Today on Beyond Stillness: Stories After Stroke we're offering another Community Special featuring the Overlake Aphasia Communication & Support Group at Overlake Medical Center in Bellevue, Washington led by Emily Wimberly. This dedicated group meets monthly, creating a space where members connect, practice communication skills, and discover new ways to cope and thrive with aphasia. Join us as group members share the insights they've gained while navigating life with aphasia and the meaningful connections they've built along the way.

Community Conversation Prompt:

• What helps you feel heard and understood?

Mentioned Resources:

• Overtake Communication & Support Group
• My Stroke of Insight by Jill Bolte Taylor, P.h.D
• National Aphasia Synergy
• Sue Phipps' Stories and Interviews

Click here to sponsor a stroke survivor on their seven week reflective story crafting journey.

Join us on Instagram and Facebook and Youtube.

Beyond Stillness: Stories After Stroke is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to empower stroke survivors to articulate and publicly share their stories of wisdom, purpose, connection, and hope.

To learn more about our programs and services, please visit www.beyondstillness.org.

#BeyondStillness #StrokeRecovery #StrokeSurvivor #StrokeStories #StrokeAwareness #Storytelling #StrokeSupport #Recovery #Resilience #Hope #Transformation #LifeAfterStroke #Inspiration #NarrativeIdentity #StorytellingHeals #RewritingMyStory #IdentityAfterStroke #PostTraumaticGrowth

Today on Beyond Stillness: Stories After Stroke we're offering another Community Special featuring the Overlake Aphasia Communication & Support Group at Overlake Medical Center in Bellevue, Washington led by Emily Wimberly. This dedicated group meets monthly, creating a space where members connect, practice communication skills, and discover new ways to cope and thrive with aphasia. Join us as group members share the insights they've gained while navigating life with aphasia and the meaningful connections they've built along the way.

Community Conversation Prompt:

• What helps you feel heard and understood?

Mentioned Resources:

• Overtake Communication & Support Group
• My Stroke of Insight by Jill Bolte Taylor, P.h.D
• National Aphasia Synergy
• Sue Phipps' Stories and Interviews

Click here to sponsor a stroke survivor on their seven week reflective story crafting journey.

Join us on Instagram and Facebook and Youtube.

Beyond Stillness: Stories After Stroke is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to empower stroke survivors to articulate and publicly share their stories of wisdom, purpose, connection, and hope.

To learn more about our programs and services, please visit www.beyondstillness.org.

#BeyondStillness #StrokeRecovery #StrokeSurvivor #StrokeStories #StrokeAwareness #Storytelling #StrokeSupport #Recovery #Resilience #Hope #Transformation #LifeAfterStroke #Inspiration #NarrativeIdentity #StorytellingHeals #RewritingMyStory #IdentityAfterStroke #PostTraumaticGrowth

Today we meet Kimberley, who persevered through hardships growing up. On Thanksgiving Day 2012, a stroke furthered that storyline—leaving her unable to speak in a hospital hallway despite desperate attempts to call for help. The stroke caused aphasia, affecting her ability to find words.

Now Kimberley not only perseveres in her own life, but also advocates for all people with aphasia. She wears "aphasia" t-shirts daily to engage and teach others, and even plans to speak with people in Congress with her group from University of Pittsburgh's Community Aphasia Center. Kimberley is offering her lived experience and voice to make way for a more supportive and just environment for people living with aphasia.

Kimberley’s journey shows that advocacy begins with curiosity, listening, and compassion—and flourishes through courage to engage.

Suggested Resources:

• Pittsburgh VA Hospital PIRATE (Program for Intensive Residential Aphasia Treatment & Education) Program
• University of Pittsburgh Community Aphasia Center

Community Conversation Prompt:

• What practices help you prepare for challenges ahead?

Click here to sponsor a stroke survivor on their seven week reflective story crafting journey.

Join us on Instagram and Facebook and Youtube.

Beyond Stillness: Stories After Stroke is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to empower stroke survivors to articulate and publicly share their stories of wisdom, purpose, connection, and hope.

To learn more about our programs and services, please visit www.beyondstillness.org.

#BeyondStillness #StrokeRecovery #StrokeSurvivor #StrokeStories #StrokeAwareness #Storytelling #StrokeSupport #Recovery #Resilience #Hope #Transformation #LifeAfterStroke #Inspiration #NarrativeIdentity #StorytellingHeals #RewritingMyStory #IdentityAfterStroke #PostTraumaticGrowth

Today we meet Kimberley, who persevered through hardships growing up. On Thanksgiving Day 2012, a stroke furthered that storyline—leaving her unable to speak in a hospital hallway despite desperate attempts to call for help. The stroke caused aphasia, affecting her ability to find words.

Now Kimberley not only perseveres in her own life, but also advocates for all people with aphasia. She wears "aphasia" t-shirts daily to engage and teach others, and even plans to speak with people in Congress with her group from University of Pittsburgh's Community Aphasia Center. Kimberley is offering her lived experience and voice to make way for a more supportive and just environment for people living with aphasia.

Kimberley’s journey shows that advocacy begins with curiosity, listening, and compassion—and flourishes through courage to engage.

Suggested Resources:

• Pittsburgh VA Hospital PIRATE (Program for Intensive Residential Aphasia Treatment & Education) Program
• University of Pittsburgh Community Aphasia Center

Community Conversation Prompt:

•   What practices help you prepare for challenges ahead? 

Click here to sponsor a stroke survivor on their seven week reflective story crafting journey.

Join us on Instagram and Facebook and Youtube.

Beyond Stillness: Stories After Stroke is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to empower stroke survivors to articulate and publicly share their stories of wisdom, purpose, connection, and hope.

To learn more about our programs and services, please visit www.beyondstillness.org.

#BeyondStillness #StrokeRecovery #StrokeSurvivor #StrokeStories #StrokeAwareness #Storytelling #StrokeSupport #Recovery #Resilience #Hope #Transformation #LifeAfterStroke #Inspiration #NarrativeIdentity #StorytellingHeals #RewritingMyStory #IdentityAfterStroke #PostTraumaticGrowth

Today we meet Virgil, who learned that strength isn't about being untouchable—it's about discovering what you're truly capable of when everything changes. From that confusing June evening in 2018 to becoming a beacon of hope in Pittsburgh's aphasia community, Virgil's story reminds us that sometimes life's greatest purpose emerges not despite our struggles, but because of them. This is a story about lacing up your boots and learning to march forward, not alone, but surrounded by a family that refuses to let anyone settle for less than their best.

Community Conversation Prompts:

• Who believed in you when you couldn't believe in yourself?
• How did they show you that you were stronger than you knew?

Mentioned Resources:

• Champion the Challenges - Golf4Life
• Pittsburgh VA Hospital PIRATE (Program for Intensive Residential Aphasia Treatment & Education) Program
• University of Pittsburgh Community Aphasia Center
• University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Montefiore Rehabilitation Hospital

Click here to sponsor a stroke survivor on their seven week reflective story crafting journey.

Join us on Instagram and Facebook and Youtube.

Beyond Stillness: Stories After Stroke is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to empower stroke survivors to articulate and publicly share their stories of wisdom, purpose, connection, and hope.

To learn more about our programs and services, please visit www.beyondstillness.org.

#BeyondStillness #StrokeRecovery #StrokeSurvivor #StrokeStories #StrokeAwareness #Storytelling #StrokeSupport #Recovery #Resilience #Hope #Transformation #LifeAfterStroke #Inspiration #NarrativeIdentity #StorytellingHeals #RewritingMyStory #IdentityAfterStroke #PostTraumaticGrowth

Today we meet Trish Hambridge, who discovered that recovery isn't just about rebuilding what was lost—it's about creating something entirely new. Through her journey with aphasia, Trish has become a powerful advocate, founding National Aphasia Synergy, a peer-led organization that proves together, we are greater than the sum of our parts.

Community Conversation Prompt:

Trish shares that meaningful contributions help her stay healthy and happy. How do you support others in big or small ways?

Trish's Suggested Resources:

• National Aphasia Synergy (NAS)
• NAS Aphasia and Mental Health Video
• NAS Peer Befriending Program
• NAS - The Synergy Turf: Anxiety vs. Excitement
• NAS Facebook Page
• Aphasia Games for Health
• Effects of tDCS Video
• How Positive and Negative Emotions Affect People with Aphasia Naming Pictures
• Journey Back to "Life is Good" Video
• P2Go App
• Project Designing Game-Based Rehabilitation Experiences for People with Aphasia
• Project Exploring Post Traumatic Growth in Aphasia
• Stroke Survivor Tips and Tricks
• Yike! I Had The Yips for Aphasia Video

Click here to sponsor a stroke survivor on their seven week reflective story crafting journey.

Join us on Instagram and Facebook and Youtube.

Beyond Stillness: Stories After Stroke is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to empower stroke survivors to articulate and publicly share their stories of wisdom, purpose, connection, and hope.

To learn more about our programs and services, please visit www.beyondstillness.org.

#BeyondStillness #StrokeRecovery #StrokeSurvivor #StrokeStories #StrokeAwareness #Storytelling #StrokeSupport #Recovery #Resilience #Hope #Transformation #LifeAfterStroke #Inspiration #NarrativeIdentity #StorytellingHeals #RewritingMyStory #IdentityAfterStroke #PostTraumaticGrowth

Today we meet Trish Hambridge, who discovered that recovery isn't just about rebuilding what was lost—it's about creating something entirely new. Through her journey with aphasia, Trish has become a powerful advocate, founding National Aphasia Synergy, a peer-led organization that proves together, we are greater than the sum of our parts.

Community Conversation Prompt:

Trish shares that meaningful contributions help her stay healthy and happy. How do you support others in big or small ways?

Trish's Suggested Resources:

• National Aphasia Synergy (NAS)
• NAS Aphasia and Mental Health Video
• NAS Peer Befriending Program
• NAS - The Synergy Turf: Anxiety vs. Excitement
• NAS Facebook Page
• Aphasia Games for Health
• Effects of tDCS Video
• How Positive and Negative Emotions Affect People with Aphasia Naming Pictures
• Journey Back to "Life is Good" Video
• P2Go App
• Project Designing Game-Based Rehabilitation Experiences for People with Aphasia
• Project Exploring Post Traumatic Growth in Aphasia
• Stroke Survivor Tips and Tricks
• Yike! I Had The Yips for Aphasia Video

Click here to sponsor a stroke survivor on their seven week reflective story crafting journey.

Join us on Instagram and Facebook and Youtube.

Beyond Stillness: Stories After Stroke is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to empower stroke survivors to articulate and publicly share their stories of wisdom, purpose, connection, and hope.

To learn more about our programs and services, please visit www.beyondstillness.org.

#BeyondStillness #StrokeRecovery #StrokeSurvivor #StrokeStories #StrokeAwareness #Storytelling #StrokeSupport #Recovery #Resilience #Hope #Transformation #LifeAfterStroke #Inspiration #NarrativeIdentity #StorytellingHeals #RewritingMyStory #IdentityAfterStroke #PostTraumaticGrowth

Today, we welcome our guest, Eric Anderson, who discovered his greatest strength in his most vulnerable moment. When a sudden stroke left him completely paralyzed from the neck down, Eric realized he still possessed what he calls his "superpower" – the ability to choose his thoughts, even when everything else was beyond his control. Join us as Eric shares how he transformed a medical crisis into a masterclass in resilience, built a "positivity plan" that changed his recovery trajectory, and learned the profound difference between enduring challenges and embracing them. His story reveals how sometimes our most difficult moments become the gateway to our most meaningful purpose.

Community Conversation Prompt:

• In what ways have you chosen your environment or thoughts in order to create a positive space?

Mentioned Resources:

• Champion the Challenges Booklets
• Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute
• M Health Fairview Ridges Hospital - Burnsville, MN
• M Health Fairview Southdale Hospital - Edina, MN

Click here to sponsor a stroke survivor on their seven week reflective story crafting journey.

Join us on Instagram and Facebook and Youtube.

Beyond Stillness: Stories After Stroke is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to empower stroke survivors to articulate and publicly share their stories of wisdom, purpose, connection, and hope.

To learn more about our programs and services, please visit www.beyondstillness.org.

#BeyondStillness #StrokeRecovery #StrokeSurvivor #StrokeStories #StrokeAwareness #Storytelling #StrokeSupport #Recovery #Resilience #Hope #Transformation #LifeAfterStroke #Inspiration #NarrativeIdentity #StorytellingHeals #RewritingMyStory #IdentityAfterStroke #PostTraumaticGrowth