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I’m Not Stupid Just Disabled
by Wolfgang Haufe
download the book for free as a .pdf file.

It’s Good to Be Alive (Observations From a Wheelchair)

Twenty-one years ago, 50-year-old Jack Rushton was boogie boarding at Laguna Beach with his family when he had an accident that instantly paralyzed him from the neck down. As Jack struggled to adjust to life in a wheelchair, he realized that he could reach out to people through his words. Through his observations, Jack has touched the lives of family, friends, and many others all over the world. It s Good to Be Alive contains the best of Jack s insights on topics such as spiritual paralysis, encouragement, death, and happiness. Funny, inspiring, and down-to-earth, this book will ultimately help you realize that it really is good to be alive.

I’d Like To Return This Gift
I HAVEN’T READ IT, & HE HAS 2 BOOKS, BUT HE HAS A GREAT PERSPECTIVE, ON MY STROKE GROUP. HE HAS A WEBSITE/BLOG.

About the book: On Christmas morning, 2000, while many people awoke to a morning of celebrating Jesus’ birth and opening presents, Perry Stevens awoke to a brainstem stroke – not exactly the gift he was wishing for. With a prognosis of being bedridden with no movement below his eyes, Stevens was told he would be sent to a nursing home to await imminent death. But with faith, hard work, caring healthcare professionals and the love and support of his wife and family, Stevens defied the odds and was able to regain some of his physical abilities.

Locked In Locked Out In 1999, Dr. Shawn, a busy family physician, suffered a brainstem stroke that left him a living person in a dead body, unable to move, speak, smile or feed himself… He did the only thing he could. With only two functional fingers, he wrote a book.

This book has given hope and comfort to other stroke victims and their families, and is an important tool for medical practitioners and caregivers, particularly heart specialists, interns, nurses, nursing students and physiotherapists. Dr. Shawn has taken his PowerPoint presentation to venues in Canada and the United States. He maintains a busy schedule and says he is joyous to be alive.

Paralyzed but Not Powerless: Kate’s Journey Revisited Kate’s Journey is a touching story of a woman’s survival and recovery from a double brain-stem stroke. The book provides information on the warning signs of stroke and teaches us how to meet life threatening challenges with grace and valor. Kate’s determination, humor and wisdom are inspiring. Her lessons are a model for anyone who struggles with a terminal illness to reach beyond the pain and fear to over come and celebrate life.

Go Back And Be Happy What happens when life changes in an instant? Is faith enough? Go Back and Be Happy recounts the near-death experience and miraculous recovery of Julie Papievis. Feel firsthand what it’s like to wake up from a coma, paralyzed from a severe brain stem injury after a teenager runs a red light. Share in the joy and personal pain as Julie faces the everyday struggles of reclaiming her life. Read how God provides grace in an unbearable circumstance.

Only the Eyes Say Yes tells the story of Philippe Vigand, a man who became locked-in in 1990 at age 29. He was in a coma for two months, but then began to recover a little. Although his recovery has been limited, he has still managed to accomplish much. This book reminds us of the importance of love, courage, and hope, highlighting one of the things that is truly important in life: our relationships with other people.

The book is written by Philippe and his wife, giving the perspectives of both a victim of locked-in syndrome as well as that of a family member. Amazon.com also has a downloadable, electronic version available for about $10.00 if the hardcover price is out of your budget.

Don’t Leave Me This Way: Or When I Get Back on My Feet You’ll Be Sorry is the story of a 37-year-old Boston-area woman with a great husband and a fine three-year old boy, who was busy at work when she suddenly felt “a throbbing pain in the right side of her head… a volcano erupting inside her skull.” The next thing she knew, her family was gathered around her hospital bed, and she couldn’t feel the whole left side of her body. She’d had a massive brain hemorrhage and had only survived thanks to some very risky surgery. Her humorous, tear-jerking, struggle-to-recover-against-all-odds story is a lesson in finding silver linings.

This book was recommended by my friend and fellow stroke survivor, Angie.

Kate’s Journey is a newly recommended book from a stroke survivor. Kate Adamson survived one-in-a-million odds to enjoy the success she has today. For every challenge we face, Kate’s story teaches us how to meet those challenges with grace and valor. When Kate experienced a double brain-stem stroke her bright tomorrow turned into a dark timeless tunnel. The lessons she learned are a model for anyone who feels their goals are just out of reach.

Out of the Blue: One Woman’s Story of Stroke, Love, and Survival is written by stroke survivor Bonnie Sherr Klein. She shares her story of recovery including her own personal thoughts and discoveries as well as quotes from family, friends, and medical staff who helped her. Although she was not locked-in, her stroke was near the brain stem and left her mostly paralyzed. Now, after a long and difficult recovery, she can walk with the aid of a cane.

For those who have never experienced such a catastrophe, this book will help explain what it is like to be a stroke victim and how difficult it is. Out of the Blue is recommended reading for stroke victims and their families as well as medical personnel who take care of them.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly : A Memoir of Life in Death, is written by Jean-Dominique Bauby, who was the victim of a stroke in 1995. Age 43 at the time, he was in a coma for 20 days and was locked-in when he awoke. The entire book was written by blinking his eyes to select letter after letter. He never did recover, and died of a heart attack in 1995, two days after the French publication of this book.

Reviewers describe this book as “beautiful and haunting”, two words that when used together typically are artsy-person speak for “depressing”. At the same time, many readers call this book inspirational, probably because of how it helped them realize how precious life is and how fleeting it can be. This book provides a contrasting perspective to
the two books above, showing in stark relief how important it is to nurture family relationships and keep close to loved ones. If nothing else, it will make the reader appreciative of all that they have.

Look Up For Yes is another book written by a locked-in patient, Julia Tavalaro.
We don’t have a lot of information about this book or Julia’s story. Unfortunately, it appears that both the hardcover and the paperback versions of this books are out of print, since Amazon is only offering used copies of both editions. (I guess that’s what libraries are for!)

Thanks go to Sherry Butler for mentioning this book to us.