Meet Barb, an amazing mother and wife. She’s raising four boys and helping her husband, Ryan, who sustained a brain injury after being shot in the head while on duty as a police officer. As a young teen when her father developed aphasia from a brain tumor, Barb relates to her own children and how important it is for them to understand what aphasia means.
The interview covers Ryan's rehabilitation process, which included six weeks in intensive care, six months at a rehab hospital for various therapies, and ongoing outpatient therapy. While he made physical gains, speech and communication remained a significant challenge. Expressive communication is particularly challenging, leading to frustration for both Ryan and his wife. This has changed their communication dynamic entirely, and it also affects their children. She finds ways for the family to spend time together and for Ryan to be a father. Barb discusses their rehabilitation journey, Ryan's personality, and how she finds time to care for herself each day. Her advice to others struggling with aphasia recovery is to "Find the methods that work, because there are methods, and it can get better, it does get better". The interview also touches on: Including the children in Ryan's recovery to help them understand and contribute. Finding personal time for the wife for reflection and self-care. Overcoming previous misconceptions about aphasia and focusing on strengths.