Stroke Recovery
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“A bestseller written to help stroke patients for all time.”
— Dr. Hillel Finestone, Director of Stroke Rehabilitation Research, Bruyère Health
As a young mother on maternity leave from my rewarding government agency job, I was immersed in the joys of bonding with my three-month-old daughter. My husband Jean-Pierre and I anticipated a bright and exciting future for our family.
Then, in an instant, it all came crashing down.
At just age 27, I had a stroke.
As I lay in hospital with the right side of my body numb and immobilized, I was gripped by fear, guilt, and despair. How would I care for my daughter?
Would I ever work again?
Were failure and disappointment now my destiny?
Every year, thousands of women have strokes, many during pregnancy and postpartum.
Most never see it coming.
Why? Because 89% of women don’t know their personal stroke risk factors.
The latest research proves that women have more strokes than men due to unique risk factors throughout our lives, from hormonal changes during pregnancy, through to menopause and beyond. Yet these risks are rarely discussed, poorly understood, and almost never taken seriously until it’s too late.
Medical textbooks offer clinical data. But they don’t tell you how to hold your baby when your right side is paralyzed.
They don’t explain how to rebuild a career after your brain has been scrambled. They don’t show you what 40 years of recovery actually looks like.
In Becoming Comfortably Numb: A Memoir on Brain-Mending, I share my decades-long journey through rehabilitation, setbacks, small victories, and triumphs. I learned to manage daily tasks as a “differently abled” person, eventually continue my career, and build a life of fulfillment.
This inspiring memoir offers hope, practical strategies, and a testament to resilience for stroke survivors, caregivers, and anyone facing life-altering challenges.
The paperback edition is also available in large print.
