Edward Bhim - Life After Stroke

"Me in the garden...."

Edward Bhim has been a member of the Perth Dupont Community Garden since 2007. He has always worked hard on his garden to make it look nice and to be productive. Always ready to learn more, and to share that knowledge about plants and techniques of gardening, he has become an valued asset to the garden. His friendliness, charm and warmth has made him endeared to all the other gardeners.

Despite the stroke he suffered more that six years ago, he has become stronger. He has good leadership skills, and in 2010, when the community garden instituted the Team System of delegated work, I confidently assigned him a position of Team Leader for the Maintenance team.

Edward Bhim's leadership skills go beyond just the Garden. He was requested to give a speech to other stroke survivors. The following information is his speech:

Life After Stroke

Today I stand here feeling very proud of myself. I survived a stroke. It is now 6 years since I had my stroke and I am still recovering. The road to recovery is not easy, but the love and support from all the professional people and our families makes this journey easier. You have to work hard, but the results are really motivating and inspiring. Just like you, I suffered a stroke and it has in many ways disabled certain aspects of my life. However, it did not stop me from eating, sleeping, going to the washroom, meeting people, and loving people.

I just had to relearn to do everything in a different way, but I am alive. Having a stroke is one sickness that with each day, we get better and better. There is always new hope and a new process to follow.

Research shows that people with a chronic condition get more accomplished and achieve more when they set goals. It helps you focus on what you want to achieve and how to achieve it. By setting goals and meeting these goals you are overcoming some of the obstacles caused by the stroke. Goals can be big or small but they must be prioritized.

As stroke survivors, this is important, but we have to be realistic and set small goals for ourselves. Make a plan about what we have to do and take it one day at a time. Remember, we must be patient and have faith and it will happen.

However, in order to achieve all this we need help and we have places we can turn to for that help like the Gavel Club. People who share a common goal can get there more easily when they help one another. It pays to share leadership and take turns doing hard tasks. People are dependent on each others' unique skills, talent, and abilities.

I would just like to add that volunteering has helped me a lot, and also I belong to a community garden which is very rewarding. Meeting other people who are in the same position as me helps.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help, there are many people and organizations ready to help you. You just have to be positive.

Edward would like to thank the doctors and staff at West Park, Toronto Rehab, and the Aphasia Clinic at Bay Crest for the kind way that they have helped him getting started on the road to recovery and their continued support.

This Story was written in 2010