Personal Stories
Who better to tell the story of the Aphasia Institute than the people who walk through our doors everyday? They arrive with some nervousness and hesitation, but leave feeling more confident and excited about being an active participant in their communities again and the world around them.
Stroke and Aphasia: A Personal Journey
The Stroke Collaborative was held in Toronto in October of this year and was attended by over 600 Ontario health care providers. Jack and Sybil Geller were invited to give the consumer keynote
What would you do if you lost your identity?
What would you do if you lost your identity?...not your wallet, your passport, your social insurance card - but EVERYTHING in your life that makes you 'you'. On April 20, 2003, a stroke left Garfield Alexander unable to speak, unable to walk, and unable to live and care for himself independently.
Aphasia Forever changes Bedtime Stories
Most of us take for granted being able to read a bedtime story to our children. But for Scott, who acquired aphasia after a stroke in 2008, he lives with the challenge of trying to communicate and parent his boys.
The Other Side of the gurney…a journey from teacher to Stroke Survivor
In 2006, Dr. Donald Meeks was awarded one of the country’s highest distinctions – the Order of Canada – for his outstanding contribution to the Addiction field in Canada. No one could have predicted that just two short years after this high point, Don would experience two strokes that would forever change his life.
Changing Lives
Aurora was a family physician with a busy practice when she suffered a massive stroke in 2006. “This place (Aphasia Institute) has given us hope and a support system.”
Spreading Hope Across the World
Sam was an athletic 18-year old living in Kenya when he sustained a serious brain injury during a sporting accident.
Ronnie Brannigan, Introductory Program Volunteer
When Ronnie Brannigan retired in 1993, she knew immediately that she wanted to become a part of the Aphasia Institute. “I wanted to give my time to something meaningful and I knew that I could make a difference at the Aphasia Institute.
Anna Taylor, Introductory Program and Community Aphasia Program, Volunteer
Anna Taylor saw a sign that caught her eye at the grocery store one day – “Aphasia Centre”. When she got home, she looked up the word “aphasia” in the dictionary never having heard of it before. Two days later, the universe seemed to speak to her again when she came across a recruitment ad in the paper for volunteers at the Aphasia Centre. That was 17 years ago,
