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Anne’s Story
My name is Anne Mitchell, I had a stroke in May 2016. This is my story.
Prior to my stroke I was a teacher for many years. Since 1998 I was Principal of St Peters Girls Junior School until my retirement in 2015. I had many challenging educational experiences during this time. In 2008 I participated in a Principal’s tour to China and attended the Confucius Institute. In 2010 I completed a Leadership course at Harvard, visiting New York, Boston, and Washington. In 2014 I attended an education conference in China, Qingdao, Shandong and Beijing sharing educational skills and knowledge in a selection of schools.
On retiring in 2015, I enrolled in a post graduate course in counselling. I worked two days a week as a mentor for teachers. I was an accredited SPELD tutor providing Early Literacy Support to four students. During this I also continued to renovate my house.
On a Monday morning in May 2016 I had a stroke. I realised I could not talk, and my balance was wobbly. My family rallied and soon I was in the Royal Adelaide Hospital, where I stayed for four weeks. I was then at Hampstead Rehabilitation for another six weeks. At Hampstead, I was told I had Broca’s Expressive Aphasia, a word I had never heard before.
My rehabilitation has continued over the past four years and my progress continues. I have had regular speech therapy and I now receive a weekly session. Instead of physio and occupational therapy, I have a weekly Pilates class. I also swim and go to the gym weekly. I go to a Talkback group where I learn to use words for conversation and respond to questions. In the first two years after my stroke I went to Brain Therapy sessions. I joined the Talkback Computer Club in 2018, which has been empowering.
I have lost much of my independence and my drivers licence. I am unable to communicate in sentences and I have limited reading and writing skills. I receive assistance from my sons and siblings to maintain a weekly routine, which is very important. I also have a strong friendship group and focus on remaining connected.
I have joined the Talkback Association which has provided me with opportunities to express myself in a variety of ways. In 2018 I was asked to write my thoughts on the benefits of Computer Club. The article was published in the Talkback Newsletter. My sister helped me write the article and the keyboard skills I learnt at the Computer Club enabled me to type it. In 2019, I was asked to present at the 20th Anniversary of the Talkback Association. My topic was the benefits of Computer Club. My brother and sister supported me to develop the PowerPoint.
I have continued to find different ways to communicate. I have attended a painting class. This painting depicts each side of me. The right side is “numb” – the bad side. The left side is ‘beautiful’ – the good side. With help from my support worker, I have written a poem, titled ‘Two Sides of Annie’. The Computer Club has provided me with many opportunities to ‘talk’, respond to questions and share my experiences. I presented a slideshow of my recent trip to Melbourne. I also use my iPhone, speech apps, and photos to help communicate my experiences.
This is what I would like to share:
- It is important to remain positive
- Never give up
- Be willing to develop new skills
- Use visuals to support your interactions
- Have a structured week, use a diary
- Maintain social connections
- Remain empowered!
The following places have resources for support with aphasia:
- Talkback Association, which manages the Computer Club
- Regular Speech Therapy
- Aphasia Therapy online
- Neuro Brain clinic
- aphasia.asn.au
Two Sides of Annie
The morning dark blue and black crashed into my life
No words to be found
Vision changing
Fear spreading
The unknown is ahead
Fear spreading
New beginnings
Therapy with words
Therapy with exercise
Therapy with tunes
Body changing
Stretching
Learning
Not being understood
Frustration spreading
Light blue and yellow start to creep in
Progress! Progress!
Slow but sure
Hope
Enjoyment
Laughter returning