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Living With Aphasia After Stroke – Jack Breitenstein
Jack Breitenstein is recovering from a ruptured AVM, which placed him in a coma at the age of 15 and now 3 years later joins the recovery after stroke podcast to discuss aphasia after stroke.
Socials
www.instagram.com/jack_breitenstein/
Highlights:
01:12 Introduction
05:27 Arteriovenous malformation
13:01 Speech improvements
20:38 Courage to be on the podcast
28:05 The Pitch
34:04 Fatigue
41:31 Being treated differently
Transcription
Bill 0:00
Some people who I’ve contacted on the podcast who had aphasia were not interested in coming onto the podcast because they couldn’t complete the conversation in the way that they felt comfortable. I sent you a message. Do you want to be on the podcast? And you said yes. straightaway. What makes you say yes.
Jack 0:25
Well, I get an opportunity for you and me and a chance to be on a podcast.
Bill 0:46
So it’s an opportunity for you and me to meet and it’s a good chance to be on a podcast yeah?
Jack 0:51
Yeah. and challenging.
Bill 0:53
And it’s challenging you?
Intro 0:59
This is the recovery after stroke podcast. with Bill Gasiamis, helping you navigate recovery after stroke.
Introduction
Bill 1:12
Bill from recoveryafterstroke.com This is Episode 127. And my guest today is Jack Breitenstein. At the age of 15, Jack experienced bleeding in the brain after an AVM he had from birth burst, causing jack to go into a coma and experience seizures after he woke.
Bill 1:33
Now, this episode is a very special one. And it’s probably my favorite episode for the year, coming up to the end of the year. I know, I’m not supposed to have a favorite episode. Because every guest on the podcast is an amazing person who’s made an effort to come on and share their story in the hope that it’ll make a difference to other people.
Bill 1:59
And podcast guests and episodes, they’re like children, you can’t really have a favorite one, and you’re not allowed to choose. But in this particular case, I’m gonna make an exception. And the reason being is because Jack came onto the podcast. And you will notice when the interview commences, that he has aphasia.
Bill 2:21
And it’s quite difficult for Jack to go through the process of having a conversation completing sentences. And it is an amazing thing that he’s on the podcast because I’ve reached out to many stroke survivors that have aphasia who haven’t been able to be guests on the podcast.
Bill 2:41
And I completely understand the reasoning behind that. But as soon as I reached out to Jack and asked him if he would like to be on the show, he straight away said yes. And we made it happen really, really quick. I just love his enthusiasm, his willingness to participate, regardless of the things that he’s experiencing.
Bill 3:02
And during the interview, we’ll get to hear about some other ways that he has continued to participate and go out of his way to challenge himself so that he can prove and encourage others. So as we come to the end of 2020, it’s been a very challenging year.
Bill 3:20
And nonetheless, stroke survivors have turned up to get this podcast to the point of having more than 120 episodes, where you can listen to other stroke survivors talking about what happened to them at the beginning, how the recovery is coming along, and what has happened over the years as recovery has continued.
Bill 3:47
And it’s really important that you understand the way that each podcast is structured. And the reason being is because I want to make the story give importance to the episode that occurred. But then also, I want to paint the picture of how recovery continues to happen over the months and years post-stroke, regardless of people’s deficits and experiences and the things that they struggle with.
Bill 4:14
They’re still able to get back into life, they’re still able to become active members of their community, and they’re still able to achieve their goals and fulfill their passions. So thank you for being with me on this journey in 2020. This crazy Coronavirus a year and I really appreciate all the feedback that I get. And I really appreciate having you as my listener.
Bill 4:41
I really appreciate having you as somebody who has reached out and asked me questions. I really appreciate the people that have come on board as coaching clients. And together I really believe that we can find a way to overcome the deficits and the challenges that Stroke has created for us, and in spite of that, continue to have a really fulfilled life. So thank you once again. And without further ado, it’s on with the show. Jack Breintenstein, welcome to the podcast.
Bill 5:17
Welcome mate thank you for being here. I really appreciate it.
Jack 5:21
You’re welcome.
Bill 5:22
Tell me a little bit about what happened to you.
AVM Recovery
Jack 5:27
Well, I had a stroke three years ago, and well, first week after my birthday.
Bill 5:51
You had a strike three years ago after your birthday. How did you turn?
Jack 5:55
Oh 15.
Bill 6:03
Okay do they know what caused the stroke at 15?
Jack 6:07
Oh, yeah I had a brain injury AVM.
Bill 6:28
You had an AVM arteriovenous malformation?
Jack 6:32
Yeah.
Bill 6:34
And the AVM burst? Is that what happened?
Jack 6:38
Yeah.
Bill 6:42
Before burst. Did you have any idea that this thing was in your head? Did you have any symptoms headaches, anything like that?
Jack 6:52
No this happened (inaudible)
Bill 6:59
What do you remember? about the time that it burst? Were you with it? Or did you just wipe you out?
Jack 7:10
Just wiped me out just black.
Bill 7:16
Just black. Did you have headaches? Or did you feel any symptoms, nausea or anything like that?
Jack 7:21
Oh, I play soccer. And late afternoon, I had a bad headache. And I fell down in my mom’s room and I collapsed.
Bill 7:52
You play soccer. You had a bad headache. And you collapsed.
Jack 7:56
Yeah, yeah.
Bill 7:58
And your mom was with you?
Jack 8:07
Yeah. My parent’s room.
Bill 8:16
You’re in your parents room and you fell. You collapsed. And they took you to the hospital?
Bill 8:21
Yeah, yeah.
Bill 8:24
And then do you remember waking up after that? What was that like?
Jack 8:35
I had a seizure and three weeks comma.
Bill 8:51
So you were in a coma for three weeks?
Jack 8:54
Yeah. Yeah.
Bill 8:55
Wow, man. And then you woke up from the coma? And were you aware of your situation where you were? Did you know that you were in hospital or?
Jack 9:11
No.
Bill 9:13
As well as not being able to speak. Did you have challenges not being able to move as well?
Jack 9:20
Yeah, two after the coma after two and a half months at the hospital. (inaudible)
Bill 9:56
So you were in the hospital and then after you woke up from the coma, you had multiple seizures?
Jack 10:02
Yeah. No. No. Two days at the hospital
Bill 10:11
Two and a half days at the hospital.
Jack 10:13
Yeah.
Bill 10:14
That’s all just two and a half days?
Jack 10:16
No months.
Bill 10:18
Wow. Ok so you were at the hospital, in a coma. And then you also experienced seizures. Is that right?
Jack 10:27
Yeah rehab.
Bill 10:31
And then you did rehab to learn how to walk again and use your arm again?
Jack 10:36
Learn how to wheelchair, and then cane and then walk by yourself.
Bill 10:44
Right. Okay.
Bill 10:47
And now I saw you before walk to the back of the room there with out any trouble. Is there any other issues associated to your walking?
Jack 10:57
And no. I walk by myself.
Bill 11:02
How long did it take you before you went back to school?
Jack 11:08
September six months?
Bill 11:15
Was it difficult going back to school?
Jack 11:20
Yes.
Bill 11:24
What were some of the hardest things for you to adjust to when you went back to school?
Jack 11:39
Oh I had my cane and walk and elevator and crowd in the hallways.
Bill 11:55
So going back to school was quite challenging, was it difficult getting back involved with your friends and starting where you left off?
Jack 12:12
Yeah, my friends, I had a friend. Same friends. (inaudible) And stroke is hard.
Bill 12:34
Stroke is hard yeah?
Jack 12:35
Yeah.
Bill 12:37
How long has it beens since you had the stroke? How many years ago? Was that?
Jack 12:44
Three and a half.
Bill 12:46
So now you’re nearly 18 years old?
Jack 12:54
Yeah. But it was awesome.
Speech improvements with Aphasia After Stroke
Bill 13:01
When you went back to school, did you have the ability to communicate like you can now? Or was it less of an ability at that time when you’re still recovering?
Jack 13:11
Well step by step. Like, three days ago, talking was difficult, but in a long way I’ve done speech therapy all the time.
Bill 13:36
Yeah. And is your speech improving all the time and still improving?
Jack 13:41
Yes, yes.
Bill 13:44
Yeah, and you’re happy about that?
Jack 13:48
Yeah.
Bill 13:49
When does speech become difficult? Is there times during the day where your speech becomes more difficult. Say then at the beginning of the day do you get tired and then does that make it harder to get words out?
Jack 14:05
Yeah, sometimes. Speaking sentences and long words (inaudible)
Bill 14:34
What some of the most difficult times I’ve tried to communicate to people do you find some people struggle to understand you? Does that make them impatient and how have you managed those types of scenarios?
Jack 14:47
Um, well, friends, I know before I know it’s hard Before, but friends three, years long was someone talking and talking more now.
Bill 15:17
You’re talking more now?
Jack 15:19
Yeah.
Bill 15:21
And with aphasia, it’s not a problem understanding me. It’s just a problem making the words come out of your mouth. Is that how you would describe it?
Jack 15:31
Yeah, yeah.
Bill 15:36
So it’s just getting the words out is the hardest part is that the words are here, but they don’t come here. How is it for you?
Jack 15:50
Speaking languages is hard. (inaudible)
Bill 16:08
So the information is here. Sometimes getting it out of your mouth is a little bit hard.
Jack 16:14
Yes.
Bill 16:16
Okay. So when you went back to school, were you able to focus and concentrate on your studies? Did you find it easy to go back and learn the things that you were learning? As a 15-year-old and 16-year-old?
Jack 16:36
Well, no because I’m speaking, more speaking now. Because before speaking one word or two words. But now, there’s a speaking now at school.
Bill 17:19
So you went back to school? Did you complete your schooling? Have you finished that now? Or are you still at school?
Jack 17:26
Still at school freshman year.
Bill 17:51
So you missed one year of school because of the illness because you’re in hospital? And then you went back and you’re continuing with your studies? Are you nearly finished? When do they finish?
Jack 18:08
Oh, so another year.
Bill 18:17
Another year or so?
Jack 18:18
Yeah.
Bill 18:20
Do you have any thoughts about what you might do when you finish school? Are you going to continue studying? Or are you looking for opportunities to work?
Jack 18:33
In college speaking sentences is hard to but yeah, I’m thinking college.
Bill 18:49
So you’re looking at college. Awesome. And do you have some tools that help you communicate with people to speak? Is there some kind of a piece of software or an app or a machine that helps you get words out that you can’t get out?
Jack 19:06
Yeah, apps that can read aloud.
Bill 19:17
Like a translation app that speaks the words that you’ve typed in into the app? Is that right?
Jack 19:23
Yeah.
Bill 19:27
So you have some ways to overcome some of the challenges with getting words out of your mouth. That makes it a lot easier because people before you many years ago, they didn’t have all these tools that are available.
Jack 19:44
Yeah. This is how, because speaking is hard but through apps can make a change.
Bill 20:00
Yeah, you got the apps and they help you. So what will you study? When you go to college? What do you hope to study?
Jack 20:13
I don’t know now but, now I’m hoping to math and I don’t know.
Bill 20:34
Are you good at numbers?
Jack 20:36
Yeah.
Courage to be on the podcast
Bill 20:38
That’s awesome, man. So some people who I’ve contacted on the podcast before, I’ve contacted some people who had aphasia, were not interested in coming on to the podcast because they couldn’t complete conversation in the way that they felt comfortable. And I sent you a message. Do you want to be on the podcast? And you said yes, straight away. What makes you say yes?
Intro 21:05
If you’ve had a stroke, and you’re in recovery, you’ll know what a scary and confusing time it can be, you’re likely to have a lot of questions going through your mind. Like now long will it take to recover? Will I actually recover? What things should I avoid in case I’ll make matters worse?
Intro 21:24
Doctors will explain things that obviously, you’ve never had a stroke before, you probably don’t know what questions to ask. If this is you, you may be missing out on doing things that could help speed up your recovery. If you’re finding yourself in that situation, stop worrying, and head to recoveryafterstroke.com where you can download a guide that will help you.
Intro 21:47
It’s called seven questions to ask your doctor about your stroke. These seven questions are the ones Bill wished he’d asked when he was recovering from a stroke. They’ll not only help you better understand your condition. They’ll help you take a more active role in your recovery. head to the website now, recoveryafterstroke.com and download the guide. It’s free.
Jack 22:10
Well, I get an opportunity for you and me and a chance to be on a podcast.
Bill 22:34
So it’s an opportunity for you and me to meet. And it’s a good chance to be on a podcast yeah?
Jack 22:40
Yeah. It’s challenging.
Bill 22:43
And it’s challenging you. Okay, so you like a challenge you like it when people give you a challenge to make things hard for you so that you can practice and get better?
Jack 22:56
Yes.
Bill 22:58
Okay. So what other things are challenging for you to do that help you get better?
Bill 23:03
Walking is hard, because walking is fine, but running is hard cause running in soccer and baseball me I don’t run as much as I used to. And I climbed the Sears Tower.
Bill 23:34
You climbed the Sears Tower recently?
Jack 23:52
Two years ago.
Bill 23:54
Two years ago, the Sears Tower is massive man.
Jack 23:58
Yeah it is.
Bill 24:01
How tall is it? You know?
Jack 24:10
104 flight of stairs.
Bill 24:15
Wow how long did that take you?
Jack 24:20
One hour and 30 minutes.
Bill 24:23
One hour and 20 minutes?
Jack 24:27
30 minutes.
Bill 24:37
That’s huge man. I wouldn’t be interested in climbing the Sears Tower it’s way too tall for me. Which city is the Sears Tower in?
Jack 24:57
What?
Bill 24:58
Which city is the city tower in?
Jack 25:03
What do you mean?
Bill 25:05
Where is it located? The Sears Tower? The Sears Tower that you climbed where is it?
Jack 25:19
Chicago?
Bill 25:20
In Chicago?
Jack 25:21
Yeah.
Bill 25:22
Wow, man, that’s pretty insane. I wouldn’t be interested in climbing that many flights of stairs. I’m happy to climb two or three. But that’s about it. Now was that a some kind of a charity organized event or how come you’re allowed to even climb the Sears towers? How does that work?
Jack 25:45
Shirley Bryant affiliate of hospital.
Bill 25:51
So it’s organized with the hospital.
Jack 25:53
Yeah.
Bill 25:55
And do they make it a fun event for people to attend if they wish?
Jack 26:00
Yes.
Bill 26:01
And is it a fundraising event? Do you raise money for the hospital?
Jack 26:06
Yes.
Bill 26:07
How much money did you raise?
Jack 26:15
How much?
Bill 26:16
How much money? Did you raise?
Jack 26:20
$1,000.
Bill 26:21
1,000 dollars?
Jack 26:23
Yeah.
Bill 26:23
Man, that’s a good effort. Well done. That’s so good to hear. It’s 110 stories. Oh no it’s not I was trying to find it on the internet here.
Bill 26:44
Sears Towers height. It’s 422 meters high, and it’s 527 meters to the tip. So it’s quite high wow. So when you go to college, and study maths. What do you hope to do with that? Do you hope to begin work in a particular career? Or is there something that you’re aiming for?
Jack 27:35
Yes. Math, this is challenging but I’m still yeah, it’s challenging.
Bill 27:59
Tell me, what are your hobbies? What do you enjoy doing when you’re not studying Or climbing up stairs?
The Pitch
Jack 28:05
I like to play soccer, and baseball, and I threw out a pitch at Wrigley Field.
Bill 28:27
You threw out a pitch recently?
Jack 28:30
Yeah Wrigley Field.
Bill 28:33
At Wrigley Field?
Jack 28:37
Cubs yeah.
Jack 28:38
At the Cubs?
Jack 28:40
Yeah.
Bill 28:40
You threw out the pitch at the Cubs.
Jack 28:42
Yeah.
Bill 28:44
Wow, man. That’s pretty cool. So how did you get to do that?
Jack 28:51
Oh, my mom she reached out to the Cubs manager. And yeah.
Bill 29:16
Well, man, that’s so cool. There’s not many people have done that.
Jack 29:20
Yeah.
Bill 29:22
Hey tell me are the cubs any good at baseball?
Jack 29:30
Maybe.
Bill 29:32
They used to be the worst team in the league.
Jack 29:35
Yeah.
Bill 29:38
And then they won the World Series.
Jack 29:40
Yeah.
Bill 29:41
How amazing was that when they won the World Series? How many years did they wait to win the World Series? How long did it take them to get to that point?
Jack 29:56
Well, 100 years?
Bill 30:03
100 years? It’s an amazing story for if you continue focusing on your goal, maybe you’ll eventually get there.
Jack 30:13
Yeah.
Bill 30:14
Never give up.
Jack 30:16
Yes.
Bill 30:18
Who’s your favorite player?
Jack 30:23
Well, actually the cubs and cardinals are against each other.
Bill 31:05
Alright, what? I missed that so say that again? Who’s your favorite player?
Jack 31:10
Well, I like the Cardinals.
Bill 31:16
You like the Cardinals?
Jack 31:18
Yeah.
Bill 31:20
You like the Cardinals but you through the pitch at the Cubs?
Jack 31:23
Yeah.
Bill 31:24
So which is your team? Is it the Cubs or the Cardinals?
Jack 31:29
Cardinals.
Bill 31:33
So the Cardinals who are they?
Jack 31:40
Oh, yeah. St. Louis.
Bill 31:47
Okay. And the cubs, and the Cardinals are rivals, aren’t they?
Jack 31:53
Yeah, yeah.
Bill 31:55
Okay. So when you threw the first pitch at the Cubs, were they playing the Cardinals that day?
Jack 32:02
Yes.
Bill 32:04
Right. Okay. So, you got to be on the ground with your team, the Cardinals at Chicago?
Jack 32:13
Yeah.
Bill 32:14
Okay. That’s brilliant man. And tell me about who won that day. Which team won your team or the Cubs?
Jack 32:23
The Cubs.
Bill 32:26
The Cubs won?
Jack 32:28
Yeah.
Bill 32:31
Well, nevermind, at least you got to throw the first pitch. Who’s your favorite player? Then at the Cardinals?
Jack 32:40
Oh, yeah. Yadier Molina.
Bill 32:44
All right. How do we spell that?
Jack 32:46
Yadier Molina, Y.
Bill 33:06
He looks like he’s a decent player yeah? He has had so far 2001 hits, he has had 160 home runs, he has runs battered 932, and he has a batting average of 281.
Jack 33:34
Yeah.
Bill 33:35
That’s pretty good. Did you get to meet any of your favorite players that day?
Jack 33:42
Oh, Yadier Molina, I gonna toss up and he caught it and yeah.
Bill 34:00
You got to meet Yadier Molina?
Jack 34:02
Yeah, yeah.
Fatigue and AVM Recovery
Bill 34:04
That’s pretty cool, man awesome. Tell me when we have conversations like this that lasts a long time. Does that make you tired?
Bill 34:16
Well, no, no.
Bill 34:28
No it doesn’t make you tired. So you don’t experience fatigue or is fatigue also something that you experience?
Jack 34:37
Like a baseball game. Me I am ready (inaudible)
Bill 34:52
Okay, so you’re ready to play baseball?
Jack 34:58
No I’m tired later than usual.
Bill 35:06
Okay, so at the moment, you’re getting tired later than usual.
Jack 35:09
Yeah.
Bill 35:10
So there’s less tired and less fatigue at the moment.
Jack 35:14
Yeah.
Bill 35:16
Okay. At the beginning, did you used to be very easily fatigued and tired?
Jack 35:24
Yes.
Bill 35:27
And that’s improved over time?
Jack 35:32
Yes. Yeah.
Bill 35:35
That’s good. So that should continue to get better and better. Do you still go to speech therapy?
Jack 35:45
Ah, yeah.
Bill 35:50
How many times? How many times a week?
Jack 36:00
Once a week.
Bill 36:02
Once a week?
Jack 36:04
Four weeks.
Bill 36:07
Four hours a week?
Jack 36:09
No, four a week.
Bill 36:14
Four times every week?
Jack 36:16
Yeah.
Bill 36:17
Okay. And do you practice your therapy at home as well? When you’re in your room on your computer? Is there other tools that you use? Or do you just do that at therapy?
Jack 36:35
Yeah. Physical therapy, We’re not sure but it shows by the stretching and listening. and it helps improve.
Bill 36:54
And so you do stretching and physical therapy as well?
Jack 37:00
Yeah. Yeah.
Bill 37:05
Are there some things that you prefer to do? Instead of other things? Do you enjoy doing the stretching and the physical therapy? Is that good for you?
Jack 37:15
Yeah.
Bill 37:22
How’s your memory? Do you have any dramas with the memory?
Jack 37:28
No. Well, no.
Jack 37:37
Yeah. I had a seizure.
Bill 37:44
Recently, you had a seizure recently?
Jack 37:46
No, back in the day. Two seizures.
Bill 37:53
Two seizures. But your memory is okay these days?
Jack 37:58
Yeah.
Bill 38:01
Awesome, man. What do you love to do when you’re not playing soccer? What do you do? Do you play games on the computer? Do you enjoy online?
Jack 38:14
My hand is hard to control. But I play video games yeah.
Bill 38:27
And which is the affected hand? Is it the left hand or the right hand?
Jack 38:32
Left.
Bill 38:34
Your left hand is affected.
Jack 38:36
Yeah. No, the other one.
Bill 38:39
The right hand is affected. Yep. So your AVM was on the left side of your brain. And did you have surgery to remove it the AVM?
Jack 38:57
Yes. They took it out.
Bill 39:01
They did? Was it a big hole in your head?
Jack 39:11
No. Small.
Bill 39:18
Yeah, I had similar surgery they made a small hole in my head. Do you have siblings, brothers and sisters?
Jack 39:29
Younger brother.
Bill 39:35
So when I had surgery on my head, and they opened up my skull it was proof to my older brother that I had a brain because he used to say grow a brain all the time to me. So I proved to him for the first time that I actually did have a brain because we saw it. Other people saw it. So how old was your brother at the time?
Jack 40:02
Oh 13.
Bill 40:06
He was 33 years younger than you?
Jack 40:09
Yeah. Yeah.
Bill 40:11
Is he a good younger brother? Does he help out?
Jack 40:13
Yeah. He was pretty well. They were me and father play (inaudible)
Bill 40:24
Yeah, is he supportive, or does he still give you a hard time like all younger brothers do?
Jack 40:34
Yeah.
Bill 40:39
That’s good. That’s his job. What would you like to tell people who might be listening to this podcast? About some of the challenges that you have with aphasia? What is the message that you would like them to have about people who have aphasia?
Jack 41:02
Well, still smile.
Bill 41:14
Still smile. Yeah, of course. And it’s just a communication issue. It’s not an issue with the other parts of the brain.
Being treated differently
Bill 41:31
And do people treat you differently? Because of your voice?
Jack 41:37
Oh, yeah.
Bill 41:48
Is that frustrating make it difficult for you sometimes?
Jack 41:51
Yeah. It’s difficult.
Bill 41:53
Are some people mean and nasty?
Jack 42:00
Oh, no.
Bill 42:05
That’s good. Man. I really want to thank you for saying yes to being on the podcast. Man. I really, truly appreciate it. I think it’s an amazing thing that you’ve done by coming onto the podcast.
Jack 42:17
Thank you for being here.
Bill 42:21
You’re welcome. And hopefully, what this does is get the message out to people who are listening about some of the challenges that people with aphasia face. And how brave it is for people with aphasia to get onto a podcast like this and have a conversation with me.
Bill 42:38
I think it’s amazing. I’ve encouraged many people with aphasia to come on to the podcast, but most of them prefer not to and I understand that’s perfectly okay. I think you’re doing a great thing for that community, because they need to feel that it’s okay to be brave. And to come onto a podcast and talk about some of the challenges.
Jack 43:01
Yeah. It’s hard and but it’s difficult.
Bill 43:09
It’s difficult, but it’s getting better?
Jack 43:11
Yeah.
Bill 43:14
Well done, Jack. Man, I really appreciate it. What I’ll do is I’ll edit this. And I’ll put it together. And I’ll send it across to you so you can have a listen to it.
Jack 43:25
Okay.
Bill 43:25
And tell me what you think. And then I’ll also post it on social media and tag you into the post.
Jack 43:32
Right yeah.
Bill 43:34
And you can share it and let people know that you are on the podcast, as well.
Jack 43:38
Yeah. Thank you.
Bill 43:40
If there’s anything you need from me, if I can help you with anything, I’m in Australia, I’m quite far away.
Jack 43:46
Australia.
Bill 43:47
Yeah. There’s lots of things I can’t help you with. But if there’s something that I can help you with, just reach out and let me know.
Jack 43:55
Thank you.
Bill 43:56
Hit me up on Instagram or email.
Jack 43:59
Okay.
Bill 44:02
Enjoy the rest of your, is it nighttime there now?
Jack 44:06
No. It’s still noon.
Bill 44:12
It’s daytime or night time there.
Jack 44:18
Yeah
Bill 44:20
Yeah. Enjoy the rest of your night. My day has just started. It’s 10 o’clock in the morning here. All the best Jack, thank you so much for being on the podcast. I’ll get this back to you. In the next week or two.
Jack 44:35
Oh, yeah. Thank you.
Bill 44:43
You’re welcome, mate. Thank you. See ya.
Intro 44:57
Discover how to heal your brain after Stroke go to recoveryafterstroke.com. Importantly, we present many podcasts designed to give you an insight and understanding into the experiences of other individuals opinions and treatments. protocols discussed during any podcast are the individual’s own experience and we do not necessarily share the same opinion nor do we recommend any treatment protocol discussed.
Intro 45:24
All content on this website at any linked blog, podcast or video material controlled this website or content is created and produced for informational purposes only and is largely based on the personal experience of Bill Gasiamis the content is intended to complement your medical treatment and support healing.
Intro 45:41
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Intro 46:01
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The post Living With Aphasia After Stroke – Jack Breitenstein appeared first on Recovery After Stroke.
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By Recovery After Stroke
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Jack Breitenstein is recovering from a ruptured AVM, which placed him in a coma at the age of 15 and now 3 years later joins the recovery after stroke podcast to discuss aphasia after stroke.
Socials
www.instagram.com/jack_breitenstein/
Highlights:
01:12 Introduction
05:27 Arteriovenous malformation
13:01 Speech improvements
20:38 Courage to be on the podcast
28:05 The Pitch
34:04 Fatigue
41:31 Being treated differently
Transcription
Bill 0:00
Some people who I’ve contacted on the podcast who had aphasia were not interested in coming onto the podcast because they couldn’t complete the conversation in the way that they felt comfortable. I sent you a message. Do you want to be on the podcast? And you said yes. straightaway. What makes you say yes.
Jack 0:25
Well, I get an opportunity for you and me and a chance to be on a podcast.
Bill 0:46
So it’s an opportunity for you and me to meet and it’s a good chance to be on a podcast yeah?
Jack 0:51
Yeah. and challenging.
Bill 0:53
And it’s challenging you?
Intro 0:59
This is the recovery after stroke podcast. with Bill Gasiamis, helping you navigate recovery after stroke.
Introduction
Bill 1:12
Bill from recoveryafterstroke.com This is Episode 127. And my guest today is Jack Breitenstein. At the age of 15, Jack experienced bleeding in the brain after an AVM he had from birth burst, causing jack to go into a coma and experience seizures after he woke.
Bill 1:33
Now, this episode is a very special one. And it’s probably my favorite episode for the year, coming up to the end of the year. I know, I’m not supposed to have a favorite episode. Because every guest on the podcast is an amazing person who’s made an effort to come on and share their story in the hope that it’ll make a difference to other people.
Bill 1:59
And podcast guests and episodes, they’re like children, you can’t really have a favorite one, and you’re not allowed to choose. But in this particular case, I’m gonna make an exception. And the reason being is because Jack came onto the podcast. And you will notice when the interview commences, that he has aphasia.
Bill 2:21
And it’s quite difficult for Jack to go through the process of having a conversation completing sentences. And it is an amazing thing that he’s on the podcast because I’ve reached out to many stroke survivors that have aphasia who haven’t been able to be guests on the podcast.
Bill 2:41
And I completely understand the reasoning behind that. But as soon as I reached out to Jack and asked him if he would like to be on the show, he straight away said yes. And we made it happen really, really quick. I just love his enthusiasm, his willingness to participate, regardless of the things that he’s experiencing.
Bill 3:02
And during the interview, we’ll get to hear about some other ways that he has continued to participate and go out of his way to challenge himself so that he can prove and encourage others. So as we come to the end of 2020, it’s been a very challenging year.
Bill 3:20
And nonetheless, stroke survivors have turned up to get this podcast to the point of having more than 120 episodes, where you can listen to other stroke survivors talking about what happened to them at the beginning, how the recovery is coming along, and what has happened over the years as recovery has continued.
Bill 3:47
And it’s really important that you understand the way that each podcast is structured. And the reason being is because I want to make the story give importance to the episode that occurred. But then also, I want to paint the picture of how recovery continues to happen over the months and years post-stroke, regardless of people’s deficits and experiences and the things that they struggle with.
Bill 4:14
They’re still able to get back into life, they’re still able to become active members of their community, and they’re still able to achieve their goals and fulfill their passions. So thank you for being with me on this journey in 2020. This crazy Coronavirus a year and I really appreciate all the feedback that I get. And I really appreciate having you as my listener.
Bill 4:41
I really appreciate having you as somebody who has reached out and asked me questions. I really appreciate the people that have come on board as coaching clients. And together I really believe that we can find a way to overcome the deficits and the challenges that Stroke has created for us, and in spite of that, continue to have a really fulfilled life. So thank you once again. And without further ado, it’s on with the show. Jack Breintenstein, welcome to the podcast.
Bill 5:17
Welcome mate thank you for being here. I really appreciate it.
Jack 5:21
You’re welcome.
Bill 5:22
Tell me a little bit about what happened to you.
AVM Recovery
Jack 5:27
Well, I had a stroke three years ago, and well, first week after my birthday.
Bill 5:51
You had a strike three years ago after your birthday. How did you turn?
Jack 5:55
Oh 15.
Bill 6:03
Okay do they know what caused the stroke at 15?
Jack 6:07
Oh, yeah I had a brain injury AVM.
Bill 6:28
You had an AVM arteriovenous malformation?
Jack 6:32
Yeah.
Bill 6:34
And the AVM burst? Is that what happened?
Jack 6:38
Yeah.
Bill 6:42
Before burst. Did you have any idea that this thing was in your head? Did you have any symptoms headaches, anything like that?
Jack 6:52
No this happened (inaudible)
Bill 6:59
What do you remember? about the time that it burst? Were you with it? Or did you just wipe you out?
Jack 7:10
Just wiped me out just black.
Bill 7:16
Just black. Did you have headaches? Or did you feel any symptoms, nausea or anything like that?
Jack 7:21
Oh, I play soccer. And late afternoon, I had a bad headache. And I fell down in my mom’s room and I collapsed.
Bill 7:52
You play soccer. You had a bad headache. And you collapsed.
Jack 7:56
Yeah, yeah.
Bill 7:58
And your mom was with you?
Jack 8:07
Yeah. My parent’s room.
Bill 8:16
You’re in your parents room and you fell. You collapsed. And they took you to the hospital?
Bill 8:21
Yeah, yeah.
Bill 8:24
And then do you remember waking up after that? What was that like?
Jack 8:35
I had a seizure and three weeks comma.
Bill 8:51
So you were in a coma for three weeks?
Jack 8:54
Yeah. Yeah.
Bill 8:55
Wow, man. And then you woke up from the coma? And were you aware of your situation where you were? Did you know that you were in hospital or?
Jack 9:11
No.
Bill 9:13
As well as not being able to speak. Did you have challenges not being able to move as well?
Jack 9:20
Yeah, two after the coma after two and a half months at the hospital. (inaudible)
Bill 9:56
So you were in the hospital and then after you woke up from the coma, you had multiple seizures?
Jack 10:02
Yeah. No. No. Two days at the hospital
Bill 10:11
Two and a half days at the hospital.
Jack 10:13
Yeah.
Bill 10:14
That’s all just two and a half days?
Jack 10:16
No months.
Bill 10:18
Wow. Ok so you were at the hospital, in a coma. And then you also experienced seizures. Is that right?
Jack 10:27
Yeah rehab.
Bill 10:31
And then you did rehab to learn how to walk again and use your arm again?
Jack 10:36
Learn how to wheelchair, and then cane and then walk by yourself.
Bill 10:44
Right. Okay.
Bill 10:47
And now I saw you before walk to the back of the room there with out any trouble. Is there any other issues associated to your walking?
Jack 10:57
And no. I walk by myself.
Bill 11:02
How long did it take you before you went back to school?
Jack 11:08
September six months?
Bill 11:15
Was it difficult going back to school?
Jack 11:20
Yes.
Bill 11:24
What were some of the hardest things for you to adjust to when you went back to school?
Jack 11:39
Oh I had my cane and walk and elevator and crowd in the hallways.
Bill 11:55
So going back to school was quite challenging, was it difficult getting back involved with your friends and starting where you left off?
Jack 12:12
Yeah, my friends, I had a friend. Same friends. (inaudible) And stroke is hard.
Bill 12:34
Stroke is hard yeah?
Jack 12:35
Yeah.
Bill 12:37
How long has it beens since you had the stroke? How many years ago? Was that?
Jack 12:44
Three and a half.
Bill 12:46
So now you’re nearly 18 years old?
Jack 12:54
Yeah. But it was awesome.
Speech improvements with Aphasia After Stroke
Bill 13:01
When you went back to school, did you have the ability to communicate like you can now? Or was it less of an ability at that time when you’re still recovering?
Jack 13:11
Well step by step. Like, three days ago, talking was difficult, but in a long way I’ve done speech therapy all the time.
Bill 13:36
Yeah. And is your speech improving all the time and still improving?
Jack 13:41
Yes, yes.
Bill 13:44
Yeah, and you’re happy about that?
Jack 13:48
Yeah.
Bill 13:49
When does speech become difficult? Is there times during the day where your speech becomes more difficult. Say then at the beginning of the day do you get tired and then does that make it harder to get words out?
Jack 14:05
Yeah, sometimes. Speaking sentences and long words (inaudible)
Bill 14:34
What some of the most difficult times I’ve tried to communicate to people do you find some people struggle to understand you? Does that make them impatient and how have you managed those types of scenarios?
Jack 14:47
Um, well, friends, I know before I know it’s hard Before, but friends three, years long was someone talking and talking more now.
Bill 15:17
You’re talking more now?
Jack 15:19
Yeah.
Bill 15:21
And with aphasia, it’s not a problem understanding me. It’s just a problem making the words come out of your mouth. Is that how you would describe it?
Jack 15:31
Yeah, yeah.
Bill 15:36
So it’s just getting the words out is the hardest part is that the words are here, but they don’t come here. How is it for you?
Jack 15:50
Speaking languages is hard. (inaudible)
Bill 16:08
So the information is here. Sometimes getting it out of your mouth is a little bit hard.
Jack 16:14
Yes.
Bill 16:16
Okay. So when you went back to school, were you able to focus and concentrate on your studies? Did you find it easy to go back and learn the things that you were learning? As a 15-year-old and 16-year-old?
Jack 16:36
Well, no because I’m speaking, more speaking now. Because before speaking one word or two words. But now, there’s a speaking now at school.
Bill 17:19
So you went back to school? Did you complete your schooling? Have you finished that now? Or are you still at school?
Jack 17:26
Still at school freshman year.
Bill 17:51
So you missed one year of school because of the illness because you’re in hospital? And then you went back and you’re continuing with your studies? Are you nearly finished? When do they finish?
Jack 18:08
Oh, so another year.
Bill 18:17
Another year or so?
Jack 18:18
Yeah.
Bill 18:20
Do you have any thoughts about what you might do when you finish school? Are you going to continue studying? Or are you looking for opportunities to work?
Jack 18:33
In college speaking sentences is hard to but yeah, I’m thinking college.
Bill 18:49
So you’re looking at college. Awesome. And do you have some tools that help you communicate with people to speak? Is there some kind of a piece of software or an app or a machine that helps you get words out that you can’t get out?
Jack 19:06
Yeah, apps that can read aloud.
Bill 19:17
Like a translation app that speaks the words that you’ve typed in into the app? Is that right?
Jack 19:23
Yeah.
Bill 19:27
So you have some ways to overcome some of the challenges with getting words out of your mouth. That makes it a lot easier because people before you many years ago, they didn’t have all these tools that are available.
Jack 19:44
Yeah. This is how, because speaking is hard but through apps can make a change.
Bill 20:00
Yeah, you got the apps and they help you. So what will you study? When you go to college? What do you hope to study?
Jack 20:13
I don’t know now but, now I’m hoping to math and I don’t know.
Bill 20:34
Are you good at numbers?
Jack 20:36
Yeah.
Courage to be on the podcast
Bill 20:38
That’s awesome, man. So some people who I’ve contacted on the podcast before, I’ve contacted some people who had aphasia, were not interested in coming on to the podcast because they couldn’t complete conversation in the way that they felt comfortable. And I sent you a message. Do you want to be on the podcast? And you said yes, straight away. What makes you say yes?
Intro 21:05
If you’ve had a stroke, and you’re in recovery, you’ll know what a scary and confusing time it can be, you’re likely to have a lot of questions going through your mind. Like now long will it take to recover? Will I actually recover? What things should I avoid in case I’ll make matters worse?
Intro 21:24
Doctors will explain things that obviously, you’ve never had a stroke before, you probably don’t know what questions to ask. If this is you, you may be missing out on doing things that could help speed up your recovery. If you’re finding yourself in that situation, stop worrying, and head to recoveryafterstroke.com where you can download a guide that will help you.
Intro 21:47
It’s called seven questions to ask your doctor about your stroke. These seven questions are the ones Bill wished he’d asked when he was recovering from a stroke. They’ll not only help you better understand your condition. They’ll help you take a more active role in your recovery. head to the website now, recoveryafterstroke.com and download the guide. It’s free.
Jack 22:10
Well, I get an opportunity for you and me and a chance to be on a podcast.
Bill 22:34
So it’s an opportunity for you and me to meet. And it’s a good chance to be on a podcast yeah?
Jack 22:40
Yeah. It’s challenging.
Bill 22:43
And it’s challenging you. Okay, so you like a challenge you like it when people give you a challenge to make things hard for you so that you can practice and get better?
Jack 22:56
Yes.
Bill 22:58
Okay. So what other things are challenging for you to do that help you get better?
Bill 23:03
Walking is hard, because walking is fine, but running is hard cause running in soccer and baseball me I don’t run as much as I used to. And I climbed the Sears Tower.
Bill 23:34
You climbed the Sears Tower recently?
Jack 23:52
Two years ago.
Bill 23:54
Two years ago, the Sears Tower is massive man.
Jack 23:58
Yeah it is.
Bill 24:01
How tall is it? You know?
Jack 24:10
104 flight of stairs.
Bill 24:15
Wow how long did that take you?
Jack 24:20
One hour and 30 minutes.
Bill 24:23
One hour and 20 minutes?
Jack 24:27
30 minutes.
Bill 24:37
That’s huge man. I wouldn’t be interested in climbing the Sears Tower it’s way too tall for me. Which city is the Sears Tower in?
Jack 24:57
What?
Bill 24:58
Which city is the city tower in?
Jack 25:03
What do you mean?
Bill 25:05
Where is it located? The Sears Tower? The Sears Tower that you climbed where is it?
Jack 25:19
Chicago?
Bill 25:20
In Chicago?
Jack 25:21
Yeah.
Bill 25:22
Wow, man, that’s pretty insane. I wouldn’t be interested in climbing that many flights of stairs. I’m happy to climb two or three. But that’s about it. Now was that a some kind of a charity organized event or how come you’re allowed to even climb the Sears towers? How does that work?
Jack 25:45
Shirley Bryant affiliate of hospital.
Bill 25:51
So it’s organized with the hospital.
Jack 25:53
Yeah.
Bill 25:55
And do they make it a fun event for people to attend if they wish?
Jack 26:00
Yes.
Bill 26:01
And is it a fundraising event? Do you raise money for the hospital?
Jack 26:06
Yes.
Bill 26:07
How much money did you raise?
Jack 26:15
How much?
Bill 26:16
How much money? Did you raise?
Jack 26:20
$1,000.
Bill 26:21
1,000 dollars?
Jack 26:23
Yeah.
Bill 26:23
Man, that’s a good effort. Well done. That’s so good to hear. It’s 110 stories. Oh no it’s not I was trying to find it on the internet here.
Bill 26:44
Sears Towers height. It’s 422 meters high, and it’s 527 meters to the tip. So it’s quite high wow. So when you go to college, and study maths. What do you hope to do with that? Do you hope to begin work in a particular career? Or is there something that you’re aiming for?
Jack 27:35
Yes. Math, this is challenging but I’m still yeah, it’s challenging.
Bill 27:59
Tell me, what are your hobbies? What do you enjoy doing when you’re not studying Or climbing up stairs?
The Pitch
Jack 28:05
I like to play soccer, and baseball, and I threw out a pitch at Wrigley Field.
Bill 28:27
You threw out a pitch recently?
Jack 28:30
Yeah Wrigley Field.
Bill 28:33
At Wrigley Field?
Jack 28:37
Cubs yeah.
Jack 28:38
At the Cubs?
Jack 28:40
Yeah.
Bill 28:40
You threw out the pitch at the Cubs.
Jack 28:42
Yeah.
Bill 28:44
Wow, man. That’s pretty cool. So how did you get to do that?
Jack 28:51
Oh, my mom she reached out to the Cubs manager. And yeah.
Bill 29:16
Well, man, that’s so cool. There’s not many people have done that.
Jack 29:20
Yeah.
Bill 29:22
Hey tell me are the cubs any good at baseball?
Jack 29:30
Maybe.
Bill 29:32
They used to be the worst team in the league.
Jack 29:35
Yeah.
Bill 29:38
And then they won the World Series.
Jack 29:40
Yeah.
Bill 29:41
How amazing was that when they won the World Series? How many years did they wait to win the World Series? How long did it take them to get to that point?
Jack 29:56
Well, 100 years?
Bill 30:03
100 years? It’s an amazing story for if you continue focusing on your goal, maybe you’ll eventually get there.
Jack 30:13
Yeah.
Bill 30:14
Never give up.
Jack 30:16
Yes.
Bill 30:18
Who’s your favorite player?
Jack 30:23
Well, actually the cubs and cardinals are against each other.
Bill 31:05
Alright, what? I missed that so say that again? Who’s your favorite player?
Jack 31:10
Well, I like the Cardinals.
Bill 31:16
You like the Cardinals?
Jack 31:18
Yeah.
Bill 31:20
You like the Cardinals but you through the pitch at the Cubs?
Jack 31:23
Yeah.
Bill 31:24
So which is your team? Is it the Cubs or the Cardinals?
Jack 31:29
Cardinals.
Bill 31:33
So the Cardinals who are they?
Jack 31:40
Oh, yeah. St. Louis.
Bill 31:47
Okay. And the cubs, and the Cardinals are rivals, aren’t they?
Jack 31:53
Yeah, yeah.
Bill 31:55
Okay. So when you threw the first pitch at the Cubs, were they playing the Cardinals that day?
Jack 32:02
Yes.
Bill 32:04
Right. Okay. So, you got to be on the ground with your team, the Cardinals at Chicago?
Jack 32:13
Yeah.
Bill 32:14
Okay. That’s brilliant man. And tell me about who won that day. Which team won your team or the Cubs?
Jack 32:23
The Cubs.
Bill 32:26
The Cubs won?
Jack 32:28
Yeah.
Bill 32:31
Well, nevermind, at least you got to throw the first pitch. Who’s your favorite player? Then at the Cardinals?
Jack 32:40
Oh, yeah. Yadier Molina.
Bill 32:44
All right. How do we spell that?
Jack 32:46
Yadier Molina, Y.
Bill 33:06
He looks like he’s a decent player yeah? He has had so far 2001 hits, he has had 160 home runs, he has runs battered 932, and he has a batting average of 281.
Jack 33:34
Yeah.
Bill 33:35
That’s pretty good. Did you get to meet any of your favorite players that day?
Jack 33:42
Oh, Yadier Molina, I gonna toss up and he caught it and yeah.
Bill 34:00
You got to meet Yadier Molina?
Jack 34:02
Yeah, yeah.
Fatigue and AVM Recovery
Bill 34:04
That’s pretty cool, man awesome. Tell me when we have conversations like this that lasts a long time. Does that make you tired?
Bill 34:16
Well, no, no.
Bill 34:28
No it doesn’t make you tired. So you don’t experience fatigue or is fatigue also something that you experience?
Jack 34:37
Like a baseball game. Me I am ready (inaudible)
Bill 34:52
Okay, so you’re ready to play baseball?
Jack 34:58
No I’m tired later than usual.
Bill 35:06
Okay, so at the moment, you’re getting tired later than usual.
Jack 35:09
Yeah.
Bill 35:10
So there’s less tired and less fatigue at the moment.
Jack 35:14
Yeah.
Bill 35:16
Okay. At the beginning, did you used to be very easily fatigued and tired?
Jack 35:24
Yes.
Bill 35:27
And that’s improved over time?
Jack 35:32
Yes. Yeah.
Bill 35:35
That’s good. So that should continue to get better and better. Do you still go to speech therapy?
Jack 35:45
Ah, yeah.
Bill 35:50
How many times? How many times a week?
Jack 36:00
Once a week.
Bill 36:02
Once a week?
Jack 36:04
Four weeks.
Bill 36:07
Four hours a week?
Jack 36:09
No, four a week.
Bill 36:14
Four times every week?
Jack 36:16
Yeah.
Bill 36:17
Okay. And do you practice your therapy at home as well? When you’re in your room on your computer? Is there other tools that you use? Or do you just do that at therapy?
Jack 36:35
Yeah. Physical therapy, We’re not sure but it shows by the stretching and listening. and it helps improve.
Bill 36:54
And so you do stretching and physical therapy as well?
Jack 37:00
Yeah. Yeah.
Bill 37:05
Are there some things that you prefer to do? Instead of other things? Do you enjoy doing the stretching and the physical therapy? Is that good for you?
Jack 37:15
Yeah.
Bill 37:22
How’s your memory? Do you have any dramas with the memory?
Jack 37:28
No. Well, no.
Jack 37:37
Yeah. I had a seizure.
Bill 37:44
Recently, you had a seizure recently?
Jack 37:46
No, back in the day. Two seizures.
Bill 37:53
Two seizures. But your memory is okay these days?
Jack 37:58
Yeah.
Bill 38:01
Awesome, man. What do you love to do when you’re not playing soccer? What do you do? Do you play games on the computer? Do you enjoy online?
Jack 38:14
My hand is hard to control. But I play video games yeah.
Bill 38:27
And which is the affected hand? Is it the left hand or the right hand?
Jack 38:32
Left.
Bill 38:34
Your left hand is affected.
Jack 38:36
Yeah. No, the other one.
Bill 38:39
The right hand is affected. Yep. So your AVM was on the left side of your brain. And did you have surgery to remove it the AVM?
Jack 38:57
Yes. They took it out.
Bill 39:01
They did? Was it a big hole in your head?
Jack 39:11
No. Small.
Bill 39:18
Yeah, I had similar surgery they made a small hole in my head. Do you have siblings, brothers and sisters?
Jack 39:29
Younger brother.
Bill 39:35
So when I had surgery on my head, and they opened up my skull it was proof to my older brother that I had a brain because he used to say grow a brain all the time to me. So I proved to him for the first time that I actually did have a brain because we saw it. Other people saw it. So how old was your brother at the time?
Jack 40:02
Oh 13.
Bill 40:06
He was 33 years younger than you?
Jack 40:09
Yeah. Yeah.
Bill 40:11
Is he a good younger brother? Does he help out?
Jack 40:13
Yeah. He was pretty well. They were me and father play (inaudible)
Bill 40:24
Yeah, is he supportive, or does he still give you a hard time like all younger brothers do?
Jack 40:34
Yeah.
Bill 40:39
That’s good. That’s his job. What would you like to tell people who might be listening to this podcast? About some of the challenges that you have with aphasia? What is the message that you would like them to have about people who have aphasia?
Jack 41:02
Well, still smile.
Bill 41:14
Still smile. Yeah, of course. And it’s just a communication issue. It’s not an issue with the other parts of the brain.
Being treated differently
Bill 41:31
And do people treat you differently? Because of your voice?
Jack 41:37
Oh, yeah.
Bill 41:48
Is that frustrating make it difficult for you sometimes?
Jack 41:51
Yeah. It’s difficult.
Bill 41:53
Are some people mean and nasty?
Jack 42:00
Oh, no.
Bill 42:05
That’s good. Man. I really want to thank you for saying yes to being on the podcast. Man. I really, truly appreciate it. I think it’s an amazing thing that you’ve done by coming onto the podcast.
Jack 42:17
Thank you for being here.
Bill 42:21
You’re welcome. And hopefully, what this does is get the message out to people who are listening about some of the challenges that people with aphasia face. And how brave it is for people with aphasia to get onto a podcast like this and have a conversation with me.
Bill 42:38
I think it’s amazing. I’ve encouraged many people with aphasia to come on to the podcast, but most of them prefer not to and I understand that’s perfectly okay. I think you’re doing a great thing for that community, because they need to feel that it’s okay to be brave. And to come onto a podcast and talk about some of the challenges.
Jack 43:01
Yeah. It’s hard and but it’s difficult.
Bill 43:09
It’s difficult, but it’s getting better?
Jack 43:11
Yeah.
Bill 43:14
Well done, Jack. Man, I really appreciate it. What I’ll do is I’ll edit this. And I’ll put it together. And I’ll send it across to you so you can have a listen to it.
Jack 43:25
Okay.
Bill 43:25
And tell me what you think. And then I’ll also post it on social media and tag you into the post.
Jack 43:32
Right yeah.
Bill 43:34
And you can share it and let people know that you are on the podcast, as well.
Jack 43:38
Yeah. Thank you.
Bill 43:40
If there’s anything you need from me, if I can help you with anything, I’m in Australia, I’m quite far away.
Jack 43:46
Australia.
Bill 43:47
Yeah. There’s lots of things I can’t help you with. But if there’s something that I can help you with, just reach out and let me know.
Jack 43:55
Thank you.
Bill 43:56
Hit me up on Instagram or email.
Jack 43:59
Okay.
Bill 44:02
Enjoy the rest of your, is it nighttime there now?
Jack 44:06
No. It’s still noon.
Bill 44:12
It’s daytime or night time there.
Jack 44:18
Yeah
Bill 44:20
Yeah. Enjoy the rest of your night. My day has just started. It’s 10 o’clock in the morning here. All the best Jack, thank you so much for being on the podcast. I’ll get this back to you. In the next week or two.
Jack 44:35
Oh, yeah. Thank you.
Bill 44:43
You’re welcome, mate. Thank you. See ya.
Intro 44:57
Discover how to heal your brain after Stroke go to recoveryafterstroke.com. Importantly, we present many podcasts designed to give you an insight and understanding into the experiences of other individuals opinions and treatments. protocols discussed during any podcast are the individual’s own experience and we do not necessarily share the same opinion nor do we recommend any treatment protocol discussed.
Intro 45:24
All content on this website at any linked blog, podcast or video material controlled this website or content is created and produced for informational purposes only and is largely based on the personal experience of Bill Gasiamis the content is intended to complement your medical treatment and support healing.
Intro 45:41
It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice and should not be relied on as health advice. The information is general and may not be suitable for your personal injuries, circumstances or health objectives. Do not use our content as a standalone resource to diagnose treat, cure or prevent any disease for therapeutic purposes or as a substitute for the advice of a health professional.
Intro 46:01
Never delay seeking advice or disregard the advice of a medical professional, your doctor or your rehabilitation program based on our content if you have any questions or concerns about your health or medical condition, please seek guidance from a doctor or other medical professional.
Intro 46:15
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Intro 46:31
We did not provide any guarantees and assume no legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, currency or completeness of the content. If you choose to rely on any information within our content you do so solely at your own risk. We are careful with links we provide. However third party links from our website are followed at your own risk and we are not responsible for any information you find there.
The post Living With Aphasia After Stroke – Jack Breitenstein appeared first on Recovery After Stroke.
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