Stroke Survivor Bootcamp with Dr. Phil: "Interview at Sea w/ a Hemorrhagic Stroke Survivor"

In this episode of "Stroke Survivor Bootcamp", Dr. Philip Lamoreaux, OTD, OTR/L, CPT, is at sea on the "Life After Stroke" Stroke Survivor Cruise aboard a Royal Caribbean ship.  During this show, Dr. Phil chats with Chellie Mitchell, a hemorrhagic stroke survivor whose recovery has been remarkable after participating in Dr. Phil's Stroke Survivor Bootcamp sessions.

NOTE: Be sure to check out some of the helpful worksheets that can be accessed by clicking here, or by going to www.StrokeSurvivorBootcamp.com.

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Hosted by Dr. Philip Lamoreaux, OTD, OTR/L, CPT, Stroke Survivor Bootcamp is a practical, hope-forward podcast for stroke survivors and caregivers, built to help you understand what’s happening, ask the right questions, and take back control one step at a time. Each episode blends real-world hospital and rehab guidance with clear, compassionate coaching so you can turn fear into a plan and progress into momentum.

For more information on signing up for a one-on-one Stroke Survivor Bootcamp session with Dr. Phil, just go to www.StrokeSurvivorBootcamp.com

Created & Produced by Christopher Ewing
Hang On to the Dream Foundation

Written by Dr. Philip Lamoreaux, OTD, OTR/L, CPT

Listen each week to the Stroke Survivor Bootcamp podcast with Dr. Phil, the OT Professor, where he will share with you practical tools, real stories, and the mindset to keep moving forward on your road to recovery! 

If you are a stroke survivor, sign up for one of Dr. Phil's Stroke Survivor Bootcamp sessions.  These sessions are proven to help stroke survivors regain more mobility following a stroke.  Just go to www.strokesurvivorbootcamp.com for more information.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

The comments expressed in this program are the personal opinions of the participants and not meant to diagnose or treat any medical condition that you may have. Please consult your doctor or healthcare professional before making any changes to your current medical routine. Hey, welcome everybody to Stroke Survivor Boot Camp. I am so excited because I am getting the opportunity to talk to you guys and to record this episode on the Pacific Ocean on a cruise line. Today I have one of my closest friends that I absolutely love who has experienced a stroke. And I'm gonna let her tell you a little bit about herself. But today we get to have an awesome conversation with Shelly. So Shelly, go go ahead and introduce yourself.

SPEAKER_06 1:49

Well, I am Shelly Mitchell, and I had a stroke about two and a half years ago. Amber had to stroke. So it uh it changed my life uh significantly. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 2:24

Yeah, you know, they they say that about 13% of strokes are hemorrhagic strokes. So just for just to you know make so we're all on the same page, you have two different types of strokes, really. You have an ischemic stroke and you have a hemorrhagic stroke. An ischemic stroke, which makes up a majority of strokes, is one where you have something that ends up blocking um uh a blood vessel. So anything past the blockage no longer gets blood and oxygen, and that part of the brain dies. Whereas a hemorrhagic stroke is the opposite, where actually one of the blood vessels bursts or breaks open, and then blood actually goes in places it's not supposed to go. And it goes actually outside onto the brain, and the that part of the brain ends up not being able to get access to oxygen and the nutrients it needs, and it also dies. So it's it's actually also one of the most dangerous ones because uh of the bleeding out, and I think it's somewhere around like 50% of uh stroke survivors who have a hemorrhagic stroke actually don't make it through the the process. And um, and so let's let's talk about where was your stroke.

SPEAKER_06 3:46

Um uh between the parietal and temporal uh lobes, and it uh affected my speech centers. So um um um you knew me before the uh you knew me be you knew me when I was still not able to talk uh clearly, but uh it has been about two and a half years and I am getting better. And this uh stroke affected my right side, so I am not able to use my dominant hand and uh my leg is affected too.

SPEAKER_00 4:41

Yeah, they one one of the things that you guys will have likely heard is aphasia is a word that you've you've heard. And if you have your stroke in the left side of your or left part of your brain, the chances of you having aphasia or a type of aphasia is actually pretty high. Yeah now aphasia just is a fancy way to uh say how you interpret or use language. So if you have aphasia, but there and you you have a hard time with actually speaking the words, that's gonna be called expressive aphasia. Where then if it's the opposite, where if you have a hard time understanding the words that people are saying to you, that's gonna be called receptive aphasia. And if you have a hard time with both, then that's where we would call that actually global aphasia.

SPEAKER_07 5:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:38

And now tell us a little bit. So at the very beginning, when you had your stroke, what did you have a hard time with understanding, you know, people what people were saying and having a hard time with forming words and speaking what was going on in your mind?

SPEAKER_06 5:55

Um, I had the stroke and I woke up two and a half days later in ICU, and I didn't know what happened to me. I didn't know for quite some time. And uh as an example, uh the nurses uh use the chart and they point to the different pictures, and um uh they were asking me if I was uh cold or hot or not shit, and I didn't know because uh the words didn't mean anything to me. I couldn't recognize most words at all.

SPEAKER_00 6:47

Yeah, and that's a really frustrating time because I mean correct me if I'm wrong, but in your head, you knew what you were you wanted to say, and you knew that they were saying something to you, but yeah, you couldn't there wasn't the the meaning wasn't there, like you said. Yeah, so a word you would you would hear the word. Yeah. But you know, when we you know all words are they're just sounds that are put together, and we have over time assigned meaning to them. Yeah, that part didn't exist. Yeah. And that's frustrating, I'm sure.

SPEAKER_06 7:26

Yeah, yeah. I couldn't talk at all for about uh three months at all. I could say uh words, but about five words um in the three months, but um until that time I I couldn't speak, but I uh I gained the receptive part of my speech. I understood everything about three weeks in, but I couldn't talk.

SPEAKER_00 8:04

Gotcha. Did you have a favorite word that you could say?

SPEAKER_06 8:10

No, I don't think so. Um uh looking back, I uh rarely remember uh details. I remember the gist of the uh the stroke, but I don't remember details.

SPEAKER_00 8:31

Gotcha. I I remember there's a there's a particular individual I remember working with, and he had a uh hemorrhagic stroke, left hemisphere, so right side of his body was impacted, and the only word he could say was the F-word.

SPEAKER_06 8:51

Well, you uh get that word stuck in your head, and uh uh fascia um uh means that you get the word stuck in your head and you can't get off of it. Um uh example, if I was uh describing the table, uh I would say it is uh large, but in my head, um I focus on uh brown, and that isn't what I wanted to say, but I wanted to say large, but I uh I couldn't get off the word brown.

SPEAKER_00 9:41

So yeah, that and that it it's it's really interesting when you're on the outside and you're talking with somebody who is experiencing that, because sometimes and uh you know, sometimes the individual will recognize that they're saying the word brown, and then there's that frustration of no, that's no, no, no, you know. Yeah, and then you know that they'll try again, and brown is the word that comes out, and it becomes so frustrating to go through that dance. I don't think from my side, but from you know the survivor side, it can be really, really frustrating.

SPEAKER_06 10:23

And uh well, and uh people um I was concerned about people and getting frustrated with me trying to uh find the words to say, but uh uh generally people are uh very compassionate and I have I have um not had a problem with talking to um um if I uh if I uh made a call on the phone and um I started shuddering and stammering, I learned uh early on to stop and say, I had a stroke, so pee uh please be patient with me. And people are always patient and um uh they listen and I have had good uh tests with that.

SPEAKER_00 11:34

I love that. You know, I think I think you know, oftentimes people just need to know the context. Yeah, and then they will most likely give some time, some space to, you know, to allow for you to work through saying the words. And so I I do appreciate that about most people when when they get to interact with somebody who's who has a hard time with forming words and putting it together. So in the podcast so far, um, one of the things that I've done is I have tried to help people navigate the rebuilding process. First, you find yourself in the hospital and you go through the emergency room, and then the emergency room, you're in acute care, like you were in the ICU. And in the ICU, man, you have everything is beeping, people are coming in every two hours or more, and you don't actually get a lot of sleep, and you know, all of these things are happening. You have people coming in, and therapy is is relatively minimal when you're in the ICU, because typically you're trying, you're you're a little bit more medically fragile, and then from there you get to go to a type of rehab usually. So will you will you take us through that part of your journey and and maybe one thing that you would recommend if somebody is finding themselves in that place right now, they're in the rehab. What is something that they what is something that you would recommend that they focus on or that they do?

SPEAKER_06 13:18

Oh well, uh, I wanted to take you back to where the stroke had started. Great. I was uh on a blind date uh about two hours away from home. Oh boy. So I um it was an e-harden nurse and he saved my life. So I am always going to be grateful for that. I went into the uh hospital and I didn't my date didn't know my family, and he it took about 12 hours for him to uh get a hold of my family to find uh where I came from. So my date, uh Ryan, uh he uh got my uh mom and brother to come um uh to the hospital. And I was in ICU for 10 days. And uh as soon as I got out of the hospital, my brother who lives in Spokane, uh about eight hours away from where I was, um he arranged for me to get into rehab uh uh uh there. So I went over to Spokane and it was it was a shock to me because um I was in uh a place where uh one I didn't know, uh two, I couldn't speak, and three, uh they had rules that I didn't understand. So um um I I started out on day two with uh uh physical and OT and uh speech therapist, and I um I went to uh rehab about six hours a day for uh four weeks. And uh in that time um um it was hard. It was hard because I had to face up the fact that I wasn't me anymore. I couldn't uh write and I couldn't talk and I couldn't uh do the things that were me before. And so I sunk into a deep depression and um I spent the uh whole rehab in the depression because um I didn't know what I was facing. Um would I ever walk again? Would I ever talk again? Would I ever do anything? Play the piano, um um write and all those things that made me mean. Um what are uh what are we talking about?

SPEAKER_00 17:16

Well the the I I love where you're going with that. The the question that I was asking was if you if somebody is finding themselves in that moment, in that situation, they're in the the rehab right now, they're trying to they're trying to go through this process and they're experiencing the same thing that you just explained so beautifully, which is that you have lost the things that you identify with that you know when you talk to somebody, right? Whenever you talk to somebody, you usually have oh, maybe four or five things that you you want to share so that they know this is you.

SPEAKER_07 17:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 17:58

And so you already mentioned playing piano, you know, that was a big thing. You've mentioned to me before singing was a big thing. Um you've mentioned, you know, uh being a radio DJ was a big thing. Um you were just getting into being you know to real estate, those are pieces that make you you, and those just have it feels like those have just been ripped away.

unknown 18:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:22

So if somebody finds themselves in that situation, what would you say to them?

SPEAKER_06 18:30

Well um, I had an a pit uh a piphany bec um uh about three months in. Um uh like I said, I was so depressed because I had lost everything. And uh one day I was sitting out uh uh in the yard at my brother's place and I was uh it was a beautiful day and you know I thought if if um I have the stroke, so if I am uh grateful and um happy uh or if I am depressed and um uh not happy, uh the stroke remains. And I thought it is the difference between uh choosing happiness. Um if I was depressed, I would be depressed, and if I choose to be happy, I would be happy. And um initially I was uh faking it. Um I had a good attitude uh outwardly be but I didn't feel it a hundred percent inside, but uh uh uh gradually I I became happy and I uh uh became grateful for my life and I look that uh the things that I lost but I have gained uh because of the stroke and I became truly happy because I um uh because of the stroke and my um um my ability or inability to speak, I learn to listen better and I learn to think better, and I choose my thoughts better, all because of the stroke. And I don't know if I would have become that person uh if I was not with the stroke.

SPEAKER_00 21:27

So if I'm recapping what you're you know, and understanding what you're saying, if you were to have any advice or something to share to somebody who's in that situation, yeah, the thing that you want them to know is that first and foremost, it you you know you have lost who you are. However, there if you're willing to look for them, there are things that make it or help help you see that you are different and better in multiple ways. That you're not you're not yes okay you're not the same but you know what the person that you are now is powerful and is for you know I I like to think of things in like you know superhero you know type type terms but essentially you've gained some different powers that you didn't have before.

SPEAKER_06 22:32

Yeah. And I don't want to dismiss anybody's feelings about the stroke. Uh um everybody should um address the stroke and um you have to take in to an uh infantory uh and address uh not address but uh in knowledge of the fact that you had the stroke and grieve the person you were before everybody needs to do with that but um uh the grieving only lasts uh for so long and uh then you have to go on and be depressed or uh be the other way I like that you know one of the things the uh advice that I've given up you know in in previous podcasts is if you're feeling like that it's okay to feel like that yeah but what's not okay is to stay there.

SPEAKER_00 23:46

Yeah and so pick a time an hour two three you know four or five hours later a day two days whatever it is you make a conscious decision that you're gonna feel that way and be okay with it for that time and then when the time is up it's time to take a step in a direction you would like to get to and then as you start to take steps in that direction even though it's hard even though it sucks even though it's it's not uh it's not what you would have chosen for yourself you start to become somebody that like I love how you put it you know you become somebody that has different abilities different strengths than what you had before which means you're gonna impact people differently which means you're going to uh interact with people in a in a different way which means you're gonna have different things to provide to others and part of it is just learning and putting yourself in those situations where you get to experience that and you get to learn the impact that you get to have on others that yes because this crappy thing happened to you but you would not have been able to impact people in a partic in this particular way or the way that you are now able to impact people because of the effects of the stroke because of what it has done to you.

SPEAKER_06 25:28

Well we have all heard the term fake it till you make it and uh initially um I was faking it because um but I saw uh something uh uh with uh being positive and uh I fake it did till I made it and uh eventually I uh grew to uh believe that I was truly positive and uh life just changed for me uh tremendously because you know um I don't have bad days yeah um uh there is a occasion where I uh feel bad but uh they are majors in hours or uh minutes but I don't feel bad for an entire day or week or a month or anything because I know that I was put on this earth for a reason and I know that I survived the stroke for a reason and um I don't know what the reasons are but I am uh willing to find out I love that and I love what you just barely said that you are willing to find out because I think so many individuals that I've worked with in the past that that are struggling and they're experiencing this this loss they have a hard time getting to that point where they're willing to find out willing to find out you know what what impact are you going to have on the world now well in in the gentle um uh uh gender life uh uh before the stroke um all people uh have uh trepidation um with uh not knowing where their life is going and we all feel that way but uh with the stroke we really feel that way and letting go and being and just being uh present and uh willing to uh open up your mind and learn new things yeah I will take that any day I love that now you had your stroke two and a half years ago and where we're sitting at right now the perspective that you have is two and a half years later one thing I want to one question I wanted to ask you is uh what are your thoughts about uh this idea that as a stroke survivor you plateau no and then you're where you are and you never get to improve well uh initially in the hospital I had a family friend that came and uh saw me and he said uh you better uh get ready uh for the fact that you will be crippled or you will be uh handicapped uh uh their whole life and I I thought oh wow um what do I have to look forward to and um uh bringing the clock up to nine months ago I met Q and I booked uh boot camp and um I went into the boot camp uh with um I have nothing to lose and I trust you and I did the boot camp and since the boot camp I have so much hope for my future and my abilities because what we know is uh the stroke uh doesn't define us we defined it and um can we just say that again the stroke doesn't define uh uh us we defined it I just yeah take take a second those of you that are hearing this like that is such an amazing phrase that I think so often we get to that point where the stroke is defining you everything that you do is uh you know and everything about you is the stroke yeah but if you can just have that little mind shift change that perspective change of no I'm going to define it yep you take back power which when you have a stroke power gets taken away in a lot of ways anyways I didn't mean to interrupt but I did mean to interrupt I I I loved I loved I love that so so you you know at the boot camp it since the boot camp your perspective has changed yes and specifically that you're not you're not stuck where you were that every day is another day to improve and that there is no such thing as a ceiling. Well I was told by doctors doctors that I had a gear to improve and after that I wouldn't see any progress and we know by research that isn't true. Correct yeah and uh when I had the boot camp uh you told me and showed me that uh moving my body in ways that would uh challenge me and uh the heart rate and all the components that make um make um yeah okay um um all the components together um if I keep doing them I will continue to improve until the day I die not I gear I as my doctor said so true and you know we we have we have proof of that with you right so at the beginning of the boot camp we took measurements um one of the tests that we did is called the functional gait assessment now that assessment is measuring your balance while you while you walk while you move when you started your score was an 11 which is technically you're a fall risk at that time when we started you were using a cane correct yep then we focused the the biggest thing that we focused on in your boot camp was improving or increasing your balance while moving yeah that was the main thing other things we did were you know just kind of side things to kind of mix it up and get keep keep things interesting and you know to help push in those ways as well but the main thing was was your balance while you moved.

SPEAKER_00 33:52

At the end of the boot camp which was five days you went up to a 20 which just so that we understand somewhere around a three or four point change is considered like a significant change and that usually is with seven days.

SPEAKER_06 34:15

In five days you went up nine points and got yourself out of being a fall risk and so then moving forward from that point you no longer use your cane right yep I haven't used my cane for nine months. Have you fallen in that time no so you've improved well yes and uh in fact uh I um uh couple of months ago I uh wandered back to the uh neighboring uh um property and I uh I had to pick uh something off the ground and uh the ground was uh very uneven and I sat down um and I thought okay how am I going to get uh up because I uh didn't have anybody there so I thought okay I will try to get up um I had never got enough on my own and I uh stood up on my own so I uh saw a significant uh change in my uh core and my leg drank yeah I love that and did we ever just focus on your core like did any of the time that we were working together did we ever say did I ever say okay no I'm gonna we're gonna we're gonna do core exercises.

SPEAKER_00 36:05

No.

SPEAKER_06 36:06

Not once yet that get improved everything improved.

SPEAKER_00 36:12

So it's one of the coolest things about high intensity training and what we do at at uh these boot camps is we maximize the time by focusing on things that are gonna improve lots of things in one setting or one time. Yeah. And I I actually didn't know that story. I didn't know that that happened. Yeah and uh it it makes me happy there was uh you if we go back to you know your boot camp we had uh one time where we went to stand a sand so I mean the the the ground is you know giving way every it's not stable at all and there was actually a moment and I I um you know I I tend to be really proud of the fact that I'm not gonna let anybody fall and I'm I'm always aware and everything and I was looking at I was watching the video and that the there was a moment we were going up up the head climb and you're you're you split and you go down and I look at my I'm watching myself at that point and I'm like oh that was a little bit of a surprise for me you know I obviously I was right there and was able to you know it just made me laugh but you you were able to get up from there but that was at an incline which is easier. Yeah. If it's flat that's much more difficult. And plus the other times that we did it maybe two other times where I had you sit on the stand I was right there and was able to give some stabilizing you know or a little bit of lift if needed but that was it. That's all we I think you went on the ground like just twice or three times during your boot camp. And I love that. I love that you were out there first and foremost that you had the confidence to go out there without your king which by the way that's that's huge. And then you ended up on the ground and you were able to get yourself for more information or to sign up for a boot camp just go to stroke survivorbootcamp.com I'm Dr. Phil and I'll have more right after this.

SPEAKER_01 38:27

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SPEAKER_00 39:38

Thanks and happy travels a bootcamp is really really unique and it's nowhere near what traditional or typical therapy is like even if you think your therapist is pushing you a boot camp is not the same.

SPEAKER_07 40:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 40:01

Can you talk a little bit about how it's different or how yours was different?

SPEAKER_06 40:06

Well in the hospital I had a good therapist and he pushed me and pushed me but it was about three or four weeks and I have not had therapy like that since um uh since I have had a therapist who you know uh I don't uh want to use the word but mambi pampi you know um they uh did this and that but I didn't gain any benefit from it because they weren't challenged uh challenging me at all so uh the difference between that and uh boot camp is uh night and day because you are going to challenge me as much as I allow you to and allowing uh means uh I am in control uh what I want to get out of the boot camp so uh the boot camp I had the ability to uh challenge myself and I was surprised at how um um how strong I was and I didn't know it because my body is uh wrecked with a stroke and I didn't know how strong I was but uh that uh boot camp uh opened a door for me that I was able to see limitless options I love that because I mean that's the idea the idea behind the boot camp is that you come to or I come to you right your location and right from the beginning right I take measurements so that we have a starting place and then it's we maximize every second that we have together.

SPEAKER_00 42:35

If I remember correctly very first after immediately after doing assessments with you on your your affected leg I strap 40 pounds on your affected leg and then we start moving we start going and man you it for me I already you know because I've done this so many times it I I knew that you could do it but talk about like what that what that was like for you when I I kept putting more pounds on and more pounds on and ended up with 40 pounds.

SPEAKER_06 43:12

Yeah talk to talk to me about what that was like well uh like I said I went into the boot camp uh knowing that I could trust you and um um you started pulling out the weights and I thought okay uh let's go Shelly because you know you signed up for this so um uh you strapped all the weight uh and um I did it I uh mentally uh just did it because uh you know what is uh right for me and what What is going to bring me the most benefit? So I was all in. So it was heavy, but I tapped into a place in my brain that I don't normally do since the stroke. And so I tapped into that place and it felt so good because I was a studio athlete before the stroke and uh to tapped into the uh place of it is uh amazing what uh we are able to do.

SPEAKER_00 44:52

I remember you after that first session um saying that felt so good. Yeah. And your your your face is is red with you know and you have sweat dripping down, and I just remember that smile on your face of man, that felt so good. It felt so good to just to know that my body can do that. Yeah, and then the very next thing we did was actually we went up and down 333 stairs, yeah, yeah, which is an insane amount of stairs, yeah. And then because you're awesome, you went back and did it two more times, I think. So it was almost a thousand stairs that you went up and down in a matter of three days, yeah. And you were sore, of course, as you should, but you you took advantage of the fact that I was giving you permission to actually just go. Yeah. And in doing so, the results from your from from your efforts really have shown because now over the last nine months, you haven't gone backwards.

SPEAKER_07 46:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 46:13

In fact, you've continued to move forwards. So it's not even a it's not like it's uh okay, I do this boot camp, and then you know, I'm if I don't keep up with every little piece, then I'm gonna lose everything. Now there is some component to that, right? If you don't actually keep walking or keep going, then it's not gonna be there. But overall, you you actually improve as you keep living life because now you know what you're capable of. Yeah, and number two, you are uh aware that your body can take more effort, more movement, more repetitions, more uh intensity. Yeah. And so I I I love your story and your example because it really is a great example of here. You go, you you had a lot of things stacked against you, but if you come into a boot camp or you and you use this evidence that I've been talking about on my on my podcast, you use it, change happens. And in fact, there's no other choice. Yep, change will happen. It's the it's the clo I always say it's the closest thing to a guarantee that you can get in stroke recovery.

SPEAKER_02 47:36

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 47:36

Because, you know, when you think about what traditional recovery is, it's that you have a you have a year because that's when the healing, you know, all of that stuff gets done, and then you plateau, and the reality is no, you can continue pushing and going. And uh, you know, we talked about neuroplasticity in my last podcast, and I have another one that's gonna come out. Um, it'll probably likely be after this one that's gonna be about brain-derived neurotrophic factor or BDNF, and it what its role is. But I all I remember, and I can actually go back and find all of your data, because I have all that data, and I can I can find how much time you spent in that zone that created more of that BDNF, which also shows how much time you spent in effort, and each day it was hours. Yeah. And because you did that, you had change.

SPEAKER_06 48:36

Yeah. Well, um, we have been able to watch you do uh other boot camps, and every time I wanted to go in and be the cheerleader before you get here, and I say, you know, I want to say, uh give it your best, give it girl, because uh you won't have this opportunity uh again or uh soon. And I want to uh encourage them and say, you know, uh you are not who you thought you were. You are more than, you can be more than and take advantage of this, this and go. Um yeah, I want you to be everybody's cheerleader.

SPEAKER_00 49:35

Well, and you are good at that for sure. So you're I just want to just so that people who are listening, they know what you're talking about. So when I go and I do a boot camp, I actually live stream the entire boot camp. So mainly for two reasons. One is so that people who have strokes can go on and can see what is possible with doing a boot camp and with the evidence, and they can actually see it. And then, second, so that the individual who's going through the boot camp can see that they're not alone. Yes and that they have people like yourself who are on and are watching their their effort, and that it's not just them going through it, it's them with a whole army that is supporting them as they're putting in that effort. And it's been really, really cool. So if you're interested and you want to watch these live sessions, if you go to TikTok uh at the OT Professor, you can go ahead and follow me. And then uh what will happen is if I am going live, you will be able to see uh it'll be on the there's like a little red circle and it has live right next to it. Um and go ahead and click on that and you'll be right in that live with us, and and it's it's a really cool experience to to go through.

SPEAKER_06 51:01

Um before a stroke meant being alone, and I don't think uh the stroke community uh was united. Um and now we are uniting people and uh connecting the dots and making a community because um if you have a stroke you don't have to be alone, and that is the stinkle most uh feeling of loneliness, and um I think we are uh changing the world uh stroke at a time or a stroke person at a time because uh again we are a community.

SPEAKER_00 52:02

I agree, and it's been so cool to see it grow. Yeah. And so over these, over these nine months, right, you've been uh you've been living, you've been, you've been going, you've had some some things with your knees that are just part of you know part of living, right? Yeah and um that have kind of prevented a little bit of being able to keep pushing yourself you know with some arthritis and some of that stuff, that that really does put a little bit of a block in you know your ability to push in some ways, but you still haven't regressed, which is great, and you're still progressing, you're still going. Um you then have this opportunity to come on this stroke cruise. Now, just for those of you listening, uh, one of the things that we're starting is we are doing stroke cruises. So I think it's it's kind of this thing of when you have a stroke, it's like you've resigned to the fact that you can never go and do these things ever again, and that it's just gonna be too hard, it's gonna be too difficult, and it's scary, and all of those things. And and we want to make that go away. We want that uh that barrier to go away, and that if you really if you want to go on a vacation, well, there's there's options for you. Uh we utilize uh Wheelchair Escapes, which is an amazing company that what they do is they help assign and get you everything that you need. So if you need a hoyer lift, if you need an accessible cabin, you or an accessible room, you need you know a uh wheelchair accessible van, uh Christy and her company they make that happen. They get it for you, they do it, they set it up, and everything is set up for you, and then all you have to do is show up. And specifically, the reason why we chose a cruise is because a cruise is a limited space. There are a lot of options for food. Yeah, you don't have to you don't have to cook, you don't have to do anything. You could even have the food brought to you, depends on what it is that you need and want and where you're at. And then you can just enjoy just being away, and you don't have to go anywhere because the boat is taking you places, and then if you do, if you have that adventurous spirit, that adventurous part that you're like, man, I really want to get off on this on this stop, like, okay, there's options. I'm coming on these so that you can have opportunities to do sessions so that you can trial. Maybe you're like, okay, I I don't really want to pay for a boot camp yet because you don't know the value that it's gonna bring. Well, come on a cruise and let's have some fun, and I'll work with you for for a session, and you can find out for yourself really what a boot camp is all about. Now, one thing that I wanted to ask you, and you shared this a little bit earlier with me, but leading up to this cruise, well, first and foremost, let's go back a little bit. Why did you say I'll do it? Why did you say I'll go on a cruise?

SPEAKER_06 55:28

Why not? I have done anything like this for two and a half years. And um I took uh seven cruises before uh the stroke. So I am uh uh versed in cruising. Uh so you uh invited me and I said why not? And I faved uh pay for it, but as it got closer, um uh I had uh some fear. Um what would it be like? Oh would uh the ship uh moving uh affect my uh stability or I had uh a ton of things that I didn't know what would happen.

SPEAKER_00 56:30

And what happened?

SPEAKER_06 56:31

Nothing. Um um it um I it made me um okay. It made me more stable uh because it uh the boat is rocking and um um we have to adjust uh as stroke survivors, we have to adjust and I did it uh steam the listly. So I um that was the one thing that I was afraid of and two is walking all over because um despite the fact that everything is here, you have to uh go from one uh end of the strip to another and up and uh uh down, and I didn't know what that would be like, but it has been good because I uh needed to get more steps in and I am forced to um being on the ship.

SPEAKER_00 58:00

I love that, and one of my favorite things is you are taking initiative and going up and down the stairs at times. I don't know if you've you're doing it all the time, and usually it's if you're in a hurry, I think you'd probably do the uh the elevator. Yeah, but there's elevators, yeah, which is great, right? And there's there's elevators on each end.

SPEAKER_07 58:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 58:22

But going up and down the stairs, I mean the stairs haven't been too too difficult. Yeah. Um and what about uh meals? How have meals been?

SPEAKER_06 58:33

Oh, easy, easy. Um you uh can get uh food anywhere. There has been so much food, and you can get um uh in the in the breakfast and lunch, um we have uh dining room or um a buffet, and everyone is so helpful. Yes. Um yeah, um I carry one uh plate of food and uh somebody comes up and says, uh uh we will help you. So um I have not had one uh day that I didn't have uh the help I needed.

SPEAKER_00 59:34

And that was without you asking.

SPEAKER_06 59:35

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 59:36

Yes. I have been completely blown away with Royal Caribbean's uh their their willingness to make this a good experience for somebody who maybe has some form of a uh um uh weakness or disability, or yeah, um you know you can only use one arm, right? And so I have I have been very, very happy with that. Yeah. And then there's been some really cool uh shows, some cool things that that uh that have made it so that you can um you can enjoy your time. So we went and saw ice dance or ice skating. Yeah, that was really cool. Yep, it was amazing what they could do in such a small rink.

SPEAKER_07 1:00:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:28

Um the you last night you watched Wicked, the second Wicked, right? Yeah. Um and and really there's no pressure to get up or to go and do anything. You just and I love what you said. You're gonna you're gonna take this trip and go, you know what, I'll just go wherever the wind takes me.

SPEAKER_07 1:00:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:49

Right? And that's what you've done. Yeah. And it's been so for me, it's been so cool to watch because I don't think nine months ago, this is the reaction or response or experience you would have had. Yeah. And part of that is part of that is because of the boot camp and the work you put in. Yeah. And then also just because it's who you are. And um, I I personally am so grateful for this chance that I've gotten to, you know, in uh immortalize this conversation with you because I've had these conversations with you so many times, but never actually had it be like something where we're recording it. And uh, those of you guys who are listening, uh, you know, the thing that I I can't emphasize enough is the spirit that Shelly has, the person that Shelly is is an amazing, amazing human being, and somebody who has so much power, so much power in just the way that she views the world and uh also the power just in her. And um, I am so grateful that I've gotten so many opportunities to connect and to uh work with Shelly, and she was the she was one of the first individuals to say, okay, I'm gonna, you know, why not? I love that. Why not? I'll I'll go and I'll and I'll try it and see. And um, so let me ask you this will you be going on cruises after this?

SPEAKER_06 1:02:21

Yes, sir. Yes, sir. You know, it was such a good experience and it uh challenged me to go further. So um I will do it. Um I will cruise and I will go places that I uh uh the cell uh okay. Uh the sky is limited.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:58

I love that.

SPEAKER_06 1:02:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:01

Well, we've been going for an hour. And I we could go for a lot longer, I'm sure, but uh you know, I I I I like to keep these about an hour, and um, but thank you so much for being on Stroke Survivor Boot Camp with Dr. Phil. I love I love hearing uh, you know, from your perspective, your view, and hopefully what you guys have been able to notice throughout Shelly's experience and her stories and her perspective is that a lot of the things that I've shared, you can see that Shelly is somebody who does them. And Shelly is somebody who uh exemplifies an individual who is using the evidence, is trying to improve, trying to push, and even two and a half years in, I mean, she's not done. Yeah, and she won't be done, yeah, because there is no limit. And really what I want you guys to remember is that all it takes is just focusing on what the next step is. So focus on one step at a time. Shelly, is there anything that you want to leave the audience with that you'd like to that you'd like to share?

SPEAKER_06 1:04:18

If you are a boot, um no, if you are a stroke survivor, you know, uh keep on and keep at it. Um uh life uh doesn't and uh just because you have a stroke. So I want to uh encourage people to do what they uh um I want to encourage people to step out of their uh strokness and live life uh the way that um uh we I love this. Yeah. Uh for the stroke survivor, I want to encourage them to not settle into the stroke and live. And uh you will find joy and peace in the strogue uh if you uh truly uh embraced it and uh uh lived. Um the stroke isn't the end of you.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:47

I don't know if we can there's anything else that can be said that's that's better. So thank you.

SPEAKER_06 1:05:53

Yeah, thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:55

And if anybody is sitting there questioning, well, I I've I hear you. I hear you everything. I don't know where to go. The thing that I would think is contact me. Because maybe reach out to me at uh stroke driverhoodcamp.com or uh the OT Professor on TikTok or also on Instagram. And uh that is gonna be all for today's episode. And again, I am so grateful that I got this this opportunity to chat with you and breathe in scar is around floor is cold, heart is loud, hands are shaking, but you stand your ground.

SPEAKER_05 1:06:59

Every stomach still a step you own Sweat on your face means you show you You say I'm tired We say that's fuel You say I'm broken We say Dr. Phil calling one more out to go You hear your name you let go Scroll survivor boot care go Fire in your muscles but in your So we rise We both we rise up then before Scope survivor boot camp You kick it down the door Left side heavy right side light Brain rewiring in real time Every slow step still award you fall on nature stand on town You say it We say that you heal You say you say I'm scared We say that we feel shouted on it to make it yours Stroke survival boot camp Let go Fire Must I have done before Stroke survival boot camp You kick it down the door This is for the days you couldn't lift your head for the silent screams you never said Now shout it for the ones still lying in that bed I'm here I'm here I'm not done yet Strokes of Ababou