I Had a Stroke When I Was 26

By The Hairpin May 16, 2011

by Nina Mitchell

I am a quirky young woman whose Mind went Pop. Mindpop. My stroke took away my limbs and speech for a while. Here are some chronicles…

I. Oven Mitt

If you want to see what it’s like to live with a messed-up stroke hand, put on an oven mitt. Then wander into your kitchen.

How to use a can opener?

How do you cut a bell pepper without it flying away?

How do you open a 2-liter bottle?

II. Differences since my stroke

I occasionally say something off-color really loudly that would probably be better said quietly. That’s new.

Before my stroke, I was the picture of etiquette. Or maybe I wasn’t, and I just imagine that I was.

III. Stroke Buddy

I have one. We have never spoken. He is maybe 40 years old, clean-shaven, always nicely dressed, clearly on his way to a job and a life. He has a hand that doesn’t work and he limps a little. Occasionally I sit across from him on the Red Line T (Boston’s subway). He sees me, there is recognition, a slow hint of a smile, and he bobs his head in acknowledgment. My head slightly bobs back. We understand each other.

IV. Comfort

My friend said he wasn’t sure how to comfort me. “I don’t really have a clue how to comfort a friend going through such a traumatic change.”

I don’t want comfort. I don’t want to be asked how I’m feeling, I want my friends to take me out and help me forget how I’m feeling.

V. Lucky/Unlucky

Soon after my stroke, my neurologist said “For someone so unlucky, you are really lucky.”

Previously: Other Mindpop Posts.

Nina Mitchell had a stroke when she was 26. More chronicles are at Mindpop or Facebook.