Strokecast

  I met Reva back in October when I first joined the Young Adult Stroke Survivors group. She is a doctoral student at the University of Washington studying aphasia. She also coordinates the UW student volunteers who help make the YASS meetings function and ensure a pleasant experience for attendees, be they survivors, caregivers, or guest speakers. We met up last week at the Wayward Coffee House on a bright summer day. I secured a good parking spot on the street. Reva trekked over on her bike and we found some comfy seats in the back. We geeked out about language and the work Reva does while surrounded by Firefly, Star Trek, and Star Wars stuff. This might be my new favorite coffee shop to record at. Many stroke survivors live with aphasia and struggle to communicate. Speech Therapists, like Reva, help folks recover those language skills, but they also do so much more. They help with memory and cognition. They even help with fundamental human functions like swallowing and breathing. The field is incredibly co