Death Taught Us How To Live

What happens when life changes in an instant? At just 34 years old, Rashmi Delva faced this question head-on when she suffered an ischemic stroke while vacationing in California. Despite being healthy, active, and having no obvious risk factors, her world transformed in moments.   From collapsing on her friend's floor to waking up in the ICU fighting for her future.

Rashmi's story shatters the myth that strokes only happen to older adults. With remarkable candor, she walks us through those terrifying first moments when her body wouldn't respond, the quick thinking of friends who recognized the symptoms, and her journey from wheelchair to walking again. The only potential cause doctors could identify? Her birth control pills. This is a sobering reminder of hidden risks many young women face without realizing it.

Beyond the physical challenges, Rashmi reveals the profound psychological transformation that follows a life-altering health crisis. "There's the person before the stroke and the person after," she explains, detailing how her priorities, relationships, and self-perception all shifted dramatically. Some friends disappeared after the initial crisis, while others formed an unshakeable support network that continues to sustain her three years later.

What makes this conversation so powerful is Rashmi's unflinching honesty about both the struggles and unexpected gifts of her journey. From relearning basic skills to discovering who truly stands by you when everything changes, her experience offers profound insights for anyone facing adversity. Her message to fellow survivors rings clear: "Give yourself grace. This is a marathon, not a race."

Whether you've experienced a health crisis yourself or love someone who has, this episode provides rare insight into the invisible aspects of recovery that most never see. The next time you encounter someone with an invisible disability, remember Rashmi's words: "Don't have conversations around me. Have conversations with me."

Ready to understand what it truly means to rebuild a life? Listen now and be forever changed by this remarkable story of resilience, community, and finding purpose in life's most challenging moments. What would you do if tomorrow wasn't promised?

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A burst blood vessel during a simple stretching routine at the gym would forever change the trajectory of Phat's life. At just 36 years old, this engineer and active community member experienced a hemorrhagic stroke that initially left him unable to walk or speak clearly. Like many stroke survivors, he dismissed the early warning signs.  A temporary loss of feeling on one side and a slight headache. Only seeking medical attention a week later when symptoms severely worsened.

Four years post-stroke, phat joins AVM Superhero to share his remarkable journey from stroke survivor to the creator of Hope for Stroke Survivors, a platform showcasing recovery stories that began as a personal journal documenting his own healing path. Their conversation delves deep into the often misunderstood world of stroke recovery, particularly the frustration of invisible disabilities that persist even when survivors "look normal" on the outside.

"We are complete strangers and all of a sudden we become family," AVMSuperhero observes about the stroke survivor community, highlighting why connecting with others who understand your experience becomes vital when friends and family expect you to return to your pre-stroke self. Fat agrees, sharing how he's had to establish boundaries with loved ones who don't comprehend his ongoing challenges with double vision, balance issues, memory problems, and devastating fatigue.

The discussion takes on profound dimensions when exploring how near-death experiences reshape priorities and perspectives. "When you almost die, it does something different to you," Fat explains, describing his heightened appreciation for even mundane tasks like washing dishes. Both men emphasize the critical role mindset plays in recovery while acknowledging that positive thinking alone isn't enough, it must translate into consistent rehabilitation work.

Whether you're a stroke survivor seeking connection, a caregiver trying to understand your loved one's experience, or someone wanting to recognize stroke warning signs (remember BEFAST!), this powerful conversation offers invaluable insights into the complex journey of brain injury recovery and the community that makes it bearable.

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The moment of a stroke changes everything. For Vanessa Kelly, that moment came with a sudden "pop" behind her eye, followed by darkness. Three weeks later, she woke in an ICU, her life forever transformed by a subarachnoid hemorrhagic stroke—a type of brain bleed that occurs in the space between the brain and its protective covering.

Vanessa's journey from that moment to becoming what she calls a "healing warrior" forms the emotional core of this powerful conversation. Despite being just three years into her recovery, she demonstrates remarkable resilience and spiritual growth that typically takes survivors much longer to achieve. Her story begins with a sobering warning: days before her stroke, emergency room doctors dismissed her symptoms as mere side effects of COVID, sending her home without the imaging that might have prevented disaster.

This conversation dives deep into the realities of stroke recovery that few understand. The fatigue that requires careful energy management. The emotional changes that can strain relationships. The profound identity transformation that occurs when your brain—the very organ that defines who you are—undergoes trauma. "You are a changed person when you survive what normally kills," Vanessa explains, capturing the existential shift that accompanies recovery.

Perhaps most valuable is the discussion about finding community among fellow survivors. As AVM Superhero and Vanessa share, the connection between stroke survivors creates a unique understanding that even loving family members can't provide. This tribal recognition becomes crucial in moving from victim to warrior mentality—from focusing on what's lost to embracing new possibilities.

The episode concludes with practical wisdom for both survivors and caregivers: manage your blood pressure vigilantly; understand the BE FAST warning signs; find therapeutic support for emotional processing; and perhaps most importantly, recognize that recovery requires reimagining rather than simply rebuilding. As Vanessa powerfully notes, "Heroes are not known by their trophies. Heroes are known by their scars."

Discover resources for your recovery journey by visiting the Brain Aneurysm Foundation at BAFound.org or connecting with Vanessa on her YouTube channel "Brave Healing Warrior." Have you found your community of fellow survivors? We'd love to hear your story.

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When a stroke impacts a parent, the ripple effects transform the entire family - especially the children. This raw, honest conversation brings together stroke survivor Avm Superhero and his two daughters, Kyra and Shana, as they reflect on their journey navigating life after their father's stroke seven years ago.

The sisters candidly share how their relationship with their father evolved from one primarily based on material expressions of love—real telescopes, sewing machines, and exciting trips—to one centered on presence and time spent together after financial and physical limitations reshaped their family dynamic. "You went from one father to a different one," Kyra explains, describing how she had to mentally adapt to this new reality while watching both parents struggle with the aftermath.

Both daughters reveal moments of profound growth amid challenge. Eleven-year-old Shana stepped up to administer her father's warfarin shots and clean his feeding tube when no one else would, while Kyra's simple request for her father to stop smoking cigars eventually led him to quit for good. These turning points illustrate how children often develop remarkable resilience and maturity when a parent faces serious health challenges.

Memory issues created unique communication hurdles, with AV  Superhero frequently repeating advice or forgetting conversations entirely. While Kyra found the repetition helpful for internalizing life lessons, Shana describes the frustration of her father adamantly denying conversations that had occurred "a common struggle for families navigating brain injury recovery."

For families currently walking this difficult path, the sisters offer wisdom beyond their years: accept that things won't return to how they were before, be prepared to adapt and change, and recognize that while circumstances have permanently shifted, relationships can still be meaningful through mutual adaptation and understanding.

Whether you're a stroke survivor with children, a family member supporting a loved one, or a healthcare professional working with families, this conversation offers invaluable perspective on the often-overlooked experience of children whose parents have survived strokes. Subscribe to hear more powerful stories of resilience and recovery each week.

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Jerry Wald shares his powerful story of surviving a hemorrhagic stroke in 2010 and how it transformed him from a workaholic banking executive to the host of "Let's Talk Stroke" podcast. Both hosts discuss finding unexpected blessings in their stroke journeys, revealing how near-death experiences gave them a profound appreciation for life's smaller moments and authentic relationships.

• Jerry experienced his stroke at age 49, feeling a sudden "pop" in his head followed by water-like sensations from the brain bleed
• Post-stroke recovery included 9 days in ICU and 2.5 months in rehab, with ongoing therapy 15 years later
• Both hosts initially felt embarrassed about having strokes before eventually creating shows to help fellow survivors
• Aphasia (language difficulty) remains a challenge, but intellect stays intact—"Loss of language, not intellect"
• The emotional impact of stroke often goes unrecognized despite being one of the most difficult aspects of recovery
• Stroke acted as a filter, revealing who true friends were while eliminating superficial relationships
• Both men now see their strokes as positive turning points that made them more honest, patient, and appreciative
• Every 40 seconds someone has a stroke, making awareness of warning signs critically important
• Small victories accumulate into larger progress during the ongoing recovery journey
• Creating content for fellow survivors serves as therapy while helping others navigate similar challenges

If you've experienced a stroke or brain injury and would like to share your story, reach out to Jerry at "Let's Talk Stroke" on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and other platforms, or contact Greg at AVM Superhero on social media.

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What does it mean to completely reinvent yourself after losing the ability that defined your entire identity? In this powerful conversation, professional chef Terrence Michael Tomlin Sr. takes us through his journey of transformation after an ischemic stroke robbed him of the use of his dominant right hand and nearly ended his culinary career.

On November 26, 2017—just one day before host Greg's own stroke—Terrence collapsed in his kitchen during one of the busiest restaurant days of the year. He awakened to find his right side paralyzed, a devastating blow for a right-handed chef who had been cooking professionally since 1989. But rather than surrender to circumstance, Terrence embarked on the painstaking process of relearning his craft with his non-dominant left hand.

The path wasn't easy. Terrence speaks candidly about his depression, anger, and feelings of abandonment during recovery. He describes the humbling experience of having others bathe him and the frustration of not being able to perform basic tasks. Yet through therapy, determination, and support from his sister, Terrence made a startling discovery—cooking with his left hand was actually producing better results than before his stroke.

This revelation led to an extraordinary comeback. In 2019, Terrence won the Maryland Foodie Fest competition, besting numerous fully-abled professional chefs. Now he focuses on teaching, consulting, and hosting supper clubs while advocating for stroke awareness and prevention through healthy eating. His journey embodies the podcast's central message that our greatest challenges can become unexpected gifts when we're willing to embrace a new path forward.

As Terrence powerfully states, "Today is the tomorrow you forgot yesterday." His story offers profound inspiration for anyone facing seemingly insurmountable obstacles, proving that resilience, adaptation, and a shift in perspective can transform what initially seems like tragedy into opportunity.

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What would you do if you suddenly found yourself fully conscious but completely paralyzed, unable to move or speak, essentially "buried alive" in your own body? For Chris Adkins, this nightmare became reality when he suffered three consecutive strokes in 2016, leaving him in what doctors call "locked-in syndrome" – a condition where the only movement he could manage was blinking his eyes.

In this powerful episode commemorating Stroke Awareness Month, Chris shares his extraordinary journey from the depths of a coma to becoming what his brain surgeon calls "a miracle man." With raw honesty, he describes the terrifying experience of being cognitively aware while physically trapped, able to hear everything around him but unable to respond. His wife Misty reveals how she fought against medical opinions and family pressure when doctors predicted Chris would remain paralyzed from the neck down if he survived at all.

The conversation takes an unexpected turn when the couple discloses that their marriage was on the brink of divorce just before Chris's strokes. The crisis became a catalyst for transformation, leading them to rediscover connection, purpose, and a deeper appreciation for life's true priorities. "Time is your most precious commodity," Chris emphasizes, reflecting on how his near-death experience completely reordered what matters most.

Beyond the inspirational aspects of their story lies critical educational information about stroke recognition and recovery. Misty highlights the expanded BFAST acronym (Balance, Eyes, Face, Arms, Speech, Time), noting that balance problems and eye twitching were Chris's remaining symptoms when traditional signs had subsided. Their message to stroke survivors is unwavering: recovery timelines are not universal, improvement can continue for years beyond medical predictions, and finding purpose after stroke is vital to healing.

Whether you're a stroke survivor, caregiver, or simply someone seeking perspective on life's fragility, this episode offers profound insights on faith, resilience, and the remarkable capacity for human connection during life's darkest moments. Listen now and discover why Chris now calls his catastrophic medical event a "Stroke of Blessing" rather than luck.

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In This episode, my guest is Jenny Clarke the co-founder and CEO of the non-profit organization SameYou. I have asked her to be my guest to explain, the purpose of SameYou and why it is important to her to help people with brain injuries in the UK and worldwide. 
 
 
 Intro Music 
 Song Title: Good Vibes Chant 
 Artist: Ackemia Mia Wright 
 video: https://youtu.be/BCbXMuNb0UI?si=vF-inGER_bo4fRtild

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Tymaik returns to DTUHTL to update the brain survivor community on his recovery and to give more motivational tips to survivors on their road to recovery. 
 
 
 Music 
 
 Song: Good Vibes Chant 
 Artist: Ackemia Mia Wright 
 Video: https://youtu.be/BCbXMuNb0UI?si=gi03dJeENYJIHIW7

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