A Change of Plans
Women's Stories of Hemorrhagic Stroke
by Sharon Dale Stone

A Change of Plans is a collection of eleven narratives by women who experienced hemorrhagic strokes before the age of 50. The author herself experienced a stroke as a young girl. It came on suddenly and the symptoms were misdiagnosed. Who would think that an eleven-year-old girl would be having a brain aneurysm?

As she grew into adulthood, the author thought deeply about the silence that had surrounded her experience and the psychic trauma she wasn't allowed to talk about. In the 1990s, she happened upon an article written by a woman who had suffered a hemorrhagic stroke at the age of 24, and for the first time she felt less isolated in her experience. With her new awareness that there were others like her, she embarked upon a journey through Canada, the U.S., England and Scotland to find and publish their stories.

The book opens with a background discussion of hemorrhagic stroke and the disabling consequences that follow. The women's stories are told honestly and movingly, and touch on the themes of recovery and rehabilitation; being a medical patient; self-image; being or not being recognized as disabled; relations with family, friends and co-workers; and how the stroke so suddenly changed their lives.

A Change of Plans is invaluable reading for professionals working with stroke survivors and for survivors who are looking for others with similar experiences. It is a long overdue contribution to the scarce literature on how women experience this disability.