{"id":748,"date":"2016-10-10T00:47:19","date_gmt":"2016-10-10T04:47:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/activeseniorsdigest.ca\/wp_activeseniorsdigest\/?p=748"},"modified":"2016-10-10T00:47:19","modified_gmt":"2016-10-10T04:47:19","slug":"road-to-recovery-stroke-survivor-tells-his-tale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/activeseniorsdigest.ca\/wp_activeseniorsdigest\/?p=748","title":{"rendered":"Road to recovery: Stroke survivor tells his tale"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/activeseniorsdigest.ca\/wp_activeseniorsdigest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/stroke_survivor.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-749\" src=\"http:\/\/activeseniorsdigest.ca\/wp_activeseniorsdigest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/stroke_survivor.jpg\" alt=\"stroke_survivor\" width=\"1000\" height=\"664\" srcset=\"http:\/\/activeseniorsdigest.ca\/wp_activeseniorsdigest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/stroke_survivor.jpg 1000w, http:\/\/activeseniorsdigest.ca\/wp_activeseniorsdigest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/stroke_survivor-300x199.jpg 300w, http:\/\/activeseniorsdigest.ca\/wp_activeseniorsdigest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/stroke_survivor-768x510.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a>John lives in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and he says he is grateful when June comes around since it is Stroke Awareness Month.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFour years ago, I had a stroke. I lost the ability to swallow and to move the left side of my body. I needed to relearn how to walk. I was unable to return to work and had to live on disability. I was not able to do things I once could. Exercise, photography, and model ship building all became difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The story doesn\u2019t end here though. In fact, this is where it begins.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWithin months of my stroke, after leaving the hospital, I sought out occupational and physiotherapy. I joined a March of Dimes exercise program to strengthen my legs and hand. I regained the ability to swallow. I walked, slowly and hesitantly at first, but faster each day. It was challenging, but with the help of my family who were instrumental in my progress, I was taking a step in the right direction,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor survivors following a stroke, the most important thing is being self-directed. You have to realize that the doctors are not there to give you answers; they\u2019re there to give suggestions. It\u2019s up to you to follow what they say and to be proactive in seeking therapies. You have to fix yourself. I now work with stroke survivors and I\u2019ve learned that every stroke is different and nobody can tell you what will work, but you must keep trying new therapies until you find out what does.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>John suggests seeking out helpful resources online.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFollowing my stroke, I joined several online forums to talk to fellow survivors. It was comforting talking to people who\u2019d experienced similar effects and it showed me how many were able to adapt following their attack.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There are also informative websites such as www.beyondstroke.ca which helps stroke survivors on the long road to recovery with information and resources.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am now 58. Although I\u2019m still unable to work, I am a volunteer working behind the scenes at a theatre company. I am an active recumbent cyclist and am getting back into photography. My life isn\u2019t perfect, but it\u2019s getting better. I am proactive and chose to take my life back. If you have survived a stroke, I encourage you to do the same. It only takes one step.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>www.newscanada.com<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>John lives in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and he says he is grateful when June comes around since it is Stroke Awareness Month. \u201cFour years [&hellip;] <span class=\"read-more-link\"><a class=\"read-more\" href=\"http:\/\/activeseniorsdigest.ca\/wp_activeseniorsdigest\/?p=748\">Read More<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":749,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v17.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Road to recovery: Stroke survivor tells his tale - Active Senior&#039;s Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/activeseniorsdigest.ca\/wp_activeseniorsdigest\/?p=748\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Road to recovery: Stroke survivor tells his tale - Active Senior&#039;s Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"John lives in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and he says he is grateful when June comes around since it is Stroke Awareness Month. \u201cFour years [&hellip;] Read More\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/activeseniorsdigest.ca\/wp_activeseniorsdigest\/?p=748\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Active Senior&#039;s Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-10-10T04:47:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/activeseniorsdigest.ca\/wp_activeseniorsdigest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/stroke_survivor.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"664\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"active\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/activeseniorsdigest.ca\/wp_activeseniorsdigest\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/activeseniorsdigest.ca\/wp_activeseniorsdigest\/\",\"name\":\"Active Senior&#039;s Digest\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/activeseniorsdigest.ca\/wp_activeseniorsdigest\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/activeseniorsdigest.ca\/wp_activeseniorsdigest\/?p=748#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/activeseniorsdigest.ca\/wp_activeseniorsdigest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/stroke_survivor.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/activeseniorsdigest.ca\/wp_activeseniorsdigest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/stroke_survivor.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":664},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/activeseniorsdigest.ca\/wp_activeseniorsdigest\/?p=748#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/activeseniorsdigest.ca\/wp_activeseniorsdigest\/?p=748\",\"name\":\"Road to recovery: Stroke survivor tells his tale - Active Senior&#039;s Digest\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/activeseniorsdigest.ca\/wp_activeseniorsdigest\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/activeseniorsdigest.ca\/wp_activeseniorsdigest\/?p=748#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2016-10-10T04:47:19+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-10-10T04:47:19+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/activeseniorsdigest.ca\/wp_activeseniorsdigest\/#\/schema\/person\/0afb1f9f2b1987c4466bd36c4ecf6e6e\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/activeseniorsdigest.ca\/wp_activeseniorsdigest\/?p=748#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/activeseniorsdigest.ca\/wp_activeseniorsdigest\/?p=748\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/activeseniorsdigest.ca\/wp_activeseniorsdigest\/?p=748#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/activeseniorsdigest.ca\/wp_activeseniorsdigest\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Road to recovery: Stroke survivor tells his tale\"}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/activeseniorsdigest.ca\/wp_activeseniorsdigest\/#\/schema\/person\/0afb1f9f2b1987c4466bd36c4ecf6e6e\",\"name\":\"active\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/activeseniorsdigest.ca\/wp_activeseniorsdigest\/#personlogo\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/0.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6943e03346fb73ef2c47ed71cc41f7a5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/0.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6943e03346fb73ef2c47ed71cc41f7a5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"active\"},\"url\":\"http:\/\/activeseniorsdigest.ca\/wp_activeseniorsdigest\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Road to recovery: Stroke survivor tells his tale - Active Senior&#039;s Digest","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/activeseniorsdigest.ca\/wp_activeseniorsdigest\/?p=748","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Road to recovery: Stroke survivor tells his tale - Active Senior&#039;s Digest","og_description":"John lives in Sault Ste. 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