{"id":25006,"date":"2019-10-21T11:55:25","date_gmt":"2019-10-21T15:55:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/?p=25006"},"modified":"2019-10-22T15:55:20","modified_gmt":"2019-10-22T19:55:20","slug":"uofsc-lab-helps-stroke-survivors-suffering-with-aphasia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/uofsc-lab-helps-stroke-survivors-suffering-with-aphasia\/","title":{"rendered":"UofSC lab helps stroke survivors suffering with aphasia"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;3.22&#8243; custom_padding=&#8221;0px|0px|0px|0px&#8221; bb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; _i=&#8221;0&#8243; _address=&#8221;0&#8243;][et_pb_row _builder_version=&#8221;3.25&#8243; background_size=&#8221;initial&#8221; background_position=&#8221;top_left&#8221; background_repeat=&#8221;repeat&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;2px|0px|8px|0px&#8221; _i=&#8221;0&#8243; _address=&#8221;0.0&#8243;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;3.0.47&#8243; custom_padding=&#8221;|||&#8221; custom_padding__hover=&#8221;|||&#8221; _i=&#8221;0&#8243; _address=&#8221;0.0.0&#8243;][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Featured Image caption&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;3.29.3&#8243; text_font=&#8221;|600|||||||&#8221; text_font_size=&#8221;12px&#8221; _i=&#8221;0&#8243; _address=&#8221;0.0.0.0&#8243;]<\/p>\n<p>The Nickelodeon Theater on Main Street in Columbia hosted an aphasia community event on Oct. 14 by screening &#8220;Aphasia the Movie.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;3.22&#8243; custom_padding=&#8221;2px|0px|37.9062px|0px&#8221; bb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; _i=&#8221;1&#8243; _address=&#8221;1&#8243;][et_pb_row column_structure=&#8221;2_3,1_3&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;3.25&#8243; custom_margin=&#8221;10px|||&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;0px|0px|18.9531px|0px&#8221; _i=&#8221;0&#8243; _address=&#8221;1.0&#8243;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;2_3&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;3.0.47&#8243; custom_padding=&#8221;|||&#8221; custom_padding__hover=&#8221;|||&#8221; _i=&#8221;0&#8243; _address=&#8221;1.0.0&#8243;][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;News Story&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;3.29.3&#8243; custom_margin=&#8221;0px||0px|&#8221; text_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; text_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; text_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; link_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; link_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; link_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; ul_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; ul_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; ul_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; ol_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; ol_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; ol_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; quote_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; quote_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; quote_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_2_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_2_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_2_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_3_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_3_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_3_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_4_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_4_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_4_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_5_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_5_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_5_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; header_6_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_6_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; header_6_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=&#8221;1px&#8221; box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; box_shadow_vertical_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; box_shadow_blur_tablet=&#8221;40px&#8221; box_shadow_spread_tablet=&#8221;0px&#8221; _i=&#8221;0&#8243; _address=&#8221;1.0.0.0&#8243;]<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"TextRun SCXW217433624 BCX2\" lang=\"EN-US\" style=\"color: #000000\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW217433624 BCX2\">Carl McIntyre struggles to put words and meanings together, a daily exertion that he says is like working through a brain fog. He is a stroke survivor who suffers with aphasia, a disability that is often painfully invisible.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">Aphasia is a language disorder that makes it difficult to speak or understand others\u2019 speech due to brain damage. Stroke survivors who have developed this disorder may also have trouble reading and writing.\u00a0Strokes tend to occur in the same area of the brain and are typically unilateral, meaning they are mostly located in the left hemisphere, according to Leigh Ann Spell, associate director of the University of South Carolina aphasia lab.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">The UofSC aphasia lab focuses on how the brain heals itself. The lab takes detailed pictures of the brain in hopes of understanding how the residual brain works after stroke. The research results show the lab what they can do to promote recovery.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">Lab director Julius Fridriksson said a lot of times people with aphasia don\u2019t show strong physical signs of the disorder. Even when people can\u2019t talk, people with aphasia and others around them don\u2019t always notice it. Aphasia is an invisible disability.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">\u201cAphasia is probably one of those things that nobody knows about even though stroke is the number one cause of disability in the United States. It is extremely common,\u201d Fridriksson said. &#8220;In South Carolina, we are the only state where half of all strokes happen in people under the age of 60.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">To spread awareness, the UofSC aphasia lab hosts community outreach activities to treat those diagnosed as aphasic. In October, the Nickelodeon Theater on Columbia&#8217;s Main Street participated in a community partnership with the aphasia lab by screening &#8220;Aphasia the Movie&#8221;, putting on a performance by the lab\u2019s aphasic drama group and having a panel discussion that featured the film\u2019s main character. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">McIntyre, of Charlotte, North Carolina, played himself in &#8220;Aphasia the Movie.&#8221; He survived a chronic stroke in 2005 and wanted to share his story with the world.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">\u201cHaving a stroke sucks. Aphasia really sucks. Before I had a stroke, life was really good, a wonderful life,\u201d said McIntyre. \u201cJob is voice. Actor, teacher and really good sales. Golden tongue. But after stroke, everything is different now. I can\u2019t talk, write or read.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">The doctor advised McIntyre to wait one and a half years to see improvement. Once the time came, he was not any better. This realization was not ideal for him.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">\u201cWhat?! I need to work, I have to work. It was a low, low time. I\u2019m frustrated, I\u2019m angry. World angry. Why me? Why now? I\u2019m young. I\u2019m trapped in the head. Prison,\u201d said McIntyre. \u201cDisappointments every day, every minute, every second. Depression is really bad stuff. I remember saying, \u2018Live or die, I don\u2019t care, I\u2019m fine. Dark place, really dark place.\u201d<br \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">McIntyre did not want to give up on life. A couple steps that McIntyre personally took to get out of the dark place he was in after the aphasia diagnosis included:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000\">\u00a0Mourn. \u201cFirst, I need to fix it and fix me,\u201d said McIntyre.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000\">\u00a0Acceptance. \u201cMaybe no speaking again but I\u2019m still here. I\u2019m still relevant and no fear, fearless,\u201d said McIntyre.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000\">\u00a0Hope. \u201cHope is everything. No hope, no life,\u201d said McIntyre.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000\">Purpose. \u201cBig or small, but purpose every day. I love to garden plants and tomatoes, big juicy tomatoes. I love it, but I need more. My purpose is movie and understanding aphasia,\u201d said McIntyre.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">Though aphasia has affected McIntyre&#8217;s life negatively, he still tries to see the good in the world.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">\u201cI know I\u2019ll never think the same but every day is good. Possibilities are endless. I never quit, I never will. I\u2019m living a dream right now. Aphasia still sucks but I win every day and you can too,\u201d McIntyre said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">Spell said many folks that come to the lab can\u2019t get across what they are trying to say. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">\u201cI think what makes it so frustrating for them is that they are kind of trapped. They are still the same person but they just can\u2019t express themselves like they used to,\u201d Spell said. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">McIntyre is a prime example in this case. He said himself that every stroke is different and there is no magical pill.<br \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">\u201cPeople\u2019s cognitive skills may still be intact where their memory, attention and their ability to organize information is fine,\u201d said Spell. \u201cBut some of our participants are pretty fluent. They have a mild aphasia where they have occasional word-finding problems. Usually they can get their point across, whereas other people may be totally nonverbal.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">On the assessment spectrum, McIntyre has chronic aphasia and this is when people tend to seek intensive therapy. Therapy does not need to be at a hospital or with a speech pathologist, one stroke survivor with aphasia told the theater crowd. Someone suffering with aphasia can set a goal to learn a new word by themselves every day.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\" data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cFor the first year of stroke, I bought tapes of vowels. I\u2019m an actor and I love to rehearse, rehearse, rehearse,\u201d McIntyre said. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">Chuck Bludsworth, one of the filmmakers, said McIntyre rehearsed the speech he gave at the Nickelodeon Theater three times even though he had given the speech professionally nearly 100 times.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">After five years of therapy with his speech pathologist in Chapel Hill, McIntyre does not attend therapy anymore. Speaking, talking and listening every day is his therapy, he said. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">Lynsey Keator, the lead coordinator for the aphasia community event, said the event at the theater is meant to not only raise awareness, but to share research and bring together a group of people who all share this communication disorder.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">\u201cMy hope is that in my lifetime we will cure aphasia. It\u2019s not going to happen any time soon but I think that we are working towards understanding what happens to the brain once you\u2019ve had brain damage. I think there are going to be some developing therapies and new approaches that are going to enable us to cure it,\u201d Fridriksson said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">Even though the disability can\u2019t be seen, there are therapy opportunities and ways to participate out in the community, Keator said. By making the community more aware of aphasia, the opportunities can be open to people with this language disorder.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">\u201cWe are working towards those predicted measures of a cure. Telling someone after they have their stroke, \u2018this is what you can expect,&#8217; would be helpful for our stroke survivors and also family members,\u201d said Keator.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=&#8221;1_3&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;3.0.47&#8243; custom_padding=&#8221;|||&#8221; custom_padding__hover=&#8221;|||&#8221; _i=&#8221;1&#8243; _address=&#8221;1.0.1&#8243;][et_pb_image src=&#8221;http:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/AphasiaP2W_MN.jpg&#8221; show_in_lightbox=&#8221;on&#8221; show_bottom_space=&#8221;off&#8221; align_tablet=&#8221;center&#8221; align_last_edited=&#8221;on|desktop&#8221; admin_label=&#8221;Image 1&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;3.29.3&#8243; custom_margin=&#8221;||2px|&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;|||&#8221; animation_style=&#8221;slide&#8221; box_shadow_style=&#8221;preset2&#8243; box_shadow_horizontal=&#8221;4px&#8221; box_shadow_vertical=&#8221;4px&#8221; _i=&#8221;0&#8243; _address=&#8221;1.0.1.0&#8243;]<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Caption 1&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;3.29.3&#8243; text_font=&#8221;|600|||||||&#8221; text_font_size=&#8221;12px&#8221; text_line_height=&#8221;1.4em&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;8px|||2px&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;|||&#8221; _i=&#8221;1&#8243; _address=&#8221;1.0.1.1&#8243;]<\/p>\n<p>Carl McIntyre, a stroke survivor, starred in Aphasia the Movie. He had a massive stroke in 2005 and is an advocate for the aphasia community.<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=&#8221;http:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/AphasiaP3W_MN.jpg&#8221; show_in_lightbox=&#8221;on&#8221; show_bottom_space=&#8221;off&#8221; align_tablet=&#8221;center&#8221; align_last_edited=&#8221;on|desktop&#8221; admin_label=&#8221;Image 2&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;3.29.3&#8243; custom_margin=&#8221;||2px|&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;|||&#8221; animation_style=&#8221;slide&#8221; box_shadow_style=&#8221;preset2&#8243; box_shadow_horizontal=&#8221;4px&#8221; box_shadow_vertical=&#8221;4px&#8221; _i=&#8221;2&#8243; _address=&#8221;1.0.1.2&#8243;]<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Caption 2&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;3.29.3&#8243; text_font=&#8221;|600|||||||&#8221; text_font_size=&#8221;12px&#8221; text_line_height=&#8221;1.4em&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;8px|||2px&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;|||&#8221; _i=&#8221;3&#8243; _address=&#8221;1.0.1.3&#8243;]<\/p>\n<p>At the UofSC Aphasia Lab, they focus on how the brain heals itself. The lab takes detailed images of the brain to study how the residual brain works after stroke. <em>Photo Credit: UofSC Aphasia Lab<\/em><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=&#8221;http:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/AphasiaG1W_MN-1.jpg&#8221; show_in_lightbox=&#8221;on&#8221; show_bottom_space=&#8221;off&#8221; align_tablet=&#8221;center&#8221; align_last_edited=&#8221;on|desktop&#8221; admin_label=&#8221;Image 3&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;3.29.3&#8243; custom_margin=&#8221;||2px|&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;|||&#8221; animation_style=&#8221;slide&#8221; box_shadow_style=&#8221;preset2&#8243; box_shadow_horizontal=&#8221;4px&#8221; box_shadow_vertical=&#8221;4px&#8221; _i=&#8221;4&#8243; _address=&#8221;1.0.1.4&#8243;]<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Caption 3&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;3.29.3&#8243; text_font=&#8221;|600|||||||&#8221; text_font_size=&#8221;12px&#8221; text_line_height=&#8221;1.4em&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;8px|||2px&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;|||&#8221; _i=&#8221;5&#8243; _address=&#8221;1.0.1.5&#8243;]<\/p>\n<p><em>Photo Credit: National Aphasia Association and UofSCLab<\/em><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=&#8221;http:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/AphasiaP5W_MN.jpg&#8221; show_in_lightbox=&#8221;on&#8221; show_bottom_space=&#8221;off&#8221; align_tablet=&#8221;center&#8221; align_last_edited=&#8221;on|desktop&#8221; admin_label=&#8221;Image 4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;3.29.3&#8243; custom_margin=&#8221;||2px|&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;|||&#8221; animation_style=&#8221;slide&#8221; box_shadow_style=&#8221;preset2&#8243; box_shadow_horizontal=&#8221;4px&#8221; box_shadow_vertical=&#8221;4px&#8221; _i=&#8221;6&#8243; _address=&#8221;1.0.1.6&#8243;]<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Caption 4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;3.29.3&#8243; text_font=&#8221;|600|||||||&#8221; text_font_size=&#8221;12px&#8221; text_line_height=&#8221;1.4em&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;8px|||2px&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;|||&#8221; _i=&#8221;7&#8243; _address=&#8221;1.0.1.7&#8243;]<\/p>\n<p>Leigh Ann Spell, the associate director of the UofSC Aphasia Lab, is in charge of operations at the lab and recruits participants who have had a stroke to participate in research studies. <em>Photo Credit: UofSC Aphasia Lab<\/em><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=&#8221;http:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/AphasiaP4W_MN.jpg&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;3.29.3&#8243; _i=&#8221;8&#8243; _address=&#8221;1.0.1.8&#8243;]<br \/>\n[\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;3.29.3&#8243; _i=&#8221;9&#8243; _address=&#8221;1.0.1.9&#8243;]<\/p>\n<p>Carl McIntyre wrote the word \u201cacceptance\u201d on a white board at the aphasia community event inside the Nickelodeon Theater. He wants stroke survivors, like himself, to be accepted in the community.<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A University of South Carolina lab is working with patients with aphasia, a language disorder that affects speech, reading, writing and listening skills due to brain damage. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":206,"featured_media":25047,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"<p>Have you or a loved one suffered from a stroke and have trouble communicating? If so, you may have aphasia.\u00a0<span data-ccp-props=\"{\"201341983\":0,\"335559739\":160,\"335559740\":259}\"><br \/><\/span><\/p><p>Aphasia is a language disorder that makes it difficult to speak or understand others\u2019 speech due to brain damage. Stroke survivors who have developed this disorder may also have trouble reading and writing.\u00a0<span data-ccp-props=\"{\"201341983\":0,\"335559739\":160,\"335559740\":259}\">Strokes tend to occur in the same area of the brain and are typically unilateral, meaning they are mostly located in the left hemisphere. <\/span><\/p><p>Julius <span data-contrast=\"auto\">Fridiksson<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, the director of the <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">UofSC<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> aphasia lab, said that a lot of times people with aphasia don\u2019t have strong physical signs. Even when people can\u2019t talk, they just don\u2019t notice it. Aphasia is an invisible disability.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\"201341983\":0,\"335559739\":160,\"335559740\":259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cAphasia is probably one of those things that nobody knows about even though stroke is the number one cause of disability in the United States. It is extremely common,\u201d said <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Fridiksson<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. \u2018In South Carolina, we are the only state where half of all strokes happen in people under the age of 60.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\"201341983\":0,\"335559739\":160,\"335559740\":259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">To spread awareness, the <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">UofSC<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> aphasia lab hosts community outreach activities to treat those who are diagnosed as aphasic. The Nickelodeon Theater on Main St. participated in a community partnership with aphasia by screening Aphasia the Movie, putting on a performance by the lab\u2019s aphasic drama group and having a panel discussion that featured the film\u2019s main character.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\"201341983\":0,\"335559739\":160,\"335559740\":259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Carl <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">McIntrye<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, a real-life stroke survivor, played himself in Aphasia the Movie. He survived a chronic stroke in 2005 and wanted to share his story with the world.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\"201341983\":0,\"335559739\":160,\"335559740\":259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cHaving a stroke <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">sucks<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. Aphasia really sucks. Before I had a stroke, life was really good, a wonderful life,\u201d said <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">McIntrye<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cJob is voice. Actor, teacher and really good sales. Golden tongue. But after stroke, everything is different now. I can\u2019t talk, write or read.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p>The doctor advised <span data-contrast=\"auto\">McIntrye<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> to wait one and a half years to see improvement. Once the time came, he was not any better. This realization was not ideal for him.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\"201341983\":0,\"335559739\":160,\"335559740\":259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cWhat?! I need to work, I have to work. It was a low, low time. I\u2019m frustrated, I\u2019m angry. World angry. Why me? Why now? I\u2019m young. I\u2019m trapped in the head. Prison,\u201d said <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">McIntrye<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. \u201cDisappointments every day, every minute, every second. Depression is really bad stuff. I remember saying, \u2018Live or die, I don\u2019t care, I\u2019m fine. Dark place, really dark place.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\"201341983\":0,\"335559739\":160,\"335559740\":259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>Leigh Ann Spell, the associate director of the <span data-contrast=\"auto\">UofSC<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> aphasia lab, said that what they see with folks that come to the lab is that they can\u2019t get across what they are trying to say.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\"201341983\":0,\"335559739\":160,\"335559740\":259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cI think what makes it so frustrating for them is that they are kind of trapped. They are still the same person but they just can\u2019t express themselves like they used to,\u201d said Spell.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\"201341983\":0,\"335559739\":160,\"335559740\":259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">McIntyre is a prime example in this case, but every stroke is different and there is no magical pill.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\"201341983\":0,\"335559739\":160,\"335559740\":259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cTypically, aphasia is just affecting language. People\u2019s cognitive skills may still be intact where their memory, attention and their ability to organize information is fine,\u201d said Spell. \u201cBut some of our participants are pretty fluent. They have a mild aphasia where they have occasional word-finding problems. Usually they can get their point across, whereas other people may be totally nonverbal.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\"201341983\":0,\"335559739\":160,\"335559740\":259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">On the assessment spectrum, <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">McIntrye<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> has chronic aphasia and this is when people tend to want to seek intensive therapy. What people don\u2019t know is that therapy does not need to be at a hospital or with a speech pathologist. Someone suffering with aphasia can set a goal to learn a new word by themselves every day.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cFor the first year of stroke, I bought tapes of vowels. I\u2019m an actor and I love to rehearse, rehearse, rehearse,\u201d said McIntrye.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\"201341983\":0,\"335559739\":160,\"335559740\":259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Chuck <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Bludsworth<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, one of the filmmakers for Aphasia the Movie, said that <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">McIntrye<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> rehearsed the speech he gave at the Nickelodeon Theater three times even though he gave the speech professionally nearly 100 times.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\"201341983\":0,\"335559739\":160,\"335559740\":259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">McIntrye<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, disregarding the depressed state he was in, did not want to give up on life. A couple steps that McIntyre personally took to get out of his funk after the aphasia diagnosis were as follows:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\"201341983\":0,\"335559739\":160,\"335559740\":259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">1) <strong>Mourn<\/strong>. \u201cFirst, I need to fix it and fix me,\u201d said McIntrye.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\"201341983\":0,\"335559739\":160,\"335559740\":259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">2) <strong>Acceptance<\/strong>. <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cMaybe no speaking again but I\u2019m still here. I\u2019m still relevant and no fear, fearless,\u201d said McIntrye.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>3<strong>)<\/strong> <strong>Hope<\/strong><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. \u201c<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Hope is everything. No hope, no life,\u201d said <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">McIntrye<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\"201341983\":0,\"335559739\":160,\"335559740\":259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>4) <strong>Purpose<\/strong><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. \u201cBig or small, but purpose every day. I love to garden plants and tomatoes, big juicy tomatoes. I love it, but I need more. My purpose is movie and understanding aphasia,\u201d said <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">McIntrye<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u201cI know I\u2019ll never think the same but every day is good. Possibilities are endless. I never quit, I never will. I\u2019m living a dream right now. Aphasia still sucks but I win every day and you can too,\u201d said <span data-contrast=\"auto\">McIntrye<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\"201341983\":0,\"335559739\":160,\"335559740\":259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">McIntrye<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> does not attend therapy anymore with his speech pathologist in Chapel Hill after doing so for five years. Speaking, talking and listening every day is his therapy.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\"201341983\":0,\"335559739\":160,\"335559740\":259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Lynsey Keator, the lead coordinator for the aphasia community event, said that the event at the theater is meant to not only raise awareness to aphasia, but to share research and bring together a group of people who all share this communication disorder.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\"201341983\":0,\"335559739\":160,\"335559740\":259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>The UofSC aphasia lab is mostly interested in how the brain heals itself. The lab takes detailed pictures of the brain in hopes of understanding how the residual brain works after stroke. The research results show the lab what they can do to promote recovery. Fridiksson studies aphasia all over the world.<\/p><p>\u201cMy hope is that in my lifetime we will cure aphasia. It\u2019s not going to happen any time soon but I think that we are working towards understanding what happens to the brain once you\u2019ve had brain damage. I think there are going to be some developing therapies and new approaches that are going to enable us to cure it<span data-contrast=\"auto\">,<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201d<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> said <\/span>Fridiksson.<\/p><p>McIntrye wrote the word \u201cacceptance\u201d on a white board during the aphasia community event at the theater. Even though the disability can\u2019t be seen, there are therapy opportunities and ways to participate out in the community. By making the community more aware of aphasia, the opportunities can be open to people with this language disorder.<\/p><p>\u201cWe are working towards those predicted measures of a cure. Telling someone after they have their stroke, \u2018this is what you can expect\u2019, would be helpful for our stroke survivors and also family members<span data-contrast=\"auto\">,\u201d said Keator.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{\"201341983\":0,\"335559739\":160,\"335559740\":259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>","_et_gb_content_width":""},"categories":[67,39,68,97],"tags":[1077,1071,1074,1075,450,1096,1097,1076,1072,1073],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25006"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/206"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25006"}],"version-history":[{"count":55,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25006\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25520,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25006\/revisions\/25520"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25047"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25006"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25006"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25006"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}