OHS Journal

My name is Daniel Gu. On Sept 22 of 2012, 3 months before turning 41, I suffered a brainstem stroke. My left side was almost totally paralyzed, including my vocal chords. I could not sit up. I could not walk. I could only lie in bed hissing out some words only my wife Hong or my mom could barely understand.

I never thought a stroke could happen to me, particularly at my age. I was active, eating right and had none ...

Along with her story, Maureen Gaynor shared with the Our Heart Speaks community her uplifting 2014 track,”Angels Unaware.” Enjoy.

All of us have ambitions. All of us develop a passion for something early on in our childhoods. My passion was for music. I loved music for as long as can remember. On my fifth birthday, I wanted a guitar just as the one David Cassidy played on The Partridge Family. I had to have that guitar. Luckily, I did get it ...

The golden years are a great time to travel and see the world, and many people make this a top priority once they retire. For disabled seniors, however, the thought of world travel can be intimidating, and the idea of being somewhere that doesn’t accommodate people with disabilities is a huge turnoff. But with more countries improving accessibility for the disabled, and with more information becoming available, the door is widening to a world of exploration.

Travel companies, cruise lines, tour ...

Several years ago I asked my mom’s gynecologist if she could give me a routine pelvic examination. She said she would have to put me under anesthesia to perform the exam because my cerebral palsy would not allow my body to hold still. Although her reply was cordial, it made me feel demeaned, as if I was a second-class citizen. Couldn’t she have her medical assistant hold my legs while she examined me? In fact, that would have ...