I Had a Stroke When I Was 26

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. Wedding

At a wedding reception, I danced around. When I stopped, another guest said, “I didn’t think you would dance.”

“What?” I said, confused.

It was only later that I realized that she thought disabled people don’t dance.

II. Great Riddle

The great riddles:

“Will I get 100% better?”

“How long will it take…take…take…?”

Nobody knows.

III. Nicely Sliced Bureaucracy

In three-holed binders sits neatly sliced bureaucracy: forms from the health insurance company, forms from hospitals, forms from my doctors, forms from pharmacists, forms from the government… Practically every moment in my medical day has been chronicled on white pages covered with tight black ink. The binders take up three large bookshelves in my living room. Elegant.

IV. Two Drinks

Two drinks and I forget words. Not basic ones, but less common, longer words. I was recently at a restaurant and was trying to say “macadamia.” It came out “macarena.”

What does it mean when the word comes out the wrong way?

V. Stroke Joke

Logic Joke: “This is a false statement.”

Logic Stroke Joke: “This is a statement made after a stroke.”

Previously: Other Mindpop posts.

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

Image via Flickr

© 2011 by Nina Mitchell, The material in this article is protected by copyright and may not be copied or published or otherwise distributed without the Author’s permission. All Rights Reserved.