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| Denise's office is often at a local coffeeshop |
If you are a regular reader of my blog, you might be surprised to know that my wife Denise is also a writer and started her own blog about a year ago. She calls it Rewrite Your Life With Denise.
Where my posts never quite follow a common topic or thread—which apparently requires more planning and discipline than I possess—hers are very consistent and purpose-driven. My posts merge comedy, tragedy, fiction and fact, and the lines tend to blur frequently. Hers are on point, like a lantern in the mist, leading her readers toward safety, security and growth.
Allow me to digress a bit and fill you in on the backstory.
When I met Denise back in 1985, she was a voracious reader, primarily of Stephen King books and other such scary things—pretty much whatever she could get her hands on. She was very proud of her book collection and was always on the lookout for more.
Then, on December 27, 2008, at the age of 50, her life—and my life—changed in an instant.
She suffered an ischemic stroke. It hit her in the area of the brain that controls language and the understanding of words.
Outwardly, she looked fine. She had none of the physical impairments people typically expect with a stroke. But inside her brain, it was like every word in her vocabulary had spilled out onto the floor. Some flew under the couch, some went out the door, and others simply vanished. She picked up what she could, but they were no longer in order.
I’m talking about common words that form the basis of nearly every sentence, either spoken or heard. Imagine how frightening it would be to suddenly be unable to explain what was happening to you—or understand what was happening around you—and have no idea whether it was temporary or would last for the rest of your life.
Thus began the long process of healing, rewiring the brain and relearning the words she had lost.
Denise was blessed along the way with some very good neurologists and speech therapists, along with an attitude that refused to settle for “good enough.” She spent months and months working through word games, looking up words in her ever-present dictionary and pushing herself to improve. When she was told she could not expect much more progress, she found new doctors and therapists willing to push her harder.
Along the way, there were plenty of setbacks, plenty of fear and plenty of anxiety.
In her quest to learn as much as she could about dealing with it all, she discovered there really wasn’t much available in the way of books or other written material for patients and caregivers. She joined online groups of stroke survivors and found that others had many of the same questions, fears and anxieties.
She began sharing her own experiences and what she had learned, becoming a light in the dark for other stroke survivors. Her message was simple: never give up, and always keep pushing.
A few years ago, she enrolled in a lifelong-learning class on writing at Virginia Tech. Surrounded by published authors and others with advanced degrees, she was pretty sure she was in over her head.
But she didn’t give up.
The instructor asked each student to write a short paper about who they were and what they hoped to accomplish in the class. In Denise’s paper, the instructor saw a spark. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but there was enough there for the instructor to gently blow on that spark and encourage her to develop as a writer.
That spark became a glowing ember, and the ember soon became a fire: the idea that Denise could write and publish a book to help fill the knowledge gap for both stroke survivors and caregivers.
That instructor became her editor, and the manuscript is now well along the path toward publication.
In January 2025, Denise also started her blog, Rewrite Your Life With Denise, and it has become a source of advice, encouragement and motivation for people recovering from strokes and other major health challenges.
Think about that for a moment.
She went from being unable to find the words to speak for herself to using those words to speak to people who may be frightened, confused and wondering what their own future holds.
Needless to say, I’m quite proud of her.
I’d genuinely like to hear your thoughts in the comments. Have you experienced a stroke, or helped a close family member or friend through one? If so, how did that experience affect you? How did you—or they—cope with the stress and anxiety that came with it?
And do you know someone who could perhaps use a little help finding their way through recovery—or even just finding the path?
If so, share this post with them, along with the link to Denise’s blog, Rewrite Your Life With Denise. I know Denise would appreciate it, and I suspect they might too.
Please share your thoughts in the comments. I hope our conversation will be thoughtful, respectful and productive.
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Thank you for reading—and for walking this road with us.
