Lately, it has been hot, so I decided to do something that would make life a little easier. I cooked a bunch of different meals in the crock pot, put them into containers, and froze them. That way, when the weather is hot, I wouldn't have to do much cooking. Then a flyer came in from the local Mexican market. They had pineapples, plantains, mangoes, watermelon, cucumbers—fresh fruits and vegetables at really good prices. They also had beef shanks. So after the gym, I had my caretaker take me to the store. I already had plenty of food at home. I had meals in the freezer, food in the refrigerator, and everything I needed. I wasn't going to the store because I was running out of food. But when I got there, something happened. I felt happy. The store was colorful and full of fresh food. I could choose one of this, two of that, three of something else. I wasn't limited to whatever quantity happened to come in a package. I could actually look at what I wanted and decide what I wa...
I Almost Forgot My Strokeversary
💔 Please read my story, share this post, and help me get the word out.
Yesterday, August 3rd, marked six years since my stroke.
I almost forgot.
Not because it isn't important, but because I'm carrying so much pain from the injuries I suffered in my car accident on September 6th, 2025, that my stroke anniversary completely slipped my mind.
That first year after my stroke, I honestly thought I was going to die every single day. I was constantly dizzy, scared, and didn't know if life would ever feel normal again. I remember telling myself, If I can just make it through the first year, I'll be okay.
I had to learn how to walk, talk, and eat without choking all over again.
Then came the second year. The third. Things slowly got easier. Life gradually started feeling normal again. I still have deficits—mostly in my left hand and a little weakness on my left side—for the most part, you couldn't really tell when I walked, or at least that's what I thought. But people who have known me for years could tell.
Ironically, it wasn't until I began recovering from my accident that I noticed some of those old stroke deficits more clearly, especially how much I still clench my left hand.
Before the accident, I remember stuttering and stammering a lot more. I would have thoughts clear in my head but would struggle to get my words out. I hated it. Somehow, after I came out of the coma and started slowly coming back to life, most of that went away. I still don't stammer as much as I used to.
By the fifth year after my stroke, I finally felt like my life was normal again.
One month later, I was in a catastrophic head-on collision that changed my life all over again.
Now my stroke recovery takes second place because I am in survival mode once again, and every day is consumed by recovering from the accident.
I'm exhausted.
Not just physically, but mentally and emotionally.
My body is carrying the weight of chronic pain, trauma, fear, financial stress, and the constant pressure of trying to figure out how I'm going to survive. I'm still in a wheelchair about 90% of the time. Every time I wear my prosthetic, my residual limb swells and becomes painful. My left ankle still swells quickly, even though I had surgery on May 21st to remove part of the hardware. Now I also have to worry about blood blisters on my amputated leg, and my prosthetic clinician is already talking about making me an entirely new socket.
More than anything, I wish I could just focus on healing.
Instead, every day is filled with questions I can't answer.
How am I going to pay my bills?
How am I going to keep a roof over my head?
Why is disability taking so long?
Will I even qualify?
It's frustrating to hear that losing a leg somehow isn't enough, even though I also broke two vertebrae, six ribs, my pelvis, and my right wrist. My left leg was crushed and reconstructed. I went into heart failure and kidney failure. My body has survived more than I ever imagined it could.
The other day I posted a video in an amputee group, and someone actually told me he had suffered more than I had because he broke twelve ribs and also had heart and kidney failure—as if suffering is some kind of competition.
I found that very hurtful, and it made me angry that someone could dismiss my story because they thought they had it worse than me.
No one gets to tell me my suffering doesn't count.
I am just a human being trying to survive.
Eleven months ago, a head-on crash put me in a coma and took my leg. Eleven months later, the legal and disability systems are completely stalled, and I am still fighting to survive from my wheelchair with zero income.
Please donate if you can, or hit SHARE so a writer, journalist, or advocate might see this and help me amplify my story.
👇 GOFUNDME LINK 🙏✨
Mutual Aid, GoFundMe, Amputee Life, Trauma Survivor, Disabled and Fighting, Help Me Survive, Stroke, Stroke Survivor
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