Adapting to His Life Now
Sten and his family gather for a photo 10 months after the stroke.
From left to right, Lillie, Ted, Lottie, Sten, and Jae
After moving back into his own place and learning to adapt
to the challenges of independent living, Sten has once again
begun looking for work in the information technology field.
Now 16 months after his stroke, he has found the job hunt to
be quite difficult. He is not able to type with his left hand and
is working with an occupational therapist to learn different
methods of typing. And though he can now drive again and has
had his license restored, he had to sell his car because it had a
manual transmission. “I am able to drive, I just have nothing to
drive,” he laments good-naturedly. “And now I’m not making
enough money to get a new car.” He has a new appreciation for
Minneapolis’s infrastructure, and says that not having a car “isn’t a
problem in this city, thankfully.” Both he and his mother mention
their gratitude for handicap-accessible places.
Despite his stroke, Sten feels that he is still “the same old Sten,”
but has noted one distinct change in his personality that might
represent a silver lining to his story. “I was more of a pessimist
before all of this,” he says, and notes that he has since become
more optimistic. His mother also describes an increased empathy
for others, which Sten has also recognized. “Having this crazy
experience really just opens up your mind to other people that you
might not have noticed before,” he says. “It makes me wonder if
something happened to them that’s similar to my experience.” He
has participated in support groups, where he met another young
stroke victim. “Just meeting all of these people has been really
positive to see how many other people who have struggled with
similar situations.”
Sten is happy to report that not much has changed between
himself, his family and his friends. They are understanding that
he may not want to engage in social activities as often as before.
“Going out and doing things is just incredibly exhausting for me,”
he explains, “so I can’t just go out to the bars and hang out with
people for hours on end.”
A Rewarding Reminder
Sten’s story clearly resonated with the crowd of medical students,
and there was sustained applause at the end. As the session
wrapped up, Drs. Eddy Labin, Chris Streib and I joined Sten and
his parents onstage. Sten’s mother thanked the team again for
caring for her son, but we were quick to redirect this gratitude back
to Sten and his family, pointing out how rewarding his experience
has been to everyone who helped take care of him. Indeed, Sten’s
recovery is a refreshing reminder of why we pursue careers in
neurocritical care. “As a neurology resident, I’ve spent quite a lot
of time treating catastrophic brain injuries,” says Dr. Labin, “and
people like Sten make it all worth it.”
Drs Labin (left) and Streib (right), who cared for Sten during his
inpatient admission, review neuroimaging at the University of
Minnesota Medical Center
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