The Beautiful Side of Having a Stroke

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New Book | Life After Stroke: On The Road To Recovery by Jeff Kagan

Atlanta, GA, July 31, 2011 — I want to tell you about the beautiful side of having a stroke. Don’t get me wrong, I can’t say that I feel lucky to have had a stroke. Checking out for years is not my idea of a great time. My stroke happened in 2004 and I have lived through the long recovery process.

Still, there was an incredible part of the recovery process that I am so glad that I had the chance to experience. That is what I want to talk with you about today.

What I am going to tell you about stroke will sound strange, even unbelievable since it is related to stroke, but is absolutely true. I know this is true because it happened to me. I am a stroke survivor. Seven years ago I had a stroke, which changed my life.

There were many different stages in my recovery over the years as I recovered. Some were good and some were bad, some happy and some sad, full of laughter and tears. And as you can imagine sometimes these ups and downs were separated only by a few hours.

However there was also the most amazing part that I am so happy I had the chance to experience. The first part of the recovery process was like a butterfly coming out of a cocoon in the sunshine of a spring day.

This lasted roughly four to six months for me. After that I started to recover, slowly. My mind started to understand what I had lost and all of a sudden the worry and sadness started to creep into the beautiful space.

However this beautiful space was mine for that window of time when everything was happy and filled with love and joy.

The best example I can give you is from the movie Star Trek Generations when Captain Kirk and Captain Picard joined forces in the Nexus. The Nexus was described as an incredibly beautiful and welcoming place, and when you are there, you never want to leave. They said a few who have been to the Nexus and returned describe it as a euphoric experience, like being wrapped in joy.

That is a perfect description of what I experienced during the first stage of my recovery. It is absolutely real.

As I walked each day I heard the birds, felt the sunshine, experienced the breezes, became enveloped in the incredibly beautiful music I was listening to. It was like living in heaven. It was incapable for me to experience anything but joy.

I talk about this incredible experience in my book, Life After Stroke: On The Road To Recovery. You can read some of the book here http://jeffkagan.com/Life_After_Stroke.htm.

The book is available for sale at the publishers web site http://www.fastpencil.com/publications/1341-Life-After-Stroke, or BarnesAndNoble.com, Amazon.com and other online bookstores.

The first several months I was lost in a la-la-land that was the most happy and warm and special place I could ever imagine. Was it real? Yes it was. I was unable to think negative thoughts. I don’t know why, but I lived through the most extraordinary and happy time of my life.

Visit the web page for my book, explore and enjoy. I wish you a speedy recovery.

Jeff Kagan