Stroke reunion

At Spaulding I went to a  "Stroke Reunion" on Sunday with my mom. I met some young-ish stroke survivors, including a woman who had kids about the same age as my kids. It was strange to listen to other aphasic people.

One of the speakers--he was a stroke survivor--called us "our Tribe."  I like that. Calling us  "our Tribe" has a  mystique,  like a secret handshake. It's not far from the truth, if we can shake a hand at all. (Neal also suggested the term "stroke-empowered woman.")

In the news, there was an obit for the actress and stroke survivor Patricia Neal on Sunday in the NYTimes. There was a great quote:

"When Ms. Neal could not understand a Beatrix Potter book she was reading to her son, her husband told her not to mind because The Tale of Pigling Bland was 'Potter’s toughest book.'" 

Indeed.