Was it a stroke of luck?“You’re lucky.” It’s a phrase I’ve heard often since my stroke—lucky to have my sight, lucky to have avoided more severe deficits, and lucky to be here.
I don’t feel lucky about what happened. But I do feel grounded in gratitude for the path of healing I’m on, for the people walking beside me, and for the ways this experience continues to shape how I see myself and the world. This blog is where I make sense of that journey in real time—through story, reflection, and the quiet work of rebuilding. |
BackgroundFinding an adaptive climbing program was important because that meant people at the gym have worked with people with disabilities. I still wasn’t sure how things would go for me, I’m always conscious that having non-visible disabilities means that you’re not seen - so I was excited and nervous. The intake form had the opportunity to explain my my concerns and limitations - it was great to get that all laid out prior. I tried to be very explicit since I knew it would help them plan for the help I might need.
So what are my challenges in this situation? I had an ischemic stroke in the RMCA so I have a weaker left side, and both my ankle and wrist can have poor range of motion as well as my (my previously frozen) shoulder. Since I can’t feel anything in my hand I was worried about being able to hold on or accidentally slipping off the holds- and since the concussion my hand’s been wonky (that’s a technical term). I just had no way of knowing if I could functionally do the work of climbing and pretty sure I hadn't given my cognitive disabilities much thought, more on that later. |
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