The Hand in Hand show is a show designed and run by stroke survivors and caregivers. It is part of Strokefocus, formerly known as Wohaula.

The Hand in Hand show features honest and real discussion by survivors and caregivers on stroke. It also welcomes new and local institutions serving the stroke and brain injury community to come onto the show.

Host Cam Compton tells you her story as a stroke survivor and her remarkable recovery. Cam discovered a new self in the process. Listen to her story.

Hand in Hand Show

Episode 1, the Story of Cam Compton

The Hand in Hand show is a show designed and run by stroke survivors and caregivers. It is part of Strokefocus, formerly known as Wohaula.

In this episode, co-host Kenny Carbullido talks about his own story.

Kenny used to be a policeman and a comedian. At the age of 38, he suffered a stroke. He was in a wheelchair for over a year. In spite of enormous adversity, Kenny did not lose his optimism. He recovered 95% (his own estimate) and is now back to stage as a comedian.

Listen to Kenny’s story.

Corporate and Motivational Music

Episode 2, the Story of Kenny Carbullido

Cam and Nancy talk about the things that a Caregiver needs to know to be an effective Caregiver.

Nancy’s first recommendation is to know exactly what makes their survivor happy to provide quality of life.

Awareness of one’s own personal skills is an important tool in the caregiver’s pocket for being a better caregiver.

Nancy describes the value of respite and several other tools. Nancy’s belief in staying positive at all times is what allows her to maintain her caregiving role for now, 26 years.

Episode 3, What Should a Stroke or Brain Injury Caregiver Know?

Many have been told that there is no rehabilitation for eyes.

Dr. Roz Coleman tells the Hand in Hand Show that this is not true.

Dr. Roz is an optometrist who specializes in vision therapy for stroke survivors. Kenny and Dr. Roz discuss ways the eyes and vision can be impacted by stroke. Dr. Roz discusses how the brain can heal itself so finding ways to assist the brain in this healing is definitely do-able in many situations. Dr. Roz can assist online, or in person. She describes her online sessions.

Episode 4, Can Eyes Be Rehabilitated?

Kelly Campbell leads the Unlimited Possibilities Support Group for Stroke and Brain Injury Survivors and Caregivers. She is also the board of director at the Brain Injury Association of Georgia.

In the interview, Kelly discusses with Cam and Nancy how she and her partner Laura have grown the group by treating it like a business. Low engagement is a challenge prevalent to many brain injury support groups. How does Kelly and Laura deal with the problem and improve engagement with her own people? Listen to the episode.

Episode 5: Interview with Kelly Campbell, leader of Unlimited Possibilities

In 2015, Wyetta Dopson suffered a stroke. There was a delay in the process to send her to the hospital.

2 years later, Wyetta has turned her stroke and recovery into a book, Cry in the Dark. She is writing her second book while running a stroke support group on Facebook. She believes being positive is essential to life after stroke. Faith has given her new life meanings she never thought before.

Listen to Wyetta's story. Maybe buy her book.

Episode 11, Wyetta's Book And Stories

On June 1, 2010, Peter Corfield's life changed forever. A brain aneurysm unknown to him ruptured. The former PE and Drama teacher, a happy Englishman living in France suffered a stroke.

Peter refused to settle with his injury. In the following years, he worked hard to recover. He wrote a trilogy of his stroke and recovery. He built up the longest stroke recovery diary on the Internet. Peter has been videotaping his daily journey on YouTube for more than 2 years now and it is still growing.

When Dr Jill Bolte Taylor published her groundbreaking work: My Stroke of Insight in 2009, she said there was no documented work on a full journey of stroke recovery before her book. Peter has certainly changed that. Not only there is now a record, it is in video.

Peter loves life. He is raising fish. Every penny he gets in his books sales will go to the ARNI Institute, a British neurology rehab institute founded by Dr Tom Balchin.

Listen to the fascinating story of Peter.

Episode 12, Peter Corfield, His Books, Video Blogs And Stories

Molly is a senior Exercise Science and Spanish student at the University of South Carolina and will be attending medical school at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in the fall.

She became involved with the stroke community during her junior year when she volunteered in the research lab of Dr. Stacy Fritz.

Dr. Fritz and her physical therapy students were working on a research project called the NExT Gym, which was a pilot program for stroke survivors to workout directly with physical therapy students in a safe gym environment to improve their strength, flexibility and cardiovascular health in the hopes of preventing another stroke.

Through that volunteer opportunity Molly connected with several stroke survivors with hemiparesis who were more than happy to demonstrate how they adapted everyday items, like shoelaces, to make their lives easier. Following that conversation she decided to create the TIPPS website for her Honors College senior thesis project.

TIPPS, which stands for Tools & Inventions for/from People Post-Stroke is an online database that’s meant to be a resource for all members of the stroke survivor community and their caretakers where everyone can share their “life hacks” with other people who may be experiencing the same difficulties and might benefit from the creativity and experiences of others. The website can be found at tipps-sc.com and any new submissions, comments or suggestions can be emailed to tipps.sc@gmail.com.

Episode 16: Molly Lonneman, The Big Idea Behind Her New Website

Kati was flourishing as a supermodel when a devastating stroke derailed her life and career at the age of 21. Since then, 95% of her body has been paralyzed. 

Kati overcame her early depression. She rebuilt her life and met her wonderful husband Henning Vander Hoeven. Together they blog on Huffington Post, present at TED Talks, and actively championing for stroke survivors worldwide. 

In this episode, Henning and Kati share their remarkable lives in detai. How they transformed their own lives as life transforms them.:

0’45’’ Intro of Kati and Henning.
1’27’’ What Happened to Kati?
3’00’’ Were there signs of stroke?
4’21'' The impaired mobility. Lost connection between brain and the body.
5’10’’ Kati’s videos of her own therapies.
6’30’’ New life as a blogger and public speaker.
7’30’’ Awareness of Locked in Syndrome.
9’00'' Make something meaningful out of tragedy.
9’22’’ Imagine That - TED Talk presentations.
10’00’’ Biggest challenge in Kati’s journey – acceptance and paradigm shift.
12’40’’ Adaptation.
13’04’’ How did Kati and Henning meet?
15’05’’ How did Kati communicate via computer"
17’27’’ How did Kati get out of her initial depression?
19’21’’ Traveling together.
20’40’’ Where are the opportunities to improve stroke care?
24’10’’ Advice to caregivers.
25’53’’ How does the audience react to Kati's presentations?
27’50’’ What does the audience often ask?
29’17’’ Kati cooks at home.
30’08’’ What is the most memorable experience in traveling?
30’38’’ Recent trip to London.
33’41’’ Kati’s blog about rising to challenge.
35’20’’ How did stroke transform Kati and Henning
36’53’’ How many languages do Kati and Henning speak?

Episode 19, Kati and Henning - Imagine That

Do you know there is an influential researcher advocating more interactions between researchers and survivors?

Do you know she is working hard to make her research more applicable to survivors? She is finding answers for questions such as how does sedentary behaviors affect survivors. How to make exercises feasible to survivors struggling with mobility challenges? Will group therapies help?

What are the typical steps of a stroke research? How do researchers validate their results?

Listen to Dr Carolie English. You will learn a lot through this interview.

1’24’’ What led Coralie Into Research.
3’50’’ Steps for a typical research project.
4’50’’ The design of tests.
7’00’’ The art of balance, pros and cons of being inclusive and exclusive in samples.
10’30’’ How are results validated?
11’08’’ How to avoid bias through randomization?
12’11’’ Example of randomization.
14’55’’ The best and worst part of being a researcher.
16’28’’ The excitement of working with researchers around the world.
18’15’’ The sedentary life style research.
20’55’’ What about those who can not exercise that much?
21’43’’ A new approach: 30 min exercise a week?
28’12’’ Working with TIA patients to minimize the risk of major stroke later on.
28’49’’ Standardization through International Steering Committee.
32’58’’ Studies on group therapies.
39’30’’ The impact of seeing others in a group relearning the same thing.
40’55’’ The biggest challenge to researchers – research money.
41’59’’ The importance for researchers to engage survivors.

Episode 21, Dr Coralie English, Making Research Work For Survivors

There are a few things caregivers can do to find joy in caregiving. 

Caregivers play a crucial role in stroke and TBI recovery. Nancy Weckwerth discusses with the Hand in Hand Show what can a caregiver do to find joy in the process. And why it is important to find joy for caregivers.

Episode 25 5 Things Caregivers Can Do To Find Joy

Rosanna Radding was trained as a artist. Stroke hit her 22 years ago. It totally changed the course of her life.

After told by doctors that she could not recover much, Rosanna refused to accept the conclusion. She decided to find new meaning of her life. She started with cooking, then turned her experience into a business designing and making kitchenware for people with only one hand.

Listen to this remarkable story. How a stroke could turn a woman into a flourishing entrepreneur. Do not give up. Yes you can!

1’00’’ how did Rosanna come to the idea of One Hand Can
2’47’ Experience with OT
3’50’’ changes in Stroke rehab and care
4’40’’ You would not get anything back after 6 months?
6’10’’ Rosanna’s stroke story
7’04’’ Aside from cooking, what else does Rosanna do?
8’52’’ When did One Hand Can Start?
9’51’’ A little about Rosanna
10’05’’ Where to find Rosanna’s cooking video Gallery?
10’53 How many products does Rosanna offer?
12’10’’ How did Rosanna turn her web site into a business?
14’20’’ How is Rosanna’s design different from others’?
15’20’’ How to find Rosanna’s online store?
16’45’’ Don’t give up.

Episode 26, One Hand Can- An Entrepreneur Out of a Stroke

It is widely believed that stroke recovery ends by the 18th month.

In 2017, a case has been published that a Canadian survivor John Humphrey made significant recover on his motor skills 23 years after stroke. 

Hand in Hand Show had a special discussion with John and his doctor, Professor David Spence. 

How did it start? How did John notice that his affected hand start to move? Did he have any doubts? How did he reconnect with Dr David Spence? And many more.

This is a very inspiring discussion. Stay tuned and join our special social media: https://www.strokefocus.net, and continue your discussion with John.

Episode 28, Special Edition, Recovering Motor Skill 23 Years After Stroke

A father of five, and a former basketball player, on December 23, 2014, Lee suffered from his first stroke. He woke up incoherent and unable to speak. Lee had no idea what was happening. He willed himself to his feet and called out to his wife to no avail. It was only until Lee was halfway down the stairs that his wife saw him. He will never forget the fear and horror that he saw in her eyes. His wife quickly called 911 and he was transported to the hospital. Lee experienced two more strokes by Christmas morning and by the New Years my journey began. 

The progress for the former college basketball player has been slow, painful, confusing, filled with self-doubt and denial at times. 
 
These obstacles have placed Lee in a position to help other "stroke warriors" who are trying to cope with life after a stroke(s). Today, he counter stroke with LIFE, LOVE and HOPE! Lee discovered the key to rehabilitation is to live life pass its limitations, love people pass their limitations, and have faith pass your limitations. Lee is now a successful motivational speaker. He started his organization Counter Stroke. This is how Lee leads his people to answer the challenge of stroke.

Episode 29: Lee Stroy - A Former College Basketball Player Rebuilds His Life After 3 Strokes

In 2010, when Debra was a professor at Stanford, she suffered a severe stroke. she lost all movement of her right arm and leg; even worse, Debra lost all ability to communicate. 
 
While Debra won her struggle to survive, much of her identity – as a Stanford professor, a speaker and writer, an athlete, a mother and a wife – was taken from her. Debra’s mind was working but she was trapped inside a broken body, unable to do what she used to do. And maybe even worse, Debra couldn't tell anyone what she was experiencing.
​​
With hard work and a lot of help Debra regained enough mobility to again be independent, and have recovered some ability to speak. But she has come to accept that she will never again have all the capabilities she once had. 
​​
Seven years later, Debra is still slowly recovering more of her abilities and is continuing to rebuild her identities. She has found few resources to help with the emotional piece of this journey, and has heard the same from many of her fellow survivors. That is why she is writing Identity Theft: Rediscovering Ourselves after Stroke.
 
As a professor, Debra studied and taught about how small, everyday actions can disrupt what’s normal, chip away at the status quo, and create positive change. That work led her to write Tempered Radicals, first published in 2001. 
 
​Now, in a very different context, she lives by the message she previously taught. With small, deliberate efforts, and a lot of conscious choices, Debra continues her slow recovery, discovers more about herself, and shapes her new identities.

Episode 59 Repost: Dr Debra Meyerson- Rebuilding Identity One Step And A Time

Duncan Salloway suffered a TBI just from slipping while cleaning his driveway of snow. The driveway very slick from an earlier freezing rain then snow on top. It had a slope to it so standing was almost impossible. So Duncan was shoveling away and his feet all of a sudden were not where they were supposed to be and he landed on his head.
 
He shook it off and finished his job and went for dinner. 5 years later it was noticed he could not walk in a straight line and he was shuffling my feet a lot. Duncan was also experiencing all kinds of pains . Then he took an MRI and found that he had Hydrocephalus or water on the brain.
 
Duncan initially thought after the surgery, he would be ok. All that happened in 2008 when he was 48, rasing a family in a nice small town. It was told to him that it would be best if Ihe retired and his symptoms were getting worse. Duncan had plans to fly to a wedding in Vegas. He was then told that he needed to retire and NOT FLY. Should he take that flight, he might risk his life due to the change in air pressure.
 
After that, Duncan took many brain surgeries which saved his life but left him with many challenges. The last was 2 and a half years ago. 
 
Duncan is slowly adjusting to his new life and deal with constant headaches.

Listen to Duncan sharing his story with our host Cam.

Episode 70 Adjusting To A New Life After TBI - the Story of Duncan Salloway

Bill is a Generation X Stroke Survivor.

He woke up on the morning of June 3, 2017, with a blood clot in his basal ganglia, which robbed him of the use of his left arm and leg. With a lot of work and physical therapy, Bill relearned how to walk, albeit with a nifty cane. His arm is getting better. Bill is optimistic that one day he’ll get my fingers back.

Professionally, Bill is a corporate trainer and product evangelist, primarily focused on the technology industry. He has worked for some of the world’s largest corporations, including Toshiba and Microsoft. He has done media interviews at major tradeshows for broadcast around the world, and he has appeared on QVC multiple times. I’m always looking for new opportunities to speak, write, teach, and travel.

Bill is a podcaster who drove the creation of podcast based training in US electronics retail. He is also a regular guest on the Caffeinated Comic podcast, a Chicago-based show covering the comic book, geek, and pop culture content and issues. Bill also host the 2-Minute Talk Tips podcast where he helps folks become more effective public speakers in as little as 2 minutes a week.

In February 2018, Bill launched the Strokecast podcast where he explores rehab, recovery, the frontiers of neuroscience, and one-handed banana peeling. He plans to use this platform to share his story and the stories of other stroke survivors, caregivers, medical professionals, and others impacted by stroke.

Personally, he lives in Seattle, WA, with his long-term girlfriend. Bill grew up in Queens, NY, and went to college in Helena, MT. He had a great time and education as part of the Carroll College Talking Saints, the school’s award-winning Speech and Debate team.

Episode 73, Bill Monroe and Strokecast

Marty Zimmerman is a survivor. Five years ago at the age of 25 he suffered a hemorrhagic stroke due to a brain AVM. His left side was weakened, but much has returned since March 7, 2013. Marty wrote a book about the incident and my recovery. It is entitled "Life Interrupted - The Story of a Young Stroke Survivor." 
 
Marty lves in his hometown of Greencastle,  PA. He graduated from Messiah College and earned a Master's degree in applied history from Shippensburg University in December 2017. Marty currently works as a part-time deli clerk at Kline's Grocery Store and as a part-time instructor for the Remfrew Institute. He is the oldest of three. 
 
Besides working Marty spends his time going to the gym, taking day trips,  spending time with family, writing faith based poetry, sharing his story with groups throughout the area, reading, and studying history. Life is sweet again.

Episode 84 God is Good - Interview with survivor and young poet, Marty Zimmerman

Emory Moe or Emo is 67 years old.  He had a stroke in 2014 at the age of 63.
 
Emo worked for decades as a computer engineer. Additionally, he had been a professional rock n' roll bass player with about 200 musical dates a year. Life was good and extremely busy.  
 
In October 2014, Emo was working on a software project when he suddenly went completely blind.  He was taken by ambulance to a hospital emergency room, where people completely misdiagnosed his stroke.  They thought there was something wrong with Emo’s eyes, so they sent Emo home and told him to call his doctor in the next seven to ten days.  Emo called his doctor right away who had him go to an ophthalmologist to get my eyes checked out.  The ophthalmologist said my eyes were fine. So the doctor referred him to a neurologist.   The neurologist immediately sent Emo for an MRI where they determined that Emo had had a stroke.  They always say you should get stroke treatment immediately, but by this time it was four or five days later. 
 
Emo is grateful that he does not have any paralysis or speech problems, although he has a little trouble keeping his balance sometimes.  Over a few months, his eyesight gradually came back about 80%, but Emo still has peripheral blindness in the upper left quadrant of both eyes.  The initial blindness was such a devastating problem that it took him several months to realize that he had also lost a lot of cognitive function.  Emo’s wife has had to take over all the family finances, including paying all the bills.
 
Emo has been doing his best to utilize the exercises on Luminosity.com and BrainHQ.com, but the exercises that seem difficult with minimal results so far.  Emo is blessed with a wonderful wife who is very sympathetic and understanding.  He does not know what he'd do without her.

Listen to Emo as he shares his story with Cam, our host.

Episode 87 The Story of Emo

Mark Vega is an attorney and a runner. He suffered a major ischemic on 6/22/15 and a second major ischemic on 1/11/16.  Luckily, Mark recovered extremely well from both incidents.  He even ran marathons after that and has run longer distances too.  He is a practicing lawyer and still does that working in technology, entertainment and media.   He is an Army Veteran and volunteers as the Judge Advocate for American Legion Hollywood Post 43.  Since the strokes he sees his work and volunteer life center around people in transition.  These include Stroke Survivors, Veterans, Trans and LGBTQ people and members of 12-Step Recovery programs.

Episode 94, Mark Vega - I am a runner

Vince is a fitness enthusiast and an olympic weightlifter hobbyist.

At 28 years old he suffered an ischemic stroke that left him with hemiparesis on the 4th of July 2016.

Vince credits being extremely blessed and remaining focused on positivity throughout rehab and onto recovery outside of the facility with making progress over the 3 years since his stroke.

Vince views recovery as an ongoing challenge and sees this as an opportunity to share his story. With an emphasis on community, Vince has participated in online campaigns to raise awareness for stroke.

Vince is learning to share what he believes are words of positivity and encouragement. He even says that this hurdle was given to him to show others what a survivor can beat with resolve.

Episode 97, Make The Voice Heard - Interview With Vince Holland

George Scola is a stroke survivor.

Many years ago, stroke disrupted his thriving career in finance. Undeterred, he started the Stroke Survivors Foundation to champion the cause for stroke survivors. He now also serves on the board of the World Stroke Organization.

George has long held the vision that post discharge support is crucial to stroke survivors and a better stroke care. He is now working with Strokefocus to roll out a PDSS program in South Africa and beyond.

Episode 98: George Scola, Founder and CEO Stroke Survivors Foundation

Mary Nicholson, Founder of Healings in Motion, was a successful businesswoman. After suffering a life-altering stroke, her biggest venture became the reclamation of her life.

Her journey of change began with a broken heart, after the devastating loss of her newlywed husband to Pancreatic Cancer.  Her mourning was so severe and painful that Mary was hospitalized twice. She could not believe that the love that swept her off her feet was now gone.

While grieving, Mary had a brain aneurysm and was rushed to the hospital.  While on the operating table, she then suffered an ischemic stroke, grand mal seizure and a frozen shoulder.

Her injuries left her without the ability to drive, walk or even make a complete sentence.  But Mary knew that her body, mind and soul were her #1 business and priority.

With this focus, she worked relentlessly to gain back her strength and engaged with organizations that worked with others with disabilities. This led to her to coordinate and sponsor the 1st  Central Valley Learning Disability Fair.  The success of this event, her love of helping others and bringing people together led Mary to establish Healings in Motion.

Episode 99: Mary Nicholson and Healings In Motion

Deborah & Cam discuss how easily anyone can make simple adjustments to improve their life while in the process of recovery and beyond. Life after TBI may not be what you had envisioned; it can be better, a new normal - taking you places, meeting people you never dreamed, living a happy, healthy life.

Deborah’s award winning book Becoming the Healer The Miracle of Brain Injury is packed full of helpful ideas for those going through medical trauma and those who care for them.  She has moved to North Carolina where she founded Awakenings: Center for Inner Healing & Empowerment  – a non-profit spiritual retreat & healing center as well as developing healing tools like Pocket Change to help others with positive change in a fun and easy way.

 You may contact Deborah through the center at deborah@AwakeningsCenterNC.com or by phone at 828-645-9711 or through her Facebook page.

Episode 100: Deborah’s back with Cam:  Simple Ways to Move Forward

Bill just celebrated the fact that his stroke occurred 17 years ago when he was 68 and still working every day to improve, even though most people see him as someone who has made a complete recovery.  Bill had a career as a teacher, a salesman, and an executive in two different food companies. And now his life is devoted to helping other stroke survivors to be inspired with their own recovery.

Listen to Bill and Professor Patricia Geist-Martin share this wonderful story.

Episode 101 - Enjoy the recovery process. Bill shares his journey

Mark Garman went through a traumatic event at the age of 15 that altered my life forever. Mark had brain surgery to remove an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) that was causing him to have seizures. During that surgery he suffered a stroke- along with other complications that changed his life forever. With any drastic, life altering change, in one’s life- it came with some getting used to. Mark took it in stride, overcame the odds, and conquered all obstacles in my way. As the years went by, it became apparent that everything happens for a reason. Not only was that embedded in his mind, but his motto became "My Choices Determine My Future."

Episode 102: A Determined Journey - Mark Garman

Traveling Caregivers, a grassroots hope-faith based organization, is bridging the gap between self care while navigating a multitude of Caregiving concerns with a holistic lifestyle and advocacy.   
 
Dawn Renee founder of the Traveling Caregivers, a holistic caregiver, Reiki energy and Ayurvedic practitioner struggled for most of her life to understand the triggers that were causing her to experience migraines, allergies, Endometriosis, auto immune disorder, Diabetes II, Lyme, Epstein Bar, mold exposure, gallstones and chronic fatigue.  Over the past decade with a holistic nature based lifestyle approach she has devoted her life to uncovering ways to self care and healing her own disorders while holding space for others and helping them find their own recipe to self care, balance, healing, and hope. 
 
For the last 5.5 years she has been a live in caregiver caring for a friend with stage 4 ALS, Amyotrophic Lateral Scloerosis (aka Lou Gherig’s disease).  Her friend is bedridden, on a ventilator, feeding tube, catheter requiring 24/7 care and support.  Navigating caregiving at whatever level you are needing can easily be one of the most challenging tasks you may experience. Currently there are 54 million unpaid caregivers in the United States many of whom are just now trying to figure out how to manage their new challenges to living their lives while caring for a friend or loved one.   Traveling Caregivers was created as a way to bring light to caregivers, to be a source of hope, encouragement and resources for those seeking holistic solutions to balance self care while they are caring for others.
 
Dawn brings a creative and innovative approach to caregiving and is passionate about sharing her message of self care through her own personal caregiving experiences to inspire hope for others.

Episode 103: Caregiving With a Holistic Approach

Elyse is an occupational therapist from Chattanooga, TN. She worked as a travel therapist across the country before returning home in 2019 to take a home health care position. Since she started working she’s recognized that the U.S. healthcare system is broken. She’s seen and heard time and again from survivors that they don’t get the education, quantity, or quality of therapy they need.

This is the part 1 of the interview in which Elyse focuses on her story and what made her decide to start her journey to provide additional resource survivors and family needs.

Episode 104 - Elyse Newland Part 1, changing the course

Elyse is an occupational therapist from Chattanooga, TN. She worked as a travel therapist across the country before returning home in 2019 to take a home health care position. Since she started working she’s recognized that the U.S. healthcare system is broken. She’s seen and heard time and again from survivors that they don’t get the education, quantity, or quality of therapy they need.

This is the 2nd part of the interview in which Elyse goes on to details to explain what she means by low cost but high quality. Exactly the type of support survivors need.

Episode 105 Elyse Newland Part 2 - focusing on low cost but high quality

In 2013, Chris Tuley had a stroke at the age of 27. With zero family history of stroke, no risk factors, and no obvious genetic disorders, doctors determined the stroke was caused by a spontaneous vertebral artery dissection. Unfortunately dissections are one of the leading causes of strokes in younger people. 
 
After spending months in therapy to correct the loss of his vestibular function, Chris fully recovered, however he had lingering nerve pain in his face that was getting progressively worse. Chris was diagnosed with central poststroke pain syndrome and received treatment at Vanderbilt’s Pain Management Clinic. After trying over 25 medications, nerve blocks, Botox injections, and eastern medicine therapies with little to no relief, Chris was desperate and despondent. Chris was told his future was likely to be filled with an increasing amount of opiates that only provided temporary pain relief.
 
Luckily fate stepped in as Chris’ pain management doctor shared his story with a Vanderbilt neurosurgeon who specializes in deep brain stimulation. In 2016 Chris received deep brain and motor cortex stimulators to treat his chronic pain. Since the surgery, Chris has found major pain relief and is no longer on any opiates or any other pain relief medication.
 
Chris is now an advocate for stroke education, chronic pain management, and the use of deep brain stimulation for pain management (which is still not cleared by the United States’ Food and Drug Administration).

Episode 106, Chris Tuley and his unusual journey

Hand in Hand Show is a Strokefocus Podcast. It is a show telling stories of stroke survivors, caregivers, their support groups and institutions that support them.

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