I was waiting to take a shower. As I prepared to wash myself with the help of a caregiver, it suddenly struck me that I had no memory whatsoever of what I’d been thinking or how I’d been cleaning myself all this time. This realization was a huge shock. So, I cautiously asked my wife, “How did I shower all this time?”
My wife hesitated for a moment, then began to speak carefully. She said that when I first lost consciousness and was rushed to the hospital, I couldn’t do anything for myself. She told me she helped wash my body, change my clothes, and even dealt with my bodily waste. Hearing that, my heart felt incredibly complicated. The fact that I was in such a helpless state was shocking, but it was even more confusing that I had absolutely no memory of any of those moments. Was that good for me, or bad? Thoughts spiraled, but I couldn’t clearly sort them out.
My wife said she had stayed by my side all this time, devotedly helping me. After my stroke, with my mind not fully sound, I had been sensitive and irritable towards people, getting angry for no reason, and even saying hurtful things that made my wife very distraught. She said that when I briefly regained my senses, she sometimes went outside the hospital to cry. The moment I heard that story, my heart felt torn to pieces. Although I don’t remember it completely, I could vaguely feel the extent of the pain I had caused from my wife’s exhausted expression and trembling voice. I realized how truly difficult it is to live with others.
Nevertheless, I am so grateful to my wife for enduring my most difficult moments and silently helping me by my side all this time. And I am sorry. Even if it was due to the after-effects of the stroke, I deeply regret that I hurt my wife and family with my sensitive and sharp words and actions. It’s also regrettable that I could have received more treatment and help at the hospital, but I closed myself off and was passive about my therapy. Perhaps at that time, I found it hard to accept my condition and took out my anger on those around me.
Going forward, I hope my heart will become warmer. And someday, I want to become a gentle person. Although the stroke has taken many things from me, at the same time, through this illness, I am learning the preciousness of life and human humility. I hope my experience can be shared with other stroke survivors, so that we can all be a source of comfort and encouragement to each other. I strive today to become a person who can offer warm comfort instead of hurtful words.
✅ Simple, Repetitive Word Practice – Speech Support (English)
- Kettle Kettle Kettle Kettle Kettle Kettle Kettle Kettle Kettle Kettle
- Hippopotamus Hippopotamus Hippopotamus Hippopotamus Hippopotamus Hippopotamus Hippopotamus Hippopotamus Hippopotamus Hippopotamus
- Sunflower Sunflower Sunflower Sunflower Sunflower Sunflower Sunflower Sunflower Sunflower Sunflower
- Carrot Carrot Carrot Carrot Carrot Carrot Carrot Carrot Carrot Carrot
- Horse Horse Horse Horse Horse Horse Horse Horse Horse Horse
- Pineapple Pineapple Pineapple Pineapple Pineapple Pineapple Pineapple Pineapple Pineapple Pineapple
- Truck Truck Truck Truck Truck Truck Truck Truck Truck Truck
- Eggplant Eggplant Eggplant Eggplant Eggplant Eggplant Eggplant Eggplant Eggplant Eggplant
- Zebra Zebra Zebra Zebra Zebra Zebra Zebra Zebra Zebra Zebra
- Sweet potato Sweet potato Sweet potato Sweet potato Sweet potato Sweet potato Sweet potato Sweet potato Sweet potato Sweet potato
- Dolphin Dolphin Dolphin Dolphin Dolphin Dolphin Dolphin Dolphin Dolphin Dolphin
- Telephone Telephone Telephone Telephone Telephone Telephone Telephone Telephone Telephone Telephone
- Owl Owl Owl Owl Owl Owl Owl Owl Owl Owl
- Pumpkin Pumpkin Pumpkin Pumpkin Pumpkin Pumpkin Pumpkin Pumpkin Pumpkin Pumpkin
- Microphone Microphone Microphone Microphone Microphone Microphone Microphone Microphone Microphone Microphone