Steve is an established author and public speaker and he's joining us all the way from Colorado. He suffered a stroke in April of 2008 and he's here today to share his story with us. So please welcome Steve. Thank you. 2012, four years, post stroke.

I woke was in the ICU. Bright lights, and there was a nurse across the room. I couldn't add 2+2, read a book, or tie my shoe. The doc came over. How are you doing? I have the worst headache ever, worse than the other one. She laughed. because she was so relieved to hear me speak. I didn't realize that I could have ended up like that.

They started testing me; Jane had 50 cents, she spent 15. How much did she have left? I could not come up with an answer. Then they gave me a little stick house to copy. Then 4 words to read.

"Well, in every situation, you missed the left side of everything." I was Whacked out from the stroke and the Percocet but I couldn't do simple math, read a few words ...

What am I going to do? Am I going to take this shit? No, I will do whatever the hell it takes to get better. I guess the answer was pretty obvious. Here I am today.

What people don't know is, that you can look normal, and speak well enough, but still not remember your phone number or find your way home from six blocks away. I'm here to tell you about the life of a stroke survivor.

My mantra is, positive and willful before the stroke, positive and willful after the stroke.

My Stroke Speaks - mystrokespeaks@yahoo.com

Speakers Bureau ... Keynote Speaker (30–60 minutes) Breakout / Workshop (interactive) Q&A: Take away: Confidence in how to engage with stroke survivors and others facing major life changes* Insight into the emotional and psychological realities of recover* Practical perspective on resilience, identity, and navigating the unexpected. I don’t just tell a story—I shift how people think, feel, and engage with those facing life-altering challenges. Thoughtful testimonials from survivors and PT, ST and OT convey how my speaking appearances, and book, have influenced and changed their vision of survivors, and their practice. Audiences: My presentations combine humor, and humble vulnerability for Doctors and Nurses, Medical conferences, Associations and Corporate teams. Speaking gigs and guest spots from my past life on The Today Show and The View, did wonders to get me back in front of an audience, as a survivor.

Four years after my stroke, while still in the early stages of recovery, I stood in front of an audience at Caesars Palace with cue cards. Since then, my recovery—and my message—has evolved into a powerful, rare perspective of a well-adjusted, genuinely content survivor, with few regrets. My own hell and reincarnation as a survivor: I was skiing when I was hit by a snowboarder, who did not stop. Dissected carotid, and other injuries, and then a stroke on the operating table: I woke in the ICU with left side paralysis; I couldn’t add 2+2, read a book or tie my shoe. Mine is a story of inspiration, hope, humor and advice. After my stroke, I quickly realized there are many other survivors who need a voice and a forum. I sought out survivors from around the world. Hence, Different Strokes: my stroke in the first part, the second, with intimate interviews with 20 survivors, family and caretakers.