'Strokes are not political. They strike Republicans, Democrats, and every other party,' David Becker and Sherri Becker write. 'As the public reflects on the debate, our hope is that...they do so with compassion.'
The communication challenges that arise after a brain injury have been in the news a lot lately, and they hit close to home for me.struggled with auditory processing after his strokeEver since undergoing neurologic surgery six months ago due to a brain tumor, I sometimes mix up my words, too. Yet, in my head, the ideas and thoughts are clear. This is a form of expressive aphasia, a category ofthat affect speech and writing, most often brought on by a stroke, brain injury or tumor.
A friend recently asked my wife, a nurse, and me, a retired cardiologist, to lead a seminar for University of Pennsylvania medical students who are interested in medical writing. The thought of public speaking caused me anxiety. But we were flattered by the invitation and accepted. The students were inspiring. At the end of the class, we presented them with a rough draft of this article and asked for their suggestions. Our overwhelming takeaway was the empathy that they expressed for people who struggle with expressive aphasia. It warmed our hearts to see future physicians be so caring and kind.
My aphasia does not happen often. When it does, it is usually related to fatigue and stressful situations. I rehearsed for days. This is something I never needed to do before my illness. If this is how I felt speaking to 10 medical students, I can only imagine how John Fetterman felt at October’s senatorial debate.
Fetterman has demonstrated many of the symptoms of aphasia, though his campaign has said he has not formally been diagnosed with it.
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