Identity Theft : Rediscovering Ourselves After Stroke

Unwinding a self -- What it's really like, outside and inside -- Redefining recovery.;Debra Meyerson, a Stanford University professor, shares her emotionally powerful journey to rebuild her identity and redefine herself after suffering a debilitating stroke, written for anyone who has experienced the loss of identity following injury. She effectively blends her expertise about personal identity with her own journey and that of other survivors into a story that can help and inspire anyone robbed of capabilities that challenge their sense of self. In 2010, Debra Meyerson suffered a severe stroke in which she lost all speech and was paralyzed on her right side. Identity Theft centers on Debra's experience: her stroke, her extraordinary efforts to recover, and her journey to redefine herself. She draws on her skills as a social scientist and conversations with dozens of fellow survivors-, family members, friends, colleagues, therapists and doctors to paint a new picture of the emotional journey through the identity-based challenges born from stroke and other accidents and illnesses that rob people of important capabilities. She shares amazing personal stories and uses them to illustrate lessons we can all learn from. Who are you after a stroke? How do you grieve the loss of you? Who do you become during your recovery? This is not a how-to book for recovery, nor will it tell you what you'll experience or how you should deal with the loss of ability, but it's a book full of hope for stroke survivors. It gives them and their support network a broad picture of what might lie ahead. And it explores some critical questions that, in the more prevalent focus on physical recovery, are all too often overlooked in the effort to help people who have lost capabilities from stroke or otherwise: What is really important to me? How do I fit in? Who am I now? How do I define myself in the face of my more limited abilities? Debra Meyerson, a Stanford University professor, shares her emotionally powerful journey to rebuild her identity and redefine herself after suffering a debilitating stroke, written for anyone who has experienced the loss of identitiy following injury. She effectively blends her expertise about personal identity with her own journey and that of other survivors into a story that can help and inspire anyone robbed of capabilities that challenge their sense of self. In 2010, Debra Meyerson suffered a severe stroke in which she lost all speech and was paralyzed on her right side. Identity Theft centers on Debra's experience: her stroke, her extraordinary efforts to recover, and her journey to redefine herself. She draws on her skills as a social scientist and conversations with dozens of fellow survivors-, family members, friends, colleagues, therapists and doctors to paint a new picture of the emotional journey through the identity-based challenges born from stroke and other accidents and illnesses that rob people of important capabilities. She shares amazing personal stories and uses them to illustrate lessons we can all learn from. Who are you after a stroke? How do you grieve the loss of you? Who do you become during your recovery? This is not a how-to book for recovery, nor will it tell you what you'll experience or how you should deal with the loss of ability, but it's a book full of hope for stroke survivors. It gives them and their support network a broad picture of what might lie ahead. And it explores some critical questions that, in the more prevalent focus on physical recovery, are all too often overlooked in the effort to help people who have lost capabilities from stroke or otherwise: What is really important to me? How do I fit in? Who am I now? How do I define myself in the face of my more limited abilities? dentity Theft is an award-winning book that follows Stanford professor Debra Meyersons journey to recover from a severe stroke that initially left her physically incapacitated and unable to speak. In addition to providing realistic expectations for the hard work needed to regain everyday capabilities, Meyerson focuses on the less frequently documented emotional journey in recovery. Virtually every survivor is haunted by questions like: Who am I now? and How do I rebuild a meaningful and rewarding life? after losing so much of what they had beforecapabilities, careers and jobs, relationships, and more. This is a book full of hope for survivorsfrom stroke or other injuriesas well as their families and support networks. Debra Meyerson and her husband, Steve Zuckerman, have created Stroke Onward (strokeonward.org), a non-profit initiative of the Social Good Fund, to provide stroke survivors, families and caregivers with more resources to help them navigate the emotional journey to rebuild their identities and rewarding lives. Winner of the 2019 Silver Nautilus Book Award , Identity Theft centers on Debras experience: her stroke, her extraordinary efforts to recover, and her journey to redefine herself. But she also draws on her skills as a social scientist, sharing stories from several dozen fellow survivors, family members, friends, colleagues, therapists, and doctors she has met and interviewed. By sharing this diversity of experiences, Debra highlights how every person is different, every stroke is different, and every recovery is different. She provides a valuable look at the broad possibilities for successfully navigating the challenging physical recoveryand the equally difficult emotional journey toward rebuilding ones identity and a rewarding life after a trauma like stroke. I dentity Theft follows Stanford professor Debra Meyerson’s journey to recover from a severe stroke that initially left her physically incapacitated and unable to speak. In addition to providing realistic expectations for the hard work needed to regain everyday capabilities, Meyerson focuses on the less frequently documented emotional journey in recovery. Virtually every survivor is haunted by questions like: “Who am I now?” and “How do I rebuild a meaningful and rewarding life?” after losing so much of what they had before—capabilities, careers and jobs, relationships, and more. This is a book full of hope for survivors—from stroke or other injuries—as well as their families and support networks. All author proceeds from this book will go to Stroke-Forward.org , a nonprofit initiative that will support stroke and other survivors, and advocate for a more human-centered approach to health care. Identity Theft centers on Debra’s experience: her stroke, her extraordinary efforts to recover, and her journey to redefine herself. But she also draws on her skills as a social scientist, sharing stories from several dozen fellow survivors, family members, friends, colleagues, therapists, and doctors she has met and interviewed. By sharing this diversity of experiences, Debra highlights how every person is different, every stroke is different, and every recovery is different. She provides a valuable look at the broad possibilities for successfully navigating the challenging physical recovery—and the equally difficult emotional journey toward rebuilding one’s identity and a rewarding life after a trauma like stroke.