Chapter 1
I think I’m having a stroke
I grew up as most little girls do… Hoping and dreaming about that guy on a white horse that would somehow slide that glass slipper on my foot, and we would live happily ever after. I write this and laugh thinking about how independent I have always been.
How in the world did I think those things could ever happen when I refuse to let any man pay for my meal on a date? I have my dad’s voice in the back of my head, and I can see his face. “You don’t owe any man anything.”
I am so blessed in this area of my life. I have this incredible man who took the job of being my dad when it wasn’t his responsibility to do so.
Yeah, I have a “step dad” but if you say that in my company you will get “the look.” We don’t use words like “step” or “half” in my family. I was raised that the people who step up, and love you without condition are your family-period. That whole “Blood is thicker than water” deal does not apply here. I could write an entire series of books on the relationship I have with my dad, and how he saved my life many times over, but I need to keep this just about the other man in my life, the one that promised me the glass slipper, but somehow got sidetracked….
Don and I had been dating for a few months, and we both knew that this was going to be what forever was. There was this kind of instant connection that made it feel as if we had known one another our entire lives. That being said, there were some serious “red flags” that I kept seeing pop up, but I was at an age in my life that I figured we all have this baggage to deal with one aspect or another, right?
His Stroke; My Recovery Description:
Foreword for ” His Stroke; My Recovery”
Barely 8 months married at 27, author Mindy Caron is faced with the devastation of her husband, Don’s massive stroke. The couple’s reality is altered irrevocably in an instant. This is where the great work begins. “His Stroke, My Recovery” casts a light on the recovery and transformation of a stroke survivor’s caretaker. Mindy Caron rises from the ashes of heartbreak and horror, with depth, wisdom, wit, love, and strength. This penetrating and beautifully honest memoir offers us a glimpse into her world with Don, her roles evolving from traditional wife to ex- spouse, to a surrogate mother. With humor, grace, and tears, we witness the metamorphosis of this brave woman as she redefines herself bolstered by an unwavering spirituality. Dysfunctional and narcissistic family members and friends abound in her odyssey to not only be a beacon for Don, but for herself. Yet with each mishap and brutal event, Mindy never relinquishes the triumphant calling of her soul. For anyone who has endured the brutal fallout of a loved one from brain injury, ” His Stroke, My Recovery,” is healing balm to the heart.
Heather Tobin
Sending you joy and peace!
