Hi, my name is Angela Marie Cecilia Machovec, or just Angie, which is what most people call me… except for my father and my doctor.

I sustained a traumatic brain injury on May 30, 2000… it was actually my last day of high school. I was 17 at the time, and I was struck by a car when I crossed the street to go back home. I can’t stress enough how it was like any other day, the same time I went jogging, and the same path I took.

But my world completely changed at that moment

The loss of speech can feel devastating to the survivor of a brain injury. Katherine Kimes writes about the frustration, persistence and sheer effort required as she learned how to speak and communicate again by forming syllables and words one by one after the car crash that resulted in her brain injury.

She is now an eloquent writer and uses language to express the emotional turmoil that accompanied her communication impairment.

Our dreams of life are stopped for a brief time as we have floated in the heavens and searched for our dreams.

Our lives have meanings that we do not understand; we are the people who struggle and face many obstacles!

The White Dove opens its wings to fly in searching of answers – why me?

Everyday is beautiful; some are dreary and others are pretty,
I love them all and you would too if you were me.
To see that wonderful sunrise brings a smile to my heart,
Reminding every day; it’s a brand new start.

What I want to know
Is this:
If I walked towards
A mirage long enough
Will it grow weary?

Today I will wear
My injury
Like a broken bone,
So everyone can
See my brain
Limp.

My wedding ring swirls around its new home

I am a reason,
An excuse,
An easy target
To blame.
I am the imposter,

Eyes that see
Eyes that shine
Eyes reflecting
an active mind
A mind that reels
A mind that flies
A mind that stretches
across the skies

Brain injury or stroke can result in changes in communication for the survivor. Aphasia can affect the survivor’s ability to communicate. Loss of speech, difficulty speaking and understanding others, and changes in the ability to read and write can feel overwhelming.

Vaughn Stone is a former psychologist, marathoner, bicyclist, gardener, and a master of language. After a life-threatening car and bicycle accident, he faced new challenges with his physical abilities and communication. About six months after his accident, he began writing a poem every day. Although his writing has too often been interrupted by set backs, therapy and other distractions, he continues to write. His new life work has become regaining a piece of what he had. Although it has been difficult for him to speak verbally, his written poetry speaks with eloquence. His writing shows the complexity of the brain and the challenges and frustration of aphasia.