Write your own recovery from stroke

It's one thing to have a stroke in an urban center surrounded by hospitals and ambulances. It's another experience altogether when you're at a snowy ski resort in a remote Canadian town. You can't call the caretaker because you are the caretaker, and your only connection to the outside world is a Satellite phone you left in the office.

That was June Hawkins' experience as the dark specter of high blood pressure unleashed a cavalcade on emboli into her brain.

In this episode, she shares the details of her story and how she's been writing her way to recovery.

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Who is June Hawkins?

June’s heart has always drawn her towards living life as an adventurer. She has been a mountain guide, marathon runner and canoeist, mother of two children and program coordinator of a provincial crisis line. But her lifelong passion has always been cross country skiing. She developed and operated what became a one of the most successful ski schools in Canada, attracting skiers from across North America. June possesses the unique ability to make people feel relaxed and welcomed and considers her biggest accomplishment is that of teaching a fearful beginner skier the joy of getting down a hill safely.

She had her stroke early in the morning of February 1, 2021. She was living and working for the winter at Nipika Mountain Resort in British Columbia, Canada as the on-site custodian and ski instructor. June says her stroke journey has blessed her with the time and the ability to continue with her other passion: writing.

​June’s recovery journey has provided a rich world from which to write and her hope is to speak to survivors using their language and to educate others about stroke using theirs.

Nature of writing

June found writing to be a great way to clear her own head. Navigating the world can be more complex after stroke and reducing the noise both coming in from the outside and the noise generated by our own thoughts. Writing can get that stuff out of the way.

But where do you start?

I find