In previous posts I reported on my planned sabbatical for the second half of 2011. It turns out life had a far more intensive sabbatical planned for me. Late in June my grandfather had a severe stroke that affected the left hemisphere of his brain, leaving him without speech or movement in the right side of his body. Rather than travel the world to learn new things, I returned home to learn a great deal more.
My work, for many years, has involved learning - lifelong, lifewide, life changing, as the title of this blog declares. The mystery of a stroke survivor's recovery is an intriguing testament to the magnificent architecture of the human mind. Observing and participating in my grandfather's re-learning is a challenge that grips my heart and mind.
My grandfather is now returning home after six weeks of hospitalization. Since he will no longer have regular access to therapists working on his speech and movement rehabilitation, our family will be working with him to continually stretch his abilities. His progress in gradually beginning to speak and use both hands deliberately has already been staggering, and I look forward to sharing in his wonderment as he rediscovers the world through very new eyes.
One source of profound inspiration has been the work of Dr. Jill Bolte-Taylor, a neurologist who experienced a stroke herself, and today shares her insights from the experience after an eight year recovery period. Today she shares her findings in her best-selling book My Stroke of Insight, through talks such as the one below, and in talks like the one embedded below thanks to ted.org. The implications of her research - enhanced by personal experience - are as stirring as they are thought-provoking. It is a deep motivation to see ourselves, the world, and the experience of stroke survivors, in a very different light.
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