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                  STROKENET Newsletter
January 1, 2002                              Vol 2 Issue #1
  Linda Wisman, Editor,
  mailto:LWisman@strokenetwork.org

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By subscription only! Welcome to your next issue of STROKENET".
You are receiving this newsletter because you requested a
subscription or are on the Stroke Newsletter list. Unsubscribe
instructions are at the end of this newsletter.

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IN THIS ISSUE
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=> Sponsorship Notice
=> Organization Highlights
=> Editor's Message
=> Snow Angels
=> Book Review: Brain Attack by Polly Perez
=> Product Review: Automove AM800
=> Website Review: www.uphs.upenn.edu/health
=> Relaxation Therapy Needed
=> Subscribe/Unsubscribe information

If you would like to be a sponsor of this newsletter, please
contact me: mailto:LWisman@strokenetwork.org

Website Addresses:
http://www.strokesupport.org/ for stroke survivors
http://www.strokecaregiver.org/ for stroke caregivers
http://www.strokezine.org/ for information about stroke and
this monthly newsletter
http://www.strokeawareness.org/ for stroke awareness content.

All can be accessed by going to our homepage, http://www.strokenetwork.
org/.

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Organization Highlights, by Steve Mallory
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Here is the latest happening with regards to the organization’s
non-profit approval status. Things were going very smoothly.
But, last month our lawyer had a problem sending me e-mail.
She actually e-mailed me the application that is then sent to
the IRS for review but unfortunately, that e-mail did not get
delivered to me. After several more attempts, we both decided
that regular snail mail would have to be used for this. This
delay has caused us to lose probably 3 weeks but we most
likely would have had a longer waiting period due to the
Christmas season, anyway. I’ll continue to post our progress
in the newsletter.

Our organization web site may be transferring its web host
next month. This could cause a temporary interruption with the
site but an uneventful change is expected. If we do change
this means that our free e-mail account service, with addresses
such as yourname@strokeawareness.org will be discontinued. It
also means that our newsletter will be possibly coming from a
new e-mail address.

I’d like to welcome Linda and Michael Roberts to our stroke
community and as volunteers to the organization. Linda has an
extensive background in computer science and will be assisting
me with technical issues and helping Lin on the Newsletter
Committee. Michael, who had the stroke, is a former Librarian
and will be a Contributing Writer for this newsletter. If we
have any other members who would like to become a volunteer
for The Stroke Network please send an e-mail to Pat Provost,
PProvost@strokenetwork.org.

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Editor’s Message, by Lin Wisman
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Welcome to the first issue of the Newsletter for 2002. All
the best to you and your family in this New Year.

Below you will find a humorous article, which visits the
problem of snow removal when you are unable to remove it
yourself. This is followed by three reviews. The first is a
review of Polly Perez’ book “Brain Attack.” Then there is a
review of the AutoMove AM800 designed to help those with
limited use of one side of their body. Finally find a website
review. Following the reviews is a request, which we received
this month for help with relaxation techniques.

We are currently looking for a volunteer to test and write a
review on some software. We need a volunteer who has asphasia,
thinks that software might be of help, and is willing to write
the review. Please contact me at Lwisman@strokenetwork.com.

Our website was recently been awarded the Golden Web Award
for the second year in a row. To read more about this award
visit http://www.strokenetwork.org/specialsites/featured.htm

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Snow Angels by Rhonda Petersen
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Snow angels come in various shapes and sizes. Their ages are
between newborn to centenarians. Their gender is male or female.
You may not be able to see their halos, worn askew above their
heads. But you must believe in Snow Angels as assuredly as you
believe there is a Santa Claus. In order to define this
phenomenon more specifically I will try to illustrate the daily
gifts Snow Angel’s bestow. At the end of my story I hope you too
agree that there are Snow Angels among us.

                 A Christmas Carol Revisited

Shoveling snow in the northland is no job for people with weak
backs or frail bodies. The elderly have but three choices; either
go south for the winter, move to an apartment, or hire someone
to remove the heavy wet white stuff from their driveway and
walkway. Mildred Turnbuckle chose the later. She wasn’t about
to give up her home and didn’t have the finances to move to
Arizona or Florida like Horton the Elephant’s Mazy bird. She
had decided to sit on her nest egg through the heat of summer
and the gales of winter. Mildred was considered by some to be
a stubborn woman and other’s to be staunchly independent and
feisty. However, even with other’s opinions she could no longer
indulge in back breaking shoveling and hard labor considering
her sixty-four years. She was a grandmother three times over
and considered her grandchildren a gift that she was entitled
to spoil as long as The Creator chose to have her part of this
earth. Yes, Mildred was going to be here barring any unforeseen
medical trauma. Mildred had vowed to stay healthy and that vow
included, for her grandchildren’s sake, no shoveling.

After the first winter storm of the season Mildred Turnbuckle
phoned every agency she could think of that could provide help
shoveling snow for seniors but every telephone number she
called was either no longer in service or had no such shoveling
to provide her. After calling garages that had plows to do the
job quickly, Mildred realized that the price was too
prohibitive for her meager budget. Short of building a
structure to keep the snow off her driveway and walkway
throughout the winter, Mildred was running out of options.
Her neighbors flippantly said to hire a kid in the neighborhood
to do the job. “Young people can always use a few bucks,” they’d
say like it was no big deal, an easy task. After all, Mildred
lived near a college and young people were always walking by
her house on their way to the campus. It should have been
a piece of cake to snare one of those monetarily poor college
age kids. “Besides it would give them something to do…fill the
unemployment roles why their crying for jobs!” exclaimed
Mildred’s neighbor.

Following this so-called ‘easy’ advice Mildred decided to
revert to bygone years. Visions of Charles Dickens's Christmas
Carol danced in her head.  She began to get as giddy as old Mr.
Scrooge on Christmas morn. “I’ll do it! Yes, yes,” she giggled,
“It’s not too late…I haven’t missed it after all! The college
kids need Christmas money too!” And she danced around her
living room with the new idea firmly implanted in her mind
as her false teeth clacked like Spanish castanets.

The first husky male she saw walking down the block with a
backpack firmly affixed to his shoulders Mildred threw up
the window and yelled out with a half-crazed voice, “Hey you
there! Yes, you! I don’t know what day of the month it is.
I don’t know how long I’ve been among the Spirits. I don’t
know anything. I’m quite a baby. Never mind. I don’t care.
I’d rather be a baby. Oh, glorious, glorious. What’s today?”
“Huh?” returned the college student.
“What’s today, my fine fellow,” asked Mildred.
“Today?” replied the student. “It’s Monday,” he shouted back
refraining from adding out loud anyway the phrase ‘you idiot’
to the end of his statement.

“An intelligent boy. A remarkable boy,” said Mildred still
reeling from her herbal tea and her newly hatched idea. “I’ll
give you a shilling if you shovel my dive and walk. Right
quick now! A young strapping boy like you can do it in half
the time….make haste! And by the way, do you know whether
they’ve sold the prize turkey that was hanging around Super
Valu?” According to legend, according to the script devised
in Mildred’s head the boy was supposed to answer, ‘What, the
one as big as me?’ so Mildred could have easily continued
her lines. But that didn’t happen.  Instead, the college
student looked quizzically at her and started walking
backwards slowly, ever so slowly, while smiling this
plastered kind of smile and nodding his head. “What a
delightful boy!” murmured Mildred.

"Go and buy it….uh, how does that line go…go and buy it and
tell them to bring it here. Shovel my driveway and I’ll give
you a shilling. Shovel it in less than five minutes and I’ll
give you half-a-crown. ” Like the story of The Christmas Carol
the boy was off like a shot. This was not the way it was
supposed to happen. Mildred knew he wasn’t running to Super
Valu but running AWAY from her! Maybe she had come off a
Little too strong she thought. So she waited for another
strong college student to come along like the story of The
Three Billy Goat’s Gruff. She decided to take a more calm
approach for the next unsuspecting scholar.

“My dear sir,” said Mildred as she spied another backpacking intelligent
soul. “How do you do? I hope you succeeded in your
classes at the university today.”
“Huh? You talk’ in to me?” queried the student.
“Yes,” said Mildred. “Allow me to ask your pardon. And will
you have the goodness to help an old woman and shovel my
driveway?” placated Mildred in the sweetest tone she could
muster. “Are you serious?” asked the student in a half-joking
tone. “If you please,” said Mildred. “I’ll give you a few
farthings and a Hamilton. Will you do me this one favor?”
The student quickly walked past Mildred’s house giving a
Hand gesture he certainly did not learn in the college
classroom. “My dear sir, ” exclaimed Mildred. “That is no
way to act in the presence of a lady!”

Apparently my neighbor and I hatched this brainstorm under
the cloud of the 1800’s; no ‘young lad’ wants to shovel my
driveway, concluded Mildred as her wrinkled smile converted
to a frown. Suddenly Mildred noticed spewing snow from across
the street accompanied by the sound of some sort of machinery
…A SNOWBLOWER! She threw on her overcoat and rubber boots and
trudged across the street. After making a 21th century deal
with her new neighbor he came over and used his machine
to blow the snow from her driveway thereby becoming, for
all intent and purposes, Mildred’s Snow Angel.

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Book Review: “Brain Attack”, by Lin Wisman
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Aphasia – the inability to express thoughts by means of speech.
It’s often a result of a stroke. In Polly Perez’ book “Brain
Attack” (subtitled Danger, Chaos, Opportunity, Empowerment)
she documents the first year after her stroke. She is a nurse,
public speaker and educator. Her stroke left her with a severe
case of aphasia. This loss of speech was particularly difficult
for her as she was used to using speech to communicate with and
educate others.

Her journey is a remarkable one. She moves from complete
dependence to restarting her career in a year. Most stroke
survivors either take much longer to restart their career, or
find they must take up a new one.

Finding herself on the other side of medical world (as a
patient rather than a nurse) she was surprised to find that
there are different problems when seen from the patient’s
perspective. She struggled with medical professionals who
were not sensitive to her needs. She discovered that a
smaller hospital fit her needs better than larger better
equipped one

She spent many months pushing herself to regain skills
and to master necessary new ones. Included in the book are
numerous comments from others – her family, therapists,
neurologist, etc.

She has written a book, which should be read by medical
professionals. With her perspective as a nurse, she is able
to explain and address issues often faced by overworked
medical professionals. The book also offers hope to stroke
survivors and gives others a glimpse into the world of those
who have experienced stroke.

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Product Review: Automove AM800, by Chuck Reisling
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The AutoMove AM800 is a medical device that works with three
surface electrodes placed on a stroke survivors arm, leg or
shoulder. When the person attempts to move, the AutoMove
AM800 detects little electrical changes (EMG) coming from
the brain to the nerves inside the muscle. It then rewards the
patient with the muscle movement/contraction they attempted.
After the muscle contraction the device will tell the person
to rest for a while and the cycle will start over. The point
where the device triggers will move so the person will have
to try harder, concentrate more to get the device to reward
him with the muscle movement. By repeating these brain
exercises daily it is possible for a stroke survivor to
relearn lost movements.

The unit was developed in 1979 in Denmark. It has been used
for stroke therapy in the Far East since in 1984. It was
approved specifically for stroke therapy in the US in 1997.

The AutoMove AM800 is the only medical device that has been
FDA approved specifically for Stroke Rehabilitation. The AM800
has shown incredible results in several clinical studies
published in peer-reviewed journals for more than a decade.
Please see the manufacturer’s site www.strokeaid.com for more
information. For more details please call 1(800) 845-1771 and
ask to speak to a nurse to see if you could benefit from
AutoMove Therapy

I have used the AM800 since November of 1999 with amazing
success. My website www.stroke-rehab-info.com includes more
detail of my first few months of use.

The manufacturer, Strokeaid, has agreed to a 20% discount for
our readers. When you call to purchase a unit mention Stroke
Network to receive 20% on the purchase price if paid in full
or 20% on the down payment on a lease.

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Web Site Review, by Barbara Layne
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We have made it to the New Year! Happy 2002 with hope that
it brings each and everyone the strength that we need to face
what life will be bringing next! Along with all the heroes of
New York City, the Pentagon, and the military, there are
everyday heroes of every age, race, and creed who fight a
valiant battle for life. There is no fanfare for them. It is
a silent fight but no less heroic. Let’s not forget the
caregivers who offer whatever they have to make day-to-day
life a little more bearable. God bless them all!

I have chosen the website for the University of Pennsylvania
Health System, www.uphs.upenn.edu/health as my site to review
and recommend for this month. The Penn Health System offers
so much. There is information on all health problems and a
chance to ask questions and health tips. This site led me
to the specialists that have helped with my recovery from
my strokes  In addition, last summer they diagnosed and
treated a lung disease that the local doctors told me could
only be treated with major surgery. I have the utmost
respect for the physicians and staff of the Penn Health
System.

I hope this site will answer some of your questions and give
information regarding stroke as well as other health concerns.

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Relaxation Therapy Needed
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We received the following message from a reader in Australia.
Any ideas? Please contact her directly at her email address
below.

I am looking for someone who will teach me some relaxation
techniques, stress management etc.

I am 28 years old, and had my stroke last year (approx Oct/Nov).
It was caused by a burst aneurysm. Also I am looking for
information regarding independent living for stroke survivors.

Judith Raynor
5thlittleraynor@austarnet.com.au

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Copyright Information
This newsletter is the copyright of the Stroke Network and may
not be copied without the express written permission of the
Network. Contact, Steve Mallory, mailto:SMallory@strokenetwork.org

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Copyright 2002 The Stroke Network
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Steve Mallory
President & CEO
The Stroke Network
mailto:SMallory@strokenetwork.org