You'll have to click on this photo to enlarge it to see the group members coming in, being greeted by Mary Gospel and greeting one another. It's like a homecoming reunion every time!
Members also warmly greet new "first timers"- this month, a woman who had a stroke at age 55, accompanied by her husband, who is now her caregiver. Her husband then joined the rest of the caregivers who meet in another room to support and encourage one another.
Mom, always preferring to help others, gives an assist with a name tag.
These are the two women who make this support group possible. Ann Harlow, a nurse, and Mary Gospel, a speech professor at Butler University.
Mary's daughter, Ali, has helped her Mom with this group for years and she is a bright spot in the day for the stroke survivors! That's Ali in the purple shirt and big smile.
Mary Gospel had some of her speech students, about 9 from Butler and 2 who drove up on this wintry night from I.U. in Bloomington, join us this month so that the stroke survivors could give them some experience and feedback on what aphasia looks like in real life instead of in just a text book.
In one evening Mary and Ann enhanced the lives of three groups! The stroke survivors, their caregivers, and the new generation of future speech therapists.... make that four groups, the forth group being the people yet to suffer the devastating effects of a stroke who these students will be better equipped to help through Mary Gospel's work!
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Also - I am looking forward to showing Mom a slide show of her great-granddaughter, Brianna's homeschool class learning about clouds. Please note before you click on the "slide show" link,
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