I am blessed. My life has been and continues to be blessed.

My initial intent for this writing was to expose the inner conflict within myself.

For the sake of this journal  as well as a future reminder to myself, I will continue to pen my original thoughts.

My conflict: As a result of my stroke, my new found passion/purpose is to give, help and inspire those who are in need.

Most notably those like myself  who have experienced a stroke or a Traumatic Brain Injury, also including their families.


My life has experienced love, happiness, joy and adventure as well as heart break and loss including the death of both parents and

my older brother when he was 34. Death, however is inevitable to us all. Death is a part of life.

Nothing prepared me or had the biggest impact on my life to date than the stroke that I had in Oct. 06.

There simply is no way to prepare oneself for something of this magnitude.

This was not an event that happened and is in the past. It is omnipresent.

Every step or reach that I take, every time I go to turn on a light or when i brush my teeth is a reminder that my life was permanently

altered on that October morning.

Because of this event, my purpose was revealed. My journey has led me down this path.

My conflict  is that although this experience has come through me, i don't want it to always identify me.

How do I separate both worlds? Should I try?

How do I continue with my work running my stroke support site writing my book, volunteering and creating a product

to aide stroke survivors, and not carry this identity? These have become, I believe my purpose.

How do I continue with these without identifying myself as a stroke survivor?

Has it become who I am?  Has it become a crutch or an excuse or simply the new me?

This question leads me back to the realization that despite everything, I truly am blessed.

I am blessed that I am able to transcend both worlds.

I think of myself as straddling a chasm between two worlds.

My purpose, I believe is to be a bridge over the abyss. Perhaps I can help others to cross safely.

I suspect that there is another abyss that I must cross.

I am blessed to realize it's existence though it's vision is not yet clear.

Bob Miller
The Stroke Coach