Category: Photos

• 1 year

  I left the hospital exactly one year ago today.

  ellie

  August 24, 2020

  Memories, Photos, The Sixth Year

  #DespiteDisability, #LifeIsBeautiful, #NeverGiveUp, ABI, acquired brain injury, anomia, aphasia, bipolar, bipolar disorder, bipolar II disorder, brain injury, Brainstem, brainstem stroke, cerebellar stroke, Cerebellum, disability, generalized anxiety disorder, ischaemic stroke, ischemic stroke, left hemisphere ischemia, life is beautiful, neuropsychiatrist, neuropsychiatry, perspective, Recovery, seizure, seizures, Suicide, The Stroke Story, TIRR, young adult stroke, Young stroke, young stroke survivor, YSS

• 5

  

  I’m 5 years, 2 months and 2 days post-stroke. (Likely 5 years, 2 months and 3 days, by the time I finish writing this. It’s late.) 5 years. 5. That’s half a decade. Oy. 3 months and 4 days since I last updated this site. Sorry about that; I just wanted to step back for…

  ellie

  January 5, 2019

  ataxia, Memories, Photos, Ramblings, Random Posts, The Fifth Year, The Stroke Story, Updates

  #DespiteDisability, #LifeIsBeautiful, #NeverGiveUp, ABI, ACA, acquired ataxia, acquired brain injury, acquired cerebellar ataxia, anomia, aphasia, asphyxiation, ataxia, bipolar, bipolar disorder, bipolar II disorder, brain injury, brain stem tremor, brainstem stroke, brainstem tremor, cardiac arrest, cardiovascular event, cerebellar ataxia, cerebellar ataxia brain stem, cerebellar stroke, Cerebellum, deep brain stimulation, depression, diagnosis, disability, GAD, generalized anxiety disorder, H-Town, handicap, hemiparesis, hemiplegia, Houston, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, ICD, Intention tremor, ischaemic stroke, ischemic stroke, kinetic tremor, left hemisphere ischemia, LGBTQ, life is beautiful, major depressive disorder, MDD, perspective, Recovery, seizure, seizures, social issue, stigma, stroke, stroke recovery, TBI, The Stroke Story, trauma, Tremor, tremor disorder, young adult stroke, Young stroke, young stroke survivor, YSS

• -364 days

  

  1 year ago – Monday, May 16 2016 I waited, excited and nervous. Tomorrow. A burr hole will expose the surface of my brain for the very first time… tomorrow. Less than 24 hours. I don’t remember what I did that morning, or the days leading up to it. I know that I watched videos…

  ellie

  May 16, 2017

  ataxia, Memories, Photos, The Stroke Story, The Third Year, Updates, Videos

  ABI, acquired brain injury, ataxia, awake brain surgery, brain injury, brain stem tremor, brain surgery, Brainstem, brainstem stroke, brainstem tremor, cerebellar ataxia, cerebellar stroke, Cerebellum, DBS, deep brain stimulation, disability, Dr. Albert Fenoy, Dr. Mya Scheiss, FA, FARA, Friedreich’s Ataxia, handicap, hemiparesis, Houston Medical Center, implantable cardioverter defibrillator, Intention tremor, ischaemic stroke, ischemic stroke, kinetic tremor, left hemisphere ischemia, Medtronic DBS, Memorial Hermann, Memorial Hermann Hospital, Mischer Neuroscience Institute, MRI, NAF, National Ataxia Foundation, operation, Recovery, Spinocerebellar Ataxia, stroke, stroke recovery, surgery, The Stroke Story, TIRR, Tremor, tremor disorder, Videos, young adult stroke, Young stroke, young stroke survivor, YSS

• Brad

  

  Brad Blaes  5/14/1987 – 2/7/2017 Spinocerebellar Ataxia type 3

  ellie

  February 5, 2017

  ataxia, Photos, The Stroke Story, The Third Year, Updates

  asphyxiation, ataxia, NAF, National Ataxia Foundation, pneumonia, Spinocerebellar Ataxia

• WARNING: Graphic content. Don’t look at this post if you don’t want to see brain surgery

  I’ll post the videos in just a bit.

  ellie

  May 23, 2016

  Photos, The Stroke Story, The Third Year, Updates

  ABI, acquired brain injury, anomia, aphasia, ataxia, brain injury, brain stem tremor, Brainstem, brainstem tremor, cardiovascular event, cerebellar ataxia, cerebellar stroke, Cerebellum, DBS, deep brain stimulation, hemiplegia, Houston Medical Center, Intention tremor, ischaemic stroke, left hemisphere ischemia, Memorial Hermann, Mischer Neuroscience Institute, MRI, operation, Recovery, stroke, stroke recovery, surgery, The Stroke Story, Tremor, tremor disorder, young adult stroke, Young stroke, YSS

• A simple piece of mail

  

  I carefully hold the pen in my left hand and sign my name. The letters find their way onto the signature line; shakily formed letters written in blocky print, like those of a child who’s recently learned to write and hadn’t quite mastered legibility. I sucked at the flesh of the inside my cheek, relaxing…

  ellie

  January 29, 2016

  Photos, Random Posts, The Third Year

  ataxia, cerebellar ataxia, disability, Intention tremor, stroke, voter registration, voting, Young stroke

• A look back

  So, I’m going through a pile of cards, papers, and notebooks accumulated during my stay at inpatient and during my time in the Challenge program at TIRR. I came across the very first thing I wrote after the stroke. Pics are below. Made me smile. I’ve come so far. Sometimes I forget. I don’t want…

  ellie

  January 3, 2016

  Memories, Photos, The Stroke Story, The Third Year, Writing

  ABI, acquired brain injury, aphasia, ataxia, cerebral palsy, Memorial Hermann, Recovery, stroke, stroke recovery, The Stroke Story, TIRR, young adult stroke, YSS

• It’s been… interesting.

  I’ve debated about posting a video taken just after the stroke, but here goes. *deep breath* First, a few pictures taken 22 days before the stroke: 20 days after the stroke: 2 years and 10 days after the stroke: It’s been interesting.

  ellie

  November 17, 2015

  Memories, Photos, The Second Year, Updates, Videos

  anomia, aphasia, ataxia, Brainstem, Cerebellum, Intention tremor, Recovery, stroke, stroke recovery, The Stroke Story, Tremor, young adult stroke, Young stroke

• Yay and stuff!

  Guess who can (finally) walk with zero assistance? *Breakfast Club fist pump*

  ellie

  November 15, 2015

  Photos, The Second Year, Updates

  ataxia, stroke, stroke recovery

• It’s been a while…

  Okay. It’s been a *ridiculously* long time since I last posted. And, naturally, a lot has happened since then. Joelle’s last post was about a precious little girl who died of cancer. We went to her memorial the next day. Joelle’s still healing. I love her. People die. It’s fact. That still doesn’t mean that…

  ellie

  May 7, 2010

  Andrea, Photos, Updates