It was a harsh twist of fate for Tim Seefeldt; being a former journalist suddenly unable to share his creativity due to a stroke.

“I don’t know if it was bitter irony or if it was just a cruel joke from God. When I had the stroke, the two things that were taken most dramatically from me were my ability to read and my ability to write.”

Prior to his stroke, Tim had left his position as a journalist to begin his career in sales business development. Despite his creative aspirations, he focused his attention toward what was financially best for his growing family. His focus was forever altered the day he suffered a stroke.

Tim had his stroke early one May morning while at home with his family. Unable to grasp what was happening to him, Tim’s severe disorientation was instantly noticed by his wife and daughter. Due to the disturbing nature of his symptoms, his wife made an immediate decision to rush him to a nearby hospital for help.

Regarding the posters on his hospital room walls, he was startled to discover a difficulty with understanding the words. “I kind of gave a double peek at them because as I looked at them, they didn’t make sense.” he remembers, “It was kind of like a horror movie. I just kept seeing letters and numbers that didn’t make any sense.”

After a week in the hospital, Tim was transferred to a rehabilitation facility to begin his recovery. Mapping his cognitive inconsistencies helped his therapists adjust his rehab program to him.

Tim recalls, “I literally had to learn to read again. Strangely I could write OK, but I couldn’t read it five minutes after I wrote it.” Unfortunately, the speed of his reading and the clarity of his writing continued to be an issue.

Driven to succeed for himself and his family, Tim searched for tools to help him transition back into his career. Paramount for Tim was being able to effectively communicate with his clients. “In my line of work, the trust people have in you is based so much on your intelligence and how they perceive you.”

Tim attributes his successful recovery to a combination of three things: accepting the intangible “I just can’t do anything about it”, receiving immediate care after his stroke and working hard to combine his efforts with the expertise of his rehabilitation therapists.

WordQ+SpeakQ helped Tim improve the clarity of his thoughts and composition of his writing. “It is very powerful that way. More powerful than anything is that I know with confidence what I’m sending looks intelligent and professional.”

With a renewed respect for his writing abilities, Tim is currently penning a memoir chronicling his recovery from stroke.  He hopes it will inspire and assist therapists treating those living with disabilities, and foster greater respect and understanding from others.

“It’s a humbling thing and it’s scary but if you actually reflect on it later, it’s a fairly powerful experience to go through. The journey that I’m on is the same as before, but the path and the steps I am taking are completely different.”