Thank God.

Well, it has been a year this week since my stroke and thanks be to God that I have no residual effects today (other than the handful of medication I now take each night). At 45 years old, I can tell you that a stroke was the last thing I was worried about at the time. It was a very scary situation for me; the experience of having half your body refusing to take orders was sobering to say the least. Here are just a few stats that you might find interesting (I did):

Every 53 seconds someone in the U.S. has a stroke.
160,000 people under the age of 65 have a stroke each year.
Stroke is the leading cause of adult disability and third leading cause of death
There are 4.5 million stroke survivors alive today

I am tackling one obstacle at a time. I have been tobacco free for a year now, which has been extremely hard given 25+ years of using it. However, my cravings are few and far between now. The stress (I think) is being better managed, although there are times I could do a better job at chilling out. Next comes the weight issue, which has been exasperated by quitting tobacco. It will be my greatest challenge of all. It will take me a year to get back to where I was before the stroke, but Debbie is a great encourager and can be a great help in this area. But I know ultimately, all things are in God's hands and in that knowledge I am comfortable.