THE HEART OF A SURVIVOR

ATTENTION ALL SECOND CHANCE STROKE SURVIVORS LEADERS

Hi my awesome Chapter Leaders!

I'm working on a project I would like to launch next Monday.

Please take time to write a 1 paragraph new member welcome note for your specific Chapter or Group please.

Email it to: 2livesin1@gmail.com

Do you want to open an SCSS Chapter in your community?

Have an idea for a group that would help stroke survivors?

Email me your thoughts!

Sincerely,
Aaron Avila CEO
Your Friendly Neighborhood Stroke Survivor

Uniting The World Through Stroke Survival 

AND HE WAS FOUND WANTING

I had an awakening so to speak last night. I learned it from my very best friend and soul mate and wife of 22 years Rebecca Avila. Whom I trust with every fiber of who I am as a man!

We were talking last night and something came up in our conversation where I had to face a very ugly part of my  life...and...You ever heard the phrase "And they were Found Wanting"?

I had to look at my own life on this planet and my circle of life and found myself wanting to change! Oh man it hurts but for me to be a better man I must change!

It's so hard to look at ourselves for what we really are. I know countless of people in this life that have looked in the mirror of life and have convinced themselves that their something their not. Some will go to their grave never truly coming to see themselves for what their life really is.

I will not waste my second chance at my life on this planet without truly facing who I really am.

Thank You to my true love Rebecca Avila for helping me learn this deep truth.

Your awesome!

Sincerely,
Your friendly neighborhood stroke survivor.
Aaron

IT'S WITH GREAT PRIDE I INTRODUCE THE NEW LEADER OF THE STROKE SURVIVORS HALL OF FAME

It's my honor and with great pride I introduce the new Leader of the Stroke Survivors Hall Of Fame 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/SSHF1/472745259520088/?notif_t=group_activity

Beani Cecile
https://www.facebook.com/beani.cecile

RESOURCES SCSS HAS FOR YOU:

RESOURCES SECOND CHANCE STROKE SURVIVORS HAS FOR YOU:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/secondchancestrokesurvivors/ Official

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1390875004460244/ Strokeys Exercise Resource Center

https://www.facebook.com/groups/531309566931107/ Strokeys Global Exercise Club

https://www.facebook.com/groups/594490340585503/ Second Chance Stroke Survivors U.K. Chapter

https://www.facebook.com/groups/213869022121104/ Second Chance Stroke Survivors-Au

https://www.facebook.com/groups/485197634882702/ Second Chance Stroke Survivors Central U.S.A. Chapter

https://www.facebook.com/groups/390556981055056/ Second Chance Stroke Survivors-East Coast Chapter

https://www.facebook.com/groups/232354163582256/ The Worldwide WAM Show

https://www.facebook.com/groups/173939459460661/ Second Chance Stroke Survivors Official Donation Page

https://www.facebook.com/groups/168146416708887/ Durable Medical Equipment Pay It Forward- U.K. Chapter

https://www.facebook.com/groups/612296405460485/ Durable Medical Equipment Pay It Forward-Australlia Chapter

https://www.facebook.com/groups/248108528691654/ Darlington South Carolina Chapter

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1410349675873972/  Durable Medical Equipment Pay It Forward- Darlington South Carolina Chapter

https://www.facebook.com/groups/142576022613176/ Second Chance Stroke Survivors Official Live Chat

https://www.facebook.com/groups/330243703775512/ West Coast Durable Medical Equipment Pay It Forward

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1411136135767727/ Durable Medical Equipment Pay It Forward-East Coast Chapter

https://www.facebook.com/groups/413381192101813/ Durable Medical Euipment Pay It Forward-Central U.S.A. Chapter

https://www.facebook.com/groups/secondchancestrokesurvivors/files/ Official Files

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1390875004460244/files/Strokeys Exercise Resource Center-Files

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1810978359043466/ Stroke survivors with young children 

Official website: http://2livesin1.wix.com/scss

Have a question? Contact me at: 2livesin1@gmail.com

Want a VIP online tour of SCSS? Send me a friend request on Facebook and we will schedule it.

Do have any suggestions or ideas for Second Chance Stroke Survivors?

Want to get involved?

Want to open an SCSS Chapter in your community?

SCSS welcomes non stroke survivors!

Email me! 2livesin1@gmail.com

I want to hear from you!

With all my heart,

Aaron Avila 

INTROVERT THE SIDE EFFECT OF STROKE

I realize something almost 3 years after my major stroke.

We get so focused on our own stroke issues, we forget about others.

How others around us feel, and how stroke not only effects us as the stroke survivors in a big way, but the lives of all those around us.

Understandably, It's easy for us as stroke survivors to become introverted, focused only on our own survival.

But this insight I got this morning or realization is to better improve our recovery we need not just focus on ourselves during our recovery, but as part of our recovery we need to get out of our dark rut and focus on others and how they feel. Asking ourselves how we can help them?

In doing so, we attain another level of recovery.

Do you agree?

SPECIAL THANKS!

A great big THANK YOU and shout out to my friend Michael Thompson for your donation! 

With all my heart thank you for helping Stroke Survivors around the world!

Anyone else want to help me fulfill my dream of helping stroke survivors worldwide? Big or small it all helps!

http://2livesin1.wix.com/scss#!donate-and-help-scss/cubp

THIS WAS WRITTEN BY A BROTHER I DON'T HEAR FROM MUCH ANYMORE

Never The Same. By Randy Terry

So  many times I hear I want my life back, Said it myself, made myself miserable. Now 6 yrs post  stroke I see I will never get the old life back its impossible. The trials of this stroke and recovery has changed my life forever and for the good..

I am a survivor and the things I have learned about life will not allow me to return to the old..Sure some of the things I loved doing are gone but  I have adapted to change not easy but no choice.

For the first few years of this I played that pity thing mad at the world, why me. One day got up ,tired of this got to be a better life after stroke. Put the wheelchair in corner picked up walker and started this hard work. Soon I was on cane doing the same thing ,it is not easy by no means but guess what not only was I walking but I felt proud thats why you hear me say "Stand Tall And Proud.. "Its not a secret hid from you its what you want out of life. Do not waste your time in this place its very lonely and nothing there to gain but misery. I am no writer ,not smarted than you ,it takes time to heal ,just got to get that brain thinking right and get up and get it done. Time is on your side you got plenty of it so don't think its got to all come at once work slow and steady it will come.. rt. 

A NEW SCSS CHAPTER!

It's with great pride and my honor to announce that Second Chance Stroke Survivors is opening a new Official Chapter in Virginia Beach, Virginia!

Chapter Leader will be: Delan Haber

I will post his second chance stroke survival story in his Chapter Files.

Lets give Delan a big SCSS thank you!

HAD TO SHARE

WAM (What's on Aaron's Mind)

WAM (What's on Aaron's Mind)
Most of my life I've been an early morning riser. I think it was ingrained in me at an early age when I used to work at North Coast Helicopter Company and used to have to be out of the house by 3:30am to Sulfur Dust the grapes in the Napa Valley.
This morning I got up at 4:30am, roiled myself outside. Only to feel the warmer spring morning and a spectacular moon!
All the more thankful I'm alive to see it!

HEY LOOK! I'M LEARNING HOW TO EMBED VIDEOS!

FROM THE UNITED KINGDOM - HUMAN ENERGY AT IT'S BEST!

Billie Herzner Donlin‎The Speech Therapy Centre

My Stroke:

I had a stroke in 2008 leaving me with limited use of my right side and aphasia. I was in the hospital in ICU for about a week. I was having seizures which I am sure was making everything worse. By the time I got to rehab. I was so discouraged. I had lost use of my right side and my speech was severely affected. I could not write my name, draw a circle, bounce a ball, or communicate anything I wanted to say. Needless to say that was very frustrating.

Now I had to learn how to speak again, walk again, write again, dress myself again. How was I going to do all of this?? I asked myself that a lot.

I did not mention my mother passed away while I was in Rehab., I had been caring for her for 1 year before that. I knew she wasn't well. But I really did not expect her to die. I could not attend her funeral. I had to attend her viewing before anyone arrived, due to the excitement it would cause trying to communicate.

Well, that was just another whammy. I wasn't feeling sorry for myself. I was grieving the loss of my mother and the loss of my abilities. I was always very positive and preached positive thinking.

I just reluctantly took baby steps, but I worked on all my deficits daily. I had to in Rehab., they never gave me a break. For that, I am grateful. Some days I wanted to give up, I felt like "what's the use, my life will never be the same." In some ways that is true, but I really didn't know how strong I really was. I decided to never give up and prayed a lot.

My son was my biggest cheerleader. I felt his spirit connect with mine yearning for me to try as hard as I could to be his same mother that I used to be.

I could sense the fear in my daughters spirit, that I might never recover. I could sense my husbands spirit dreading this nightmare.

My friends stopped calling because I had difficulty communicating. I think they felt I was not the same person, and actually none of them visited. I had one very dear friend who sent cards weekly, I'd find myself waiting on that card because it reminded me she hadn't given up on me.

My sisters asked what they could do and did it. But no one really reached out and just let me be the way I was and hope and pray with me that I could and would recover. Except for my son, who knew how to love me through it. There is something that happens when you have a stroke, your spirit is exposed and the people around you, you can actually connect with their spirit. You can sense who is going to be strong enough to deal with you on this journey.

For some it is many. For some it is few, in my case it was few. But I am not complaining. I think it's a journey only you can decide to take with God and a few trusted caregivers.

I never asked myself "why me". Although I cried a lot. I found myself asking "where is my support?" I finally realized I was my support.

Support is a very tricky word for a person suffering from a stroke. They are still thinking clearly for the most part, but realizing everything is going to be hard and honestly I created a plan when I got home and just started. I practiced writing when I woke up in the morning with beginner books with the dotted lines for 2nd graders. I did a book a day. I could not write my name. I was determined to just write my name.

Then I walked up and down the stairs and it was hard. Then I cuddled with my dog, Lilly, whom I became very fond of. She saw right into my heart. I cried and and she comforted me. I took lots of naps. None of them alone, all of them with Lilly. Lilly was my saving grace and she still is.

My daughter bought me a WII Fit so I could bowl and use my right arm and practice coordination. I got pretty good at bowling. That became a family thing that I felt a part of and it was excellent therapy for me.

My son asked me questions and I attempted to answer him. A lot of tears were shed when I realized my communication skills were all screwed up.

We searched for tools used in Rehab,
Where I was told to describe something. Something I remember being very hard but very effective. It made me cry every time I tried but it was making me search for words, descriptions. It also made me realize how bad my aphasia really was. But it was a great excercise.

It should be available for purchase for all Aphasia patients. I think searching for words is difficult but necessary. You think about it throughout the day, and suddenly it comes to you. That is success....

I was lucky enough to have a husband to take over the chores such as laundry, cooking and cleaning. Tasks like that were so overwhelming. I could wash a few dishes and never complete the full task. That was so frustrating.

I needed to concentrate on communicating, walking, writing and reading. If I needed to take care of a family right away, I do not think I could have made the progress I made.

I had the will to get better. But I don't think tough love would have worked with me. I already felt unloveable. That would have made me feel like a burden. So I'm not so sure I agree with tough love in this instance.

When Stroke survivors cry, that's normal, but if someone is treating them with tough love, it's like saying, " snap the Hell Out of it, This has been going on LONG enough!" Then they cry from hurt, because they can't express themselves and they feel their only support is abandoning them.

SECOND CHANCE STROKE SURVIVORS NEEDS YOUR HELP! DONATE TODAY

The single biggest barrier I have to help stroke survivors and their families around the world is generating funds.

To make Second Chance Stroke Survivors more effective we must become a registered nonprofit. The problem is that my own stroke has decimated my families personal finances, so I need your help.

I'm trying to raise funds to cover the attorney fees to file nonprofit status and pay for our Second Chance Stroke Survivors eCommerce stores within our website so we can sell items to generate more funds to help stroke survivors and their families.

Every little donation makes a difference!

Please, help me help them! Donate today!

I give you my word that any funds generated will be handled efficiently and effectively.

Thank You for any help you can give.

Aaron Avila

CEO
Second Chance Stroke Survivors

Here is where you can donate and make this planet a better place.

http://2livesin1.wix.com/scss#!donate-and-help-scss/cubp

THE MOST POWERFUL AND AMAZING!

I just experienced the most powerful energy of my life I had to share!

Thanks to my incredible wife Rebecca Avila. Here is what she did for her stroke survivor husband.

First we got me out of my power wheelchair and onto the floor on my back.

In our family room, she lit 10+ tea candles, dimmed the lights and put on the most awesome Tibetan Shockra Meditation Music on.

During this calming, relaxation time, she began to gently stretching my legs, arms and toned hand. It was amazing!

Than lovingly, she took an Ace bandage, put it around my effected hand, and gently pulled my effected, toned arm. (Never going to the pain point). Took it to an awesome feeling stretch.

Felt amazing!

Once we found a comfortable,yet stretching position with my effected side, she tied the Ace bandage off so it held my effected side in stretching position.

With the candles burning, lights dimmed and Tibetan shockra music playing, she left me there for 30 minutes. Awesome and amazing!

Than something happened that I had never experienced before in my life. I think I entered into a meditative state. I also began to visualize my paralyzed  left hand opening and at one point I actually felt it begin to open!

Thanks to my awesome wife and soul mate Rebecca Avila!

GOT THIS FROM A NEW SECOND CHANCE STROKE SURVIVOR HAD TO SHARE

HER NAME IS DESTINY

Since my stroke on September 17th 2010 I have become accurately aware of a powerful lady in my life. Her name is Destiny!

That moment or action when something happens in our lives when a life event occurs. When you can look back on your life path and realize it's just to perfect not to be destiny!

When everything in your past, lines up perfectly, preparing you for this exact time in your circle of life we all live!

Watch for her mighty hand working in your life!

Believe it or not, I have seen her hand in my life preparing me for a stroke!

I JUST WROTE THIS ARTICLE FOR A "HOW HAVE YOU HELPED MANKIND" WEBSITE

Hi!

Here is my condensed version of how I help all of mankind worldwide!

My name is Aaron Avila and I’m currently 50 years old.

This act of helping mankind was born from one of the most cataclysmic life events I think a human being can go through on this planet!

You see, in a blink of an eye, on September 17^th 2010 the course of my life and the course of my families would be traumatically altered forever!

What type of man was I?

I was the type of man that could do almost anything. Self Employed for over 12 years, Could handle a chainsaw, loved fishing, boating and rving with the family and so much more!

Than it happened! I survived an aneurysm exploding in my brain and a major stroke two weeks later! I can’t walk, don’t talk very well, paralyzed on my left side, and countless other deficits. But now I’m so thankful to be alive! Alive to be with my awesome wife of 22 years Rebecca and my awesome son Ryan Avila. But I wasn’t always thankfull to be alive.

When stroke first hit me I was thinking death would have been better! Darkness, Fear. Lonely, The feeling of being alone is devastating! The utter decimation of all finances like no other.

How do I help mankind?

Spured on by a deep darkness and feeling so alone I created a FaceBook Group called Second Chance Stroke Survivors 7 months ago: https://www.facebook.com/groups/secondchancestrokesurvivors/ Through this FB group, I found out there is countless others around the world just like me! Feeling so alone and hopeless and now they feel a connection with other stroke survivors around the world. They now have hope when there was none.

Second Chance Stroke Survivors has grown leaps and bounds in 7 months! We now have Official Chapters in California, Ohio, South Carolina, Mississippi, Chicago, Australia and United Kingdom. A month ago I built an Official SCSS Website:  http://2livesin1.wix.com/scss

I started a Blog http://secondchancestrokesurvivor.blogspot.com/ 3 months ago that has over 12,000 page views in 20 countries around the world.

I am currently trying to raise funds to: Make SCSS an official nonprofit, Creat eCommerce stores to raise funds to help stroke survivors and their families around the world and to make my full worldwide vision come true!

That is how I help mankind!

Sincerely,

Aaron Avila