Rob's stroke (aphasia) recovery
Donation protected
Rob Gast was just 33 years old in May, 2013 when he suffered an acute stroke while he was in a meeting at work. The stroke wiped out the language center of his brain. When Rob "came to" in the hospital, his ability to speak, read, write, and comprehend language was GONE. His vocuabulary was limited to "yes" and "no." But sometimes even his "yes" or "no" responses weren't accurate due to his limited comprehension of language. This condition is known as aphasia .
After 5 weeks in the hospital, Rob began speech therapy as an outpatient. Insurance covered weekly speech therapy that amounted to 1-2 hours per week. Rob and his dad work on speech exercises at Rob's house every day for 3-4 hours. Starting from scratch, Rob was initially focusing on the most basic language skills such as relearning the alphabet and numbers. Even things that may seem "easy" to relearn (such as the alphabet) do NOT come easy, as Rob is teaching a new part of his brain to be the language center. These parts weren't intended to be the language center. Rob's aphasia has improved significantly since he had his stroke, but he has a long way to go to reach his goal of a full recovery.
In order to continue his rehabilitation, Rob plans to attend an intensive speech therapy program at the University of Michigan. The program is 3 weeks long, with daily speech therapy sessions from 9AM until 3PM.
Initially established in 1947 to assist veterans coming home from WWII with head trauma and language deficiencies, the aphasia therapy program currently services individuals with language disorders resulting from stroke, brain injury, or brain tumor. University of Michigan states that "over the last decade, a number of excellent research studies have demonstrated that intensive schedules are better for treating chronic aphasia than non-intensive schedules."
Unfortunately, Rob's medical coverage no longer covers speech therapy of any sort. The University of Michigan Aphasia Program will cost $17,500 (including room and board) for one three-week session. Most patients require multiple sessions for effective recovery. Rob is confident the intensive approach to speech therapy will be hugely beneficial to his speech and language recovery.
Prior to his stroke, Rob worked as a Merchandise Planner for Abercrombie & Fitch. He graduated from The Ohio State University with a B.S. in Business Administration, majoring in Marketing and Logistics. He was also a 5 year veteran of the Ohio State University Marching Band, and a squad leader during his last year.
Life after Rob's stroke has one main focus: language recovery. As you can imagine, losing your ability to communicate is stressful. Rob is still very intelligent. He continually comes up with new, creative ways to practice speech at home. He scours the web for information regarding aphasia recovery. He has become active in a non-profit group called Aphasia Recovery Connection .
To stay in physical shape, and clear his mind, Rob began running. Over the past 2+ years, he has become an avid distance runner, discovering along the way that he is a pretty talented runner. Rob ran his first half-marathon in May 2015, and is currently training for a full marathon in October 2015. Rob's drive and dedication has not gone un-noticed. Rob's story has been featured with Ohio Health, the Columbus Dispatch , as well as a local 10tv news clip during stroke awareness month.
This 10tv clip does a nice job telling Rob's story, so if you haven't had a chance to view it, definitely take a few minutes to click the link below and watch it.
http://www.10tv.com/content/sections/video/index.html?video=%2Fvideos%2F2015%2F04%2F30%2Fstroke-survivor-will-run-first-half-marathon.xml
Although Rob has recovered physically from his stroke (except for some residual numbness in his right arm and hand), aphasia still has a strong grip on Rob's daily life. Rob is considered 100% disabled due to his aphasia, and lives on a limited disability income.
Rob is a fighter, and is determined to overcome his aphasia. Please consider funding his recovery efforts. Whatever you can give is very much appreciated.
After 5 weeks in the hospital, Rob began speech therapy as an outpatient. Insurance covered weekly speech therapy that amounted to 1-2 hours per week. Rob and his dad work on speech exercises at Rob's house every day for 3-4 hours. Starting from scratch, Rob was initially focusing on the most basic language skills such as relearning the alphabet and numbers. Even things that may seem "easy" to relearn (such as the alphabet) do NOT come easy, as Rob is teaching a new part of his brain to be the language center. These parts weren't intended to be the language center. Rob's aphasia has improved significantly since he had his stroke, but he has a long way to go to reach his goal of a full recovery.
In order to continue his rehabilitation, Rob plans to attend an intensive speech therapy program at the University of Michigan. The program is 3 weeks long, with daily speech therapy sessions from 9AM until 3PM.
Initially established in 1947 to assist veterans coming home from WWII with head trauma and language deficiencies, the aphasia therapy program currently services individuals with language disorders resulting from stroke, brain injury, or brain tumor. University of Michigan states that "over the last decade, a number of excellent research studies have demonstrated that intensive schedules are better for treating chronic aphasia than non-intensive schedules."
Unfortunately, Rob's medical coverage no longer covers speech therapy of any sort. The University of Michigan Aphasia Program will cost $17,500 (including room and board) for one three-week session. Most patients require multiple sessions for effective recovery. Rob is confident the intensive approach to speech therapy will be hugely beneficial to his speech and language recovery.
Prior to his stroke, Rob worked as a Merchandise Planner for Abercrombie & Fitch. He graduated from The Ohio State University with a B.S. in Business Administration, majoring in Marketing and Logistics. He was also a 5 year veteran of the Ohio State University Marching Band, and a squad leader during his last year.
Life after Rob's stroke has one main focus: language recovery. As you can imagine, losing your ability to communicate is stressful. Rob is still very intelligent. He continually comes up with new, creative ways to practice speech at home. He scours the web for information regarding aphasia recovery. He has become active in a non-profit group called Aphasia Recovery Connection .
To stay in physical shape, and clear his mind, Rob began running. Over the past 2+ years, he has become an avid distance runner, discovering along the way that he is a pretty talented runner. Rob ran his first half-marathon in May 2015, and is currently training for a full marathon in October 2015. Rob's drive and dedication has not gone un-noticed. Rob's story has been featured with Ohio Health, the Columbus Dispatch , as well as a local 10tv news clip during stroke awareness month.
This 10tv clip does a nice job telling Rob's story, so if you haven't had a chance to view it, definitely take a few minutes to click the link below and watch it.
http://www.10tv.com/content/sections/video/index.html?video=%2Fvideos%2F2015%2F04%2F30%2Fstroke-survivor-will-run-first-half-marathon.xml
Although Rob has recovered physically from his stroke (except for some residual numbness in his right arm and hand), aphasia still has a strong grip on Rob's daily life. Rob is considered 100% disabled due to his aphasia, and lives on a limited disability income.
Rob is a fighter, and is determined to overcome his aphasia. Please consider funding his recovery efforts. Whatever you can give is very much appreciated.
Organizer and beneficiary
Joanne Reese Bryant
Organizer
Columbus, OH
Robert Gast, III
Beneficiary