ice rink. He coaches his son's hockey team and his daughter's ringette team, as well as playing on his own recreational hockey team. In the summer, Ian enjoys being outside, traveling, visiting the mountains, and relaxing at the beach. Ian received his bachelor's and doctoral degrees in Psychology from the University of Alberta. Afterwards, he conducted postdoctoral research at the University of British Columbia before returning to the University of Alberta to join the faculty. In this interview Ian shares more about his life and science.

Women and Stroke: Recovery, Prevention and Health Equity In this episode of "Stronger After Stroke," host Rosa Hart, BSN, R.N., SCRN, talks with Tamika Burrus, M.D., a stroke neurology specialist, about how stroke uniquely affects women. Together, they explore critical differences in how women respond to stroke treatments, such as thrombolytics (alteplase and tenecteplase) and mechanical thrombectomy, why recovery can look different for women, and what steps health care systems can take to close the gender gap in stroke outcomes. Dr. Burrus shares insights on physical, cognitive and emotional recovery challenges that women often face after stroke. The conversation also highlights disparities in stroke rehabilitation access, follow-up care and stroke prevention — particularly among Black and Hispanic women, who face a higher risk. Listeners will gain practical takeaways on how women can reduce their stroke risk through lifestyle changes, the importance of early screening by primary care and OB/GYN providers, and how health care professionals can improve outcomes through education, advocacy and equitable care. In this episode, you will learn: How estrogen impacts the cardiovascular system The unique physical, cognitive and emotional recovery challenges women face after stroke Disparities in access to rehabilitation and follow-up care for women compared with men Lifestyle changes that can significantly reduce stroke risk for women at any age How racial and ethnic disparities affect stroke risk among Black and Hispanic women The role of primary care and OB/GYN providers in early stroke risk screening Common misconceptions about stroke in women The most important next steps for women recovering from stroke How nurses and health care professionals can improve stroke outcomes and equity Key takeaway:Women experience stroke differently — biologically, socially and systemically. Improving prevention, early detection and equitable access to care can help save lives and support stronger recoveries. About our guest:Tamika M. Burrus, M.D., is a stroke neurologist with Norton Neuroscience Institute. Dr. Burrus earned her medical degree from the University of Iowa in Iowa City. She completed her residency in neurology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and a fellowship in vascular neurology at the University of California, San Francisco. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Neurology and co-author on several national guidelines for the American Academy of Neurology and the American Heart Association. Dr. Burrus believes it is important to ensure that patients feel as if their interaction is a partnership. She strives to help her patients understand their brain and spine and to collaborate with her regarding the best treatment plan for them. She has specialized expertise in telemedicine and was one of the early adopters in the field of teleneurology. Dr. Burrus is a Louisville native. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling and has visited 44 U.S. states and numerous countries outside North America. Dr. Burrus also likes cooking, art and philanthropic endeavors.   Want more inspiring stories and real-life resources? Subscribe and share "Stronger After Stroke" with someone who needs a little extra support navigating life after stroke. For more support after stroke, check out the programs available online and in person through  Norton Neuroscience Institute Resource Centers: https://nortonhealthcare.com/services-and-conditions/neurosciences/patient-resources/resource-center/ If you enjoyed this podcast, listen to Norton Healthcare's "MedChat" podcast, available in your favorite podcast app. "MedChat" provides continuing medical education on the go and is targeted toward physicians and clinicians. Norton Healthcare, a not-for-profit health care system, is a leader in serving adult and pediatric patients throughout Greater Louisville, Southern Indiana, the commonwealth of Kentucky and beyond. A strong research program provides access to clinical trials in a multitude of areas. More information about Norton Healthcare is available at NortonHealthcare.com.   Date of original release: Nov. 10, 2025

Carolyn J. Routh's story shows how strength, hope, and love can guide you through fear and toward recovery after stroke. The post Carolyn J. Routh Stroke Recovery Journey: Overcoming Fear After Stroke appeared first on Recovery After Stroke.

In this episode of the Brain and Life podcast, co-host Dr. Katy Peters is joined by Dr. Laurel Cherian, an associate professor in the Department of Neurological Sciences at Rush University Medical Center and Assistant Dean of Advising, Medical Student Affairs for Rush Medical College to discuss stroke awareness, prevention, and treatment for World Stroke Day. They answer listener-submitted questions about stroke risk factors, symptoms, and recovery strategies, emphasizing the importance of recognizing stroke signs and maintaining a healthy lifestyle   Additional Resources Get Smart about Stroke Navigating the Complexities of Stroke Stroke: Symptoms, Risk Factors, and Treatments   Other Brain & Life Podcast Episodes on These Topics Matt and Kanlaya Cauli on Rebuilding Life After Stroke Timothy Omundson on Stroke Recovery and His Return to Television Peloton Instructor Bradley Rose on Returning to Life After Stroke We want to hear from you! Have a question or want to hear a topic featured on the Brain & Life Podcast? ·       Record a voicemail at 612-928-6206 ·       Email us at BLpodcast@brainandlife.org   Social Media:   Guests: Dr. Laurel Cherian @rushmedical Hosts: Dr. Daniel Correa @neurodrcorrea; Dr. Katy Peters @KatyPetersMDPhD

At just 25 years old, Maria Garcia's life changed in an instant. A massive stroke left her paralyzed and unable to speak. Doctors offered little hope, but Maria refused to settle for a lifetime of limitation.Ten years of fighting led to a breakthrough that defied logic and proved that the body longs to heal when given the right support. Today, she guides others from surviving to thriving through her nutrition program and faith-anchored wisdom.You'll discover how Maria moved from being locked in her body to living vibrantly again, and why your own turnaround may begin with one simple decision to nourish your body and believe again. Highlights• Why food is more than fuel,  it's foundation• How faith and mindset accelerate physical healing• Real-life stories of people reversing illness and reclaiming energy• The truth about hydration, cravings, and food psychology

On this episode of "The Valley Today," host Janet Michael welcomed listeners to a heartfelt and informative discussion about brain injury support in the Shenandoah Valley. Joined by Gina Hilliard, President of the Luray Page Chamber of Commerce, and special guests Sarah Outler and Lisa Bell from Brain Injury Connections of the Shenandoah Valley, the conversation shed light on the challenges faced by survivors and the vital resources available to them. Understanding Brain Injury: More Than Meets the Eye From the outset, the guests emphasized that brain injuries come in many forms. Lisa Bell, Northern Region Case Manager, explained the distinction between traumatic brain injuries—often caused by external events like car accidents or sports injuries—and acquired brain injuries, which can result from strokes, aneurysms, or medical incidents. Importantly, the organization supports individuals with both types, except for those born with brain injuries. Sara Outler, Outreach and Advancement Manager, highlighted the organization's client-centered approach. "Every brain injury is unique," she noted, underscoring the importance of tailoring support to each individual's goals and needs. All services are provided free of charge, thanks to grants and community funding, ensuring accessibility for everyone in need. Case Management: Guiding the Path to Recovery Transitioning from definitions to real-life impact, the conversation delved into the role of case managers. Lisa described how she connects clients with community resources, assists with practical needs like housing or volunteering, and supports both survivors and their caregivers. Rather than doing everything for clients, she empowers them to take steps toward their own goals, fostering independence and confidence. Janet observed that such support is invaluable, especially for families who may feel lost after a loved one's injury. Lisa agreed, noting the scarcity of resources in rural areas and the importance of extending help to caregivers, who often face their own set of challenges. Programs That Make a Difference The discussion then turned to innovative programs offered by Brain Injury Connections. Sara introduced "Mind Matters," a new initiative focused on concussion awareness and recovery, particularly for youth athletes. She stressed the need for proper protocols and education for coaches, parents, and teachers, pointing out that children require longer recovery times than adults after a concussion. Additionally, the PALS program pairs survivors with volunteers for monthly social outings, combating the isolation that often follows a brain injury. Whether it's a coffee date or a shared hobby over Zoom, these connections help rebuild confidence and provide much-needed companionship. Building Awareness and Community Connections Throughout the episode, the guests emphasized the importance of spreading awareness. Many people who could benefit from services simply don't know they exist. Sara encouraged listeners to visit the organization's website (bicsv.org), where they can find resources, contact information, and details about support groups—both virtual and in-person. Lisa added that friends and family members unsure how to support a loved one with a brain injury are welcome to reach out for advice. The organization is committed to helping not just survivors, but their entire support network. Looking Ahead: Events and Engagement As the conversation wrapped up, Gina shared upcoming community events, including a business seminar on holiday marketing and a women's paint-and-sip evening. These gatherings, she noted, are opportunities to connect, learn, and support one another as the holiday season approaches.

In this Huberman Lab Essentials episode, my guest is Dr. David Berson, PhD, a professor of neuroscience at Brown University and an expert on the visual system and circadian biology. We explore how the brain processes visual information, from photons entering the eye to conscious perception in the cortex. We discuss color vision, the discovery of melanopsin and intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells, and how light regulates our circadian clock and melatonin release. We also examine the vestibular system's role in balance and motion detection, the cerebellum's function in motor coordination, and the midbrain's integration of multiple sensory inputs. Finally, we discuss the basal ganglia's role in decision-making and an extraordinary case of neuroplasticity in visual cortex. Read the episode show notes at hubermanlab.com. More Huberman Lab Essentials: https://hubermanlab.com/essentials Thank you to our sponsors AGZ: https://drinkagz.com/huberman Function: https://functionhealth.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/huberman Timestamps (00:00:00) Dr. David Berson (00:00:30) Visual Perception, Photons & Retinal Processing, Ganglion Cells (00:02:12) Color Vision, Wavelengths & Photoreceptors; Cones & Rods (00:05:56) Sponsor: AGZ by AG1 (00:07:24) Melanopsin, Intrinsically Photosensitive Retinal Ganglion Cells & Brightness Detection (00:08:31) Circadian Clock & Synchronization, Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (SCN); Master Clock Function (00:11:16) Hypothalamus, Autonomic Nervous System & Hormonal Systems (00:13:01) Tool: Light Exposure & Melatonin Regulation, Pineal Function (00:14:35) Vestibular System, Balance & Motion Detection; Semicircular Canals (00:16:44) Vestibulo-Ocular Reflex, Image Stabilization & Head Rotation (00:18:51) Sponsor: Function (00:20:45) Motion Sickness, Visual-Vestibular Conflict; Tool: Avoiding Nausea (00:22:24) Cerebellum, Motor Coordination & Learning (00:23:17) Cerebellar Function, Precision & Timing of Movement; Cerebellar Ataxia (00:24:54) Flocculus & Visual-Vestibular Integration (00:25:56) Midbrain, Brainstem & Reflexive Behavior; Superior Colliculus (00:28:26) Spatial Orientation & Multisensory Integration; Rattlesnake Heat Detection (00:30:13) Sensory Integration & Corroboration (00:31:13) Sponsor: LMNT (00:32:45) Basal Ganglia, Go vs No-Go Behavior & Decision Making (00:33:56) Tool: Impulse Control & Delayed Gratification, Marshmallow Test (00:34:51) Individual Differences, Genetics & Experience (00:35:37) Visual Cortex, Neural Processing & Brain Plasticity (00:36:26) Cortical Reorganization, Braille Reading & Stroke Recovery (00:39:15) David Berson's Work; Acknowledgements Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On New York University Week: Listening to music can have many benefits. Pablo Ripollés, assistant professor of music technology and psychology, investigates why it may be helpful for those recovering from a stroke. Pablo Ripollés is an Assistant Professor with a joint position between the Department of Psychology and the Music and Audio Research Laboratory […]

Eastenders actress, singer and author Cheryl Fergison Johnny Seifert on Secure The Insecure Podcast this week.Cheryl reflects on her son's ADHD diagnosis and the emotional toll that left her feeling “like a human punchbag.” She looks back on her iconic role as Heather Trott in EastEnders. Plus, Cheryl shares her thoughts on Monjaro and gives us a health update after her recent stroke.Cheryl Fergison, Behind The Scenes is out to buy nowSecure The Insecure is the celebrity mental health podcast that airs on Mondays available to watch on Youtube or listen to on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Make sure you subscribe/rate/review where you are watching or listening to Secure The Insecure.Follow Johnny Seifert on Social Media:Instagram: www.instagram.com/johnnyseifertInstagram: www.instagram.com/securetheinsecurepodcastTikTok www.tiktok.com/johnnyseifert92 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the Psychedelic Conversations Podcast!In this episode, Dr. Steven Zeiler, a physician at Johns Hopkins University, shares his groundbreaking research exploring how psychedelics might aid stroke recovery. We discuss the global impact of stroke, the limitations of current therapies, and the brain's natural “early repair mechanisms.” Dr. Zeiler explains how psychedelics may reopen critical periods of neuroplasticity, offering hope for patients even years after a stroke. Together, we explore the potential of combining psychedelic-assisted therapy with intensive rehabilitation, not only for stroke but possibly other brain injuries. This conversation highlights the future of neuroscience, the importance of set and setting, and the promise of new approaches that could change countless lives.About Steven:Dr. Steven Zeiler focuses on the diagnosis and management of cerebrovascular disease (stroke), including acute stroke therapy, secondary prevention of stroke, and recovery from stroke. Dr. Steven Zeiler received his medical and doctor of philosophy degrees from the University of Colorado. He completed a one year internal medicine internship at the University of Colorado prior to coming to Johns Hopkins for his residency training in Neurology. Following his residency, Dr. Zeiler then completed a one year fellowship in Vascular Neurology also at Johns Hopkins.Connect with Steven:https://profiles.hopkinsmedicine.org/provider/steven-zeiler/2703002Thank you so much for joining us! Psychedelic Conversations Podcast is designed to educate, inform, and expand awareness.For more information, please head over to https://www.psychedelicconversations.comPlease share with your friends or leave a review so that we can reach more people and feel free to join us in our private Facebook group to keep the conversation going. https://www.facebook.com/groups/psychedelicconversationsThis show is for information purposes only, and is not intended to provide mental health or medical advice.About Susan Guner:Susan Guner is a holistic psychotherapist with a mindfulness-based approach grounded in Transpersonal Psychology, focusing on trauma-informed, community-centric processes that offer a broader understanding of human potential and well-being.Connect with Susan:Website: https://www.psychedelicconversations.com/Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/susan.gunerLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-guner/Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/susangunerTwitter: http://www.twitter.com/susangunerBlog: https://susanguner.medium.com/Podcast: https://anchor.fm/susan-guner#PsychedelicConversations #SusanGuner #StevenZeiler #PsychedelicPodcast #Microdosing #PsychedelicScience #PlantMedicines #PsychedelicResearch #Entheogens

They told him “no hope.” Wesley Ray turned that into fuel, proving stroke recovery is possible with relentless goals and grit. The post Etanercept Stroke Recovery: Wesley Ray's Relentless Comeback appeared first on Recovery After Stroke.

Chime In, Send Us a Text Message!In this episode, Dr. Jennifaye V. Brown shares her journey into neuro-physical therapy, emphasizing the importance of personalized care and the role of movement in recovery. She discusses her specialization in AFOs (ankle-foot orthoses) and how they can be tailored to individual needs. Dr. Brown highlights the significance of empowering patients through education and the benefits of aquatic therapy for stroke survivors. She also addresses the balance between using AFOs and maintaining muscle recovery, and shares her vision for future innovations in therapy, including the development of an app to enhance patient engagement and education.TakeawaysDr. Brown's journey into neuro-PT was inspired by her family background.Walking is a fundamental and accessible form of exercise.AFOs should be customized to fit individual needs and lifestyles.Patient empowerment is crucial in the recovery process.Aquatic therapy offers unique benefits for stroke survivors.Communication between therapists and patients is essential for effective care.Therapists should focus on teaching patients how to maintain their health long-term.Regular assessments and adjustments to AFOs are necessary as patients progress.Dr. Brown emphasizes the importance of movement science in therapy.Future innovations in therapy could include technology to enhance patient education.Author: Brace Yourself: Everything You Need to Know About AFOs After StrokeOrder Book From: AmazonOrder ebook (Flipbook or PDF): jvbneuropt.com/bookWebsite: jvbneuropt.comBusiness: jvb physical therapy services, llc.Cell: 843.364.5089Email: info@jvbneuropt.comLinkedIn: Support Our Show! Thank you for helping us to continue to make great content. We appreciate your generosity! Support the showShow credits:Music intro credit to Jake Dansereau. Our intro welcome is the voice of Caroline Goggin, a stroke survivor and our first podcast guest! Please listen to her inspiring story on Episode 2 of the podcast.Connect with Us and Share our Show on Social:Website | Linkedin | Twitter | YouTube | Facebook | SubstackKnow Stroke Podcast Disclaimer: Our podcast and media advertising services are for informational purposes only and do not constitute the practice of medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Get Our Podcast News Updates on Substack

Episode 34.  The Overlooked Key to Stroke Recovery: Hearing Hearing is one of the keys to independence after a stroke. More than just sound, hearing is critical for brain health, rehabilitation and independence following a stroke. In this episode of “Stronger After Stroke,” host Rosa Hart, BSN, R.N., SCRN, talks with Virginia Dekanski, Au.D., CCC-A, about how untreated hearing changes can impact recovery and  long-term cognitive health. In this episode, you will learn: Why hearing loss can slow rehabilitation  after a stroke. How balance problems are connected to hearing and the inner ear. The link between untreated hearing loss and increased dementia risk. What vestibular testing reveals about hidden dizziness or the risk of falling. How hearing support can protect cognition and improve quality of life. About our guest: Viriginia Dekanski earned her audiology doctorate from Syracuse University and her bachelor of arts degree. in cognitive psychology from the University of Virginia. Licensed in Kentucky, she holds a Certificate of Clinical Competency in Audiology  from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. She specializes in vestibular testing and adult diagnostics.   Want more inspiring stories and real-life resources? Subscribe and share “Stronger After Stroke” with someone who needs a little extra support navigating life after stroke. For more support after stroke, check out the programs available online and in person through  Norton Neuroscience Institute Resource Centers: https://nortonhealthcare.com/services-and-conditions/neurosciences/patient-resources/resource-center/ If you enjoyed this podcast, listen to Norton Healthcare's “MedChat” podcast, available in your favorite podcast app. “MedChat” provides continuing medical education on the go and is targeted toward physicians and clinicians. Norton Healthcare, a not-for-profit health care system, is a leader in serving adult and pediatric patients throughout Greater Louisville, Southern Indiana, the commonwealth of Kentucky and beyond. A strong research program provides access to clinical trials in a multitude of areas. More information about Norton Healthcare is available at NortonHealthcare.com.   Date of original release: Sept. 8, 2025

Chime In, Send Us a Text Message!Episode 85: Empowering Stroke Recovery Through Data and Technology Enabled Solutions with Rory PoleraRory first joined us on the Know Stroke Podcast (March 2024 Episode 69). A lot of highs and lows have passed in Rory's recovery since that episode aired and we wanted to share his lessons learned ‘After the Pod'.  David will also be taking a deeper dive into Rory's story in his upcoming new book Closure After Stroke.In this conversation, stroke survivors David Dansereau and Rory Polera discuss the journey of stroke recovery, emphasizing the importance of personal experiences, data-driven insights, and the role of technology in rehabilitation.  Tip: Watch this full episode on our YouTube Channel  for slide deck.Rory shares his personal timeline, the challenges he faced, and the tools he used to navigate his recovery. They explore the rising rates of strokes in young adults, the significance of mental health, nutrition, and community support in recovery, and the potential for technology-enabled solutions to enhance stroke rehabilitation outcomes and long term surveillance for secondary prevention. The discussion highlights the need for greater awareness and accessibility of tech enabled recovery tools for stroke survivors.TakeawaysYou don't have to be an engineer or physical therapist to recover from a stroke.Conducting an ethnography of oneself can aid recovery.Young stroke occurrence rates are rising alarmingly and we need to explore new recovery pathways that resonate with their unique needs.Recovery doesn't stop at discharge; it's a continuous journey.Mental health is critical at every phase of recovery.Data can provide valuable insights into recovery progress.Community support plays a vital role in recovery.The future of stroke recovery lies in integrating technology and personal experiences with a supportive stroke community.Support Our Show! Thank you for helping us to continue to make great content. We appreciate your generosity! Support the showShow credits:Music intro credit to Jake Dansereau. Our intro welcome is the voice of Caroline Goggin, a stroke survivor and our first podcast guest! Please listen to her inspiring story on Episode 2 of the podcast.Connect with Us and Share our Show on Social:Website | Linkedin | Twitter | YouTube | Facebook | SubstackKnow Stroke Podcast Disclaimer: Our podcast and media advertising services are for informational purposes only and do not constitute the practice of medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Get Our Podcast News Updates on Substack

What if everything you thought you knew about balance and mobility was flat-out wrong?Dan Metcalfe was a Broadway performer at the top of his game when he suddenly became paralyzed mid-performance. What followed—partial brain death, a long recovery, and a total reinvention—sounds impossible, until you hear him tell it.Dan didn't just survive. He discovered something that changed everything: balance isn't just about strong muscles—it's about rewiring the brain. And the conventional ways we train for stability and fall prevention? They're missing the mark.In this eye-opening episode, Dan shares how his recovery led to a revolutionary brain-first approach to movement and mobility that's helped over 70,000 people—from stroke survivors to seniors battling Parkinson's—regain confidence, coordination, and independence. Dan's story is powerful proof that it's never too late to rebuild strength, restore balance, and reclaim vitality. His work challenges everything we've been taught about aging and shows us what's truly possible. In this conversation, he breaks down his seven pillars of natural health—simple, transformative principles you'll want to live by. Want to learn more? Visit totalbalancecompany.com to explore Dan's Total Balance program and Born Superhuman framework. Or reach out through the show notes to connect directly.Follow Dan Metcalfe at https://www.instagram.com/bornsuperhuman/Dan's book, Born Superhuman, is available at booksellers._________________________________________Are you ready to reclaim your midlife body and health? I went through my own personal journey through menopause, the struggle with midsection weight gain, and feeling run-down. Faster Way, a transformative six-week group program, set me on the path to sustainable change. https://www.fasterwaycoach.com/?aid=MicheleFolanHave questions about Faster Way? Please email me at:mfolanfasterway@gmail.com Sign up for Michele's weekly newsletter for more health and fitness tips and insights. https://michelefolanfasterway.myflodesk.com/i6i44jw4fq RIMAN skincare finally gave me real, visible results—restoring my glow, firmness, and confidence in my skin at 61. RIMAN Korea's #1 Skincare Line - https://michelefolan.riman.com*Transcripts are done with AI and may not be perfectly accurate.**This podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing, or other professional healthcare services, including the giving of medical advice. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their healthcare professionals for any such conditions.

In this Mission Matters episode, host ⁠Adam Torres⁠ speaks with ⁠Rachel Onile⁠, Founder of ReMIND, a stroke recovery app designed to support marginalized communities. Born from her mother's experience with stroke and the inaccessibility of ongoing care, ReMIND combines speech therapy tools, emotional health tracking, and peer support in one affordable platform. Rachel shares her journey from pitch competitions to purposeful impact in health tech. Follow Adam on Instagram at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/askadamtorres/⁠ for up to date information on book releases and tour schedule. Apply to be a guest on our podcast: ⁠https://missionmatters.lpages.co/podcastguest/⁠ Visit our website: ⁠https://missionmatters.com/⁠ More FREE content from Mission Matters here: ⁠https://linktr.ee/missionmattersmedia⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Chanell's stroke at 35 stole her words, but gave her a new voice. Her story is a roadmap for any survivor seeking strength, purpose, and healing. The post From Coma to Clarity: A Young Woman's Stroke, Recovery, and Redefining Herself appeared first on Recovery After Stroke.