200. Surrounded by Love: Live Reading of my Book's First Chapter and Taking Audience Questions

07/19/24 • 40 min

I am beyond excited to welcome you to the 200th episode of "Aging in Style." It's incredible to think that we've come this far, and I am so grateful for your ongoing support. This episode is particularly special for me because it coincides with the launch of my new book, "Surrounded by Love: One Family’s Journey Through Stroke Recovery."

I launched the book on Amazon in the third week of July, and it's already topping new release categories in aging parents and strokes. I'm thrilled and truly believe this book will reach the individuals who need it most – caregivers, advocates of critically ill loved ones, and anyone who might find solace and guidance in our story.

Our Story

For those of you who have been following along with the podcast, you know my story. My husband, Mark, had the first in a series of four strokes on Christmas Day 2022. This unexpected journey has taught us so much about strokes, caregiving, grief, and significantly strengthened my faith. I've shared much of this on the podcast, but I wanted to compile our experiences and insights into a book that could potentially help prevent strokes and assist others in similar situations. Statistically, 80 percent of strokes are preventable, and sharing this knowledge is my mission.

Live Stream Highlights

Recently, we hosted a live stream where I did a reading of the first chapter from my book and took audience questions. Despite a few technical difficulties initially, we had a great turnout and lots of engagement from viewers. I am immensely grateful to those who participated, and I want to share some key moments from that livestream.

Live Reading of Chapter One

The first chapter of my book, titled "The Moment Life Changed," covers the day Mark had his first stroke. I've re-lived that day countless times, wondering if I could have done anything differently. The chapter describes our Christmas day, the suddenness of the stroke, and our frantic rush to the hospital. The immediacy of the situation and the ensuing medical procedures are etched into my memory – from recognizing the signs of a stroke using the FAST acronym (Face, Arms, Speech, Time) to the life-changing experience of having Mark transported by helicopter to urgent care.

The chapter also highlights the importance of being an effective advocate for a loved one in medical crises and how crucial it is to have knowledgeable support systems in place. Writing down and sharing my feelings, day-to-day experiences, and the medical processes we navigated has been therapeutic and, I hope, will be beneficial to others.

Audience Q&A

During the live stream, viewers asked some insightful questions:

Role in ICU: When in the ICU with a loved one, it's vital to ask questions and stay informed about their condition. I relied heavily on my medical background and support from friends and family in the healthcare field to navigate through Mark's care.
Faith's Role: My faith has grown stronger through this ordeal. While such an event could fracture one’s faith, for me, it provided strength and a perspective that we could turn this challenging journey into something positive.
Content of the Book: Viewers were curious about the writing process and what I chose to include or leave out. I aimed to be as honest and comprehensive as possible, albeit removing a few potentially contentious sections under advice.

Reflection and Moving Forward

As we celebrate this podcast milestone and the launch of my book, I am filled with gratitude and a renewed sense of purpose. Your support fuels my mission to raise awareness about stroke prevention and caregiving. If our story can help even one person, it will all have been worth it.

Key Takeaways:

Around 80% of Strokes are preventable.
Witnessing a stroke can be scary but the key thing to act FAST.
Asking questions to medical staff is key throughout every stage.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Get my new book, 'Surrounded by Love: One's Family Journey Through Stroke Recovery': https://loriwilliams-seniorservices.com/book

To suggest a topic, be a guest or support the podcast, please email [email protected]

For more senior resources and to sign up for the newsletter, please visit:

https://www.facebook.com/LoriWilliamsSeniorSer...

Our Story

Live Stream Highlights

Live Reading of Chapter One

Audience Q&A

During the live stream, viewers asked some insightful questions:

Role in ICU: When in the ICU with a loved one, it's vital to ask questions and stay informed about their condition. I relied heavily on my medical background and support from friends and family in the healthcare field to navigate through Mark's care.
Faith's Role: My faith has grown stronger through this ordeal. While such an event could fracture one’s faith, for me, it provided strength and a perspective that we could turn this challenging journey into something positive.
Content of the Book: Viewers were curious about the writing process and what I chose to include or leave out. I aimed to be as honest and comprehensive as possible, albeit removing a few potentially contentious sections under advice.

Reflection and Moving Forward

Key Takeaways:

Around 80% of Strokes are preventable.
Witnessing a stroke can be scary but the key thing to act FAST.
Asking questions to medical staff is key throughout every stage.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Get my new book, 'Surrounded by Love: One's Family Journey Through Stroke Recovery': https://loriwilliams-seniorservices.com/book

To suggest a topic, be a guest or support the podcast, please email [email protected]

For more senior resources and to sign up for the newsletter, please visit:

https://www.facebook.com/LoriWilliamsSeniorSer...

Previous Episode

199. A Heartfelt Conversation With My Kids: Life After Stroke

What’s the reality of life for children of stroke victims?

When someone suffers a stroke, it’s common to get the perspective of a spouse or primary caregiver. But what about children who are younger adults on the cusp of life?

When my husband Mark had 4 strokes that began on Christmas Day in 2022, my children Abby and Chris saw the horror unfold and our lives changed in an instant. While I was pitted in the chaos of making quick medical decisions and figuring out insurance, my kids were dealing with their own reality. Today Abby is 21 and Chris is 28, and while many of their peers live carefree lives pursuing their dreams, their experience caused them to mature faster and learn how quickly life can change.

It's been a tumultuous 18 months of processing heavy emotions. With Mark in the hospital or rehab and me either attending to him or working, they’ve had some quiet moments of reflection and some lessons and truths about themselves that they’ve taken away.

Chris has:

Felt more empowered to take on stressful tasks

Stepped up to provide help by caregiving for his father

Learned not to take it personally when words are spoken in stressful moments

Celebrates it when he achieves difficult tasks vs. fixating on the difficulty of getting there

Practices being present instead of focusing on the past or worrying about the future

Abby has:

Recognized how life can change in an instant

Learned to appreciate “the moments of color” that come into what can sometimes be a gray world

Found her calling – to become an occupational therapist

Savor each moment of joy without taking it for granted

Practiced feeling and expressing her emotions instead of holding them in

Acknowledged everyone is going through something we may not know about, so have compassion

Both have had to grieve the way their father was and become accustomed to the change, but I couldn’t be prouder of the adults they have become. Part of me feels sadness this happened to them so early in life, but I am excited to see how they manage to take these challenges and create something beautiful from them.

Topics discussed:

Grieving parents

Children caregiving for parents

Anxiety and PTSD

Staying present and positive

Stroke families

Takeaways from this episode:

Stressful circumstances can help you realize new strengths you have and even set you on a new course for life.

It’s possible to grieve someone who is still alive, and this is especially true for younger family members of those who have had a stroke.

Stay present – try not to replay the past in your head or worry about the future.

Be kind because you never know what someone is going through.

Life can change in an instant, so savor and appreciate the good moments.

Give yourself grace!

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Get my new book, 'Surrounded by Love: One's Family Journey Through Stroke Recovery': https://loriwilliams-seniorservices.com/book

To suggest a topic, be a guest or support the podcast, please email [email protected]

For more senior resources and to sign up for the newsletter, please visit:

https://www.facebook.com/LoriWilliamsSeniorServices/

https://www.instagram.com/theloriwilliams/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/theloriwilliams/

https://loriwilliams-seniorservices.com/aging-in-style-podcast/

Get your copy of Surrounded by Love: One Family's Journey Through Stroke Recovery:

https://amzn.to/3Y41CxA

Mentioned in this episode:

Surrounded by Love

You can find my book, "Surrounded by Love: One Family’s Journey Through Stroke Recovery," on Amazon. It is available as a Kindle, hardcover, paperback, and also on Audible. More details can be found on my website: https://loriwilliams-seniorservices.com/book

Next Episode

201. My 7 steps to achieve a positive mindset: Replay

How can you train yourself to have a positive mindset?

Try the 7 steps to change your mindset.

Your mindset can make or break a situation.

If you look for the negatives, you’ll easily find negativity. If you can find the positive in it, positivity spreads. We can’t control what happens to us, but we can choose our response – and choosing to nurture a positive vs. negative mindset is often key to a life well lived. This skill can be applied at any age.

It can be difficult to reframe your mindset.

Thankfully, as a Senior Services Expert I'll share 7 steps that are known to help:

Start the day with a positive thought. This is quick and can be as small as being thankful for the rain because your grass needs it.
Take note of the good things, no matter how small. Pay attention, and you’ll begin to notice them more easily.
Find humor in bad situations. Sometimes it’s better to laugh than cry.
Turn your failures into lessons. Maybe you tried something new and it wasn’t perfect. You still grew as a person.
Don’t say anything bad about yourself. Avoid negative self-talk – cheer yourself on instead.
Focus on the present. Anxiety happens when you get 10 steps ahead of yourself.
Surround yourself with positive influences. Connect with people who are encouraging instead of people who complain or have negative energy.

Topics discussed:

Positivity
Positive affirmations
Training your brain
The power of mindset
Trying new things
Open-mindedness

Takeaways from this episode:

Your body may change as you age, and perhaps you can’t dance like you used to. That doesn’t mean you can’t adjust your dancing and enjoy yourself like you used to.
You can either be the person who says “I can’t do that” or the person who tries.
Live in the present. Anxiety happens when you worry about the future when it hasn’t happened yet. Understand that you can’t plan for everything and tackle one challenge at a time.
You are the company you keep, so surround yourself with people who lift you up instead of diminishing your energy.