In this episode we introduce Tina Orkin and learn about the life she built both before and after her stroke. Tina shares her journey into healthcare, becoming a nurse and working in OB-GYN, and talks about the work she was passionate about and the patients she cared for. She also opens up about her stroke and the recovery that followed. By exploring both her career and her stroke journey, we get a fuller picture of Tina’s strength, resilience, and the experiences that have shaped her life.#StrokeRecovery #StrokeAwareness #AphasiaRecovery #StrokeSurvivor #LifeAfterStroke #RecoveryJourney #MentalHealth #Wellness #HealthStories #HealthcareHeroes #Resilience #Inspiration #PodcastLife #PodcastClips #WhenWordsDontComeEasy #Motivation #SelfCare #Mindset #LifeStories #HumanExperience

In this episode, we talk with Francis Muldowney, an Irish stroke survivor who rebuilt his life after aphasia took his speech but not his mind.

At a time when little was understood about communication disorders, Francis was often underestimated. He began using impressions and character voices to express himself, slowly carving a path back to connection and identity. At one of his lowest moments in the hospital, he considered ending his life. A quiet realization changed that decision and shaped everything that followed.

He later walked 4,000 miles across Australia, proving to himself and the world that he was far from finished.

This is a story about voice, survival, and choosing to stay.

Fourteen years ago, Eric Jackson survived a stroke that changed the way he communicates and sees the world. When his insurance ran out early in his recovery, formal therapy stopped, but Eric didn’t. He built his own routine, practicing speech and physical exercises every day, reading anything he could out loud, even the back of a mustard bottle, determined not to lose ground. For more than a decade, no one officially diagnosed him with aphasia, and he didn’t even know the word until two years ago. In this episode, Eric shares what it was like to live with something he couldn’t name, how fatigue still affects his speech, and the resilience it takes to rebuild your voice when the system runs out but you refuse to.