“I’m getting better and that’s everything…”  – Kelly

Kelly was in charge of providing rehab and adaptive therapy, services, and equipment to stroke recovery and TBI survivors.  As a Vice President, she was responsible for marketing, finance, accounting, operations, and oversaw all clinical components in helping patients access complex rehab services.

Two years ago, out of the blue, she encountered what many of her patients did – Kelly had a stroke and found herself in an ICU fighting for survival. 

Kelly remembers nothing from the first two months after her stroke. She doesn’t remember moving facilities three times. She does remember starting to get better, starting stroke recovery and therapy. Many months and four facilities later, she returned home. 

Then, like many others, she was told that her insurance would not allow for additional outpatient services for her stroke recovery. “My 10 speech therapy visits were over, and I was a far way from being able to communicate and run a business – especially the budgeting and accounting part!”

Never one to give up, Kelly took it upon herself to find additional therapy services and support. Through many Internet searches and lots of networking, she found the Worcester State University speech and hearing clinic, as well as the Aphasia Community Group at Boston University. It was at BU that she learned about Constant Therapy and began regularly using the cognitive and speech therapy app that was customized to meet her specific needs: critical thinking, effectively communicating, and processing numbers – for budgeting and accounting, getting better at processing numbers was her most important goal.

Kelly believes that Constant Therapy continues to play a key role in her recovery process. She continues to do exercises on the app regularly. Today, Kelly is back to doing some of the things she loves most – driving, crunching numbers for her own budget, spending time with her family, volunteering and herb gardening.

She has a message for anyone going through what she has been through: “There will be frustrating days; however it is going to get better. Stay positive and move forward. Rely on your family and friends. Their love and support gave me the strength to relearn everything – even my numbers and my ABC’s. They are there to help you.  Keep looking for resources to help in your recovery even though it may take a lot of searching. Resources are out there. Keep searching until you find them.” Some of Kelly’s favorite resources are:

• Constant Therapy –  provides a science-based app to help recovery from stroke, brain injury and aphasia.
• Aphasia Recovery Connection – an excellent resource for people with aphasia, their loved ones, and professionals. ARC is the largest online support group for people with aphasia and their families.
• National Stroke Association – provides resources and programs focused on prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and support for all impacted by stroke.