{"id":8478,"date":"2021-02-20T12:15:38","date_gmt":"2021-02-20T20:15:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.brainstreams.ca\/?p=8478"},"modified":"2025-06-25T23:43:15","modified_gmt":"2025-06-26T06:43:15","slug":"facing-real-fears-is-the-key-to-recovery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/messageinabottle.ca\/bcbia\/facing-real-fears-is-the-key-to-recovery\/","title":{"rendered":"Facing Real Fears is the Key to Recovery"},"content":{"rendered":"

Between the Lines: Stories of Brain Injury Survivors \u2013 (Part 3 of 6)<\/h2>\n

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This is the third post in <\/span><\/i>Between the Lines: Stories of Brain Injury Survivors<\/span>. If you missed the beginning of Tony\u2019s Journey, click here to read it<\/strong>.<\/a><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

In 2009, Tony Mok had his first stroke. Luckily, his wife recognized the signs, called 911, and he was rushed to hospital for medical treatment.<\/span><\/p>\n

But let\u2019s back up for a second: why was it so important for Tony to get to the hospital as soon as possible?<\/span><\/p>\n

A stroke is what happens <\/span>when blood stops flowing to any part of your brain<\/span><\/a>. This damages your brain cells, and the type of stroke you have and your access to medical treatment will affect the amount of damage done. That\u2019s why it was important for Tony to get to the hospital as soon as possible–to try and limit the amount of damage done to his brain cells.<\/span><\/p>\n

The first hours and days after Tony\u2019s stroke were a blur, as his team at the hospital quickly assessed his situation and went about treating the blood clot that had caused the stroke.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Once things settled down, Tony had more time to focus on his new, confusing reality. As he recovered in the hospital, still in the early days of treatment, Tony wondered about some very big issues he would have to tackle. \u201cWill I be able to provide for my family?\u201d was one of them. The immensity of his situation was overwhelming, and Tony felt what anyone in his situation would feel: fear.<\/span><\/p>\n

Brain injuries can completely upend people\u2019s lives. That\u2019s why fear of the unknown is a common and understandable feeling to have, as a survivor of a brain injury. For Tony, sharing this emotional experience has helped him heal. So did access to support and recovery groups. That doesn\u2019t mean things were smooth sailing all the way through, though–<\/span>if you take a look at his Journey Map<\/span><\/a>, you can see Tony has had ups and downs over the past 11 years. Coming up against roadblocks is normal, and that\u2019s why it\u2019s important for brain injury survivors to get the help they deserve.<\/span><\/p>\n

Important steps for stroke recovery<\/h2>\n

If you or someone you know has had a stroke, it\u2019s important to have access to recovery and support groups–not just for your physical health, but for your mental health as well. Below, we\u2019ve collected some resources that Tony and his family found useful, and you might too:<\/span><\/p>\n