Defiant Mind, The: Living Inside a Stroke

by Ron Smith

Literary Nonfiction. Memoir. Health. "What is a stroke?" This is the question that plagues Ron Smith as he emerges from the carpet bombing of his brain. THE DEFIANT LIVING INSIDE A STROKE is a first- person account of a massive ischemic stroke to the brain stem. Smith takes the reader inside the experience and shows how recuperation happens—the challenges of communication,the barriers to treatment, the frustrations of being misunderstood and written off, the role of memory in recovering identity, the power of continuing therapy, and the passionate will to live. Full of arresting anecdote, enlivened by a vivid and vigorous style, the book tells of successes and failures and draws on the newest research in stroke treatment. THE DEFIANT MIND is a necessary book for stroke survivors still dealing with the effects of their trauma and for caregivers, vital to the process of recuperation, who feel hampered and harried by concern and confusion. For medical professionals, the book offers insights into the workings of the brain, the power of the brain to heal, critiques of conventional limits imposed on therapy and suggestions for ways to improve care.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction

316 pages, Paperback

Published September 30, 2016

About the author

Ron Smith is a Canadian poet, author, playwright, former academic and the founder of Oolichan Books.

Smith was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. He studied English literature at University of Leeds (M.A. in 1970), and returned to Vancouver Island in 1971 to teach in the English Department at Malaspina University-College, now Vancouver Island University, in Nanaimo, British Columbia, where he taught English and creative writing for 28 years. He has also taught in Italy, England and the USA.

Smith also holds a degree from the University of British Columbia (1969) and received an Honorary Doctorate from UBC in 2002. He was the Fulbright Chair in Creative Writing at Arizona State University (2005-2006).

In 1974 he founded the publishing company Oolichan Book in Lantzville, a small seaside village on Vancouver Island. Smith lived there until 2009 with his wife, Patricia Smith, also a writer. They now live in Nanoose Bay, BC.

From 1988 to 1991 he was the fiction editor for Douglas & McIntyre. He has been called "instrumental" in helping to start the first aboriginal publishing house, Theytus Books, in 1981.

He is the author of a suite of poems, Seasonal (1984), a long poem, A Buddha Named Baudelaire (1988), two collections of poetry and a collection of fiction, What Men Know About Women (1999). He is also the author of the children's book, Elf the Eagle (2007) which was short-listed for two awards (BC Book Prizes and the Willow Award, Young Readers, Saskatchewan), and the non-fiction titles Kid Dynamite: The Gerry James Story (2011) and The Defiant Mind: Living Inside a Stroke (2016). Excerpts from the book were translated into 16 languages and published in over 20 countries by Reader's Digest.. The Book was awarded the Ippy Gold Medal for memoir and longlisted for the George Ryga Award. His most recent book, Improbable Journeys: from Crossing the Himalayas on Horseback to a Career in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, a medical memoir, he co-authored with Dr. Bernie Binns and published in 2020.

Smith also reviews books, and he edited the anthology of Canadian West Coast short fiction: Rainshadow: Stories from Vancouver Island (1982).

His poetry has been translated by Ada Donati and published in a bilingual edition in Ferrera, Italy.

Reviews

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are interested in stroke or stroke recovery, this will not be the only book you need to read, but it is a brilliant addition to the collection of stroke memoirs. Intelligent, questioning, emotional, uplifting--highly recommended.

[Stacey Kondla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an extremely well written memoir on stroke and stroke recovery. If you've ever wondered what having a stroke feels like, Ron Smith has captured that feeling in this book. It is terrifying and calm all at the same time. Personally, I can't relate to the recovery he has described because his stroke caused physical deficits, while mine are more cognitive, but the journey is fascinating and his strength is inspirational. I would highly recommend this book to the families and friends of stroke survivors.

[Caroline Woodward · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Defiant Mind: Living Inside a Stroke

This is a superbly-written book about the experience of a stroke, a "carpet bombing of the brain", and its psychological, physical and emotional aftermath, including early warning symptoms, the hospital experience, and returning to home life. It is such a remarkable contribution to our understanding of many things in this world, hence my tagging of it with "wisdom" as well as psychology and stroke recovery. The author typed the manuscript using the index finger of his left (non-dominant) hand, which, at over 300 pages is a testament to his determination, lucidity, and the rock-solid love and support of his wife in particular.

The only other book I've read about being trapped "inside" a stroke is the devastating The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominque Bauby, who dictated his slim masterpiece by blinking one eye while his editorial assistant showed him letters of the alphabet. Imagine that. Take your time. Ron Smith (full disclosure) edited one of my novels in 2010 during his busy life as a publisher, editor, and university English professor. He is also the author of books of poems, short stories and a major biography. His work has been translated and he has served as a visiting professor of English in several other countries. Which is to say, his fine mind, before and after the "brain attack", and his love of reading and books propelled him through the rubble of the ischemic stroke, the attack on his brain stem. Writing this book, claiming his memories especially, became a necessary part of his therapy, as vital as learning how to roll over in bed, to walk after learning how to wheel a chair, to sort out the tangle of his thick, disobedient tongue and sagging mouth muscles to speak to his beloved family.

There is humour here too, alongside its earthly cousin, despair, amid the analyses of how stroke survivors are treated. The essential point is: all strokes are different and all are experienced differently and furthermore, each survivor needs to be heard. Most of the therapists, doctors, nurses and hospital staff, including a perfectly lovely man who cleaned the wards, are generously portrayed as skilled, empathetic, and very caring but of course, there are always a few negative-thinking individuals who have chosen the wrong occupation. We learn about an older man in his eighties who could not speak after his stroke but who tapped the side of his hospital bed with his able hand. He seemed frustrated when family and staff treated his tapping as some sort of uncontrollable spasm until finally somebody realized he had used Morse code in WW2 and he was using it again, trying to communicate with them. The quest to communicate is so intense with locked-in afflictions of all kinds because the loneliness and depression is just as intense of course. We are privy to this subjective experience, rarely explored, thanks to this book.

Highly recommended to anyone who works in any capacity in hospitals, rehabilitative medicine, community nursing, and to families where a member has been felled by a stroke. But also, like Jean-Dominque Bauby's book, this brilliant book deserves a wide international audience because it is so beautifully written, so compelling and so hopeful, ultimately, about new medical techniques and the wonders we are still discovering about how the brain heals and creates new pathways. It's also a book about the importance of love and emotional support, about a healing connection to nature and the serendipity of the right healers coming into his life at just the right time. Ron Smith is a lucky man, despite the stroke, and his strength of character and sheer determination to communicate has contributed an outstanding book.

[Larry Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

On May 1, 2020, I had what doctors called a “serious stroke” in the cerebellar region of the brain. I spent the next three weeks in the Intensive Care Unit of VGH where no visitors were permitted because of Covid-19. At that stage doctors could not predict the outcome. Literally, I was in the dark! What was it like to be a stroke patient? Now, nearly one year later, I wish I had read Ron Smith’s “The Defiant Mind” because much of my ignorance, anxiety, and depression likely could have been mitigated. I simply could not put the book down. As a stroke survivor, I treasured the insider point of view. Ron Smith has provided a meticulous and rare glimpse into the uniqueness which may be in store for each stroke patient and for their medical staff and care-givers.

[Debbie Bateman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A moving personal account of living inside a stroke. Well written and soulful. An enlightening and enjoyable read. Highly recommended.

[Maryjane Nordgren · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fine mind struggles after onslaught and lays its human open in bare physical and psycological pain as it struggles to relearn.

[Virginia Garrioch · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Defiant Mind: Living Inside a Stroke is a powerful read. I didn't want it to end! Don't let the subject matter deter you. This is a wonderful story and along the way, you learn a lot about strokes! Through his skilful writing, Ron Smith switches from the past to the present allowing the reader to somewhat feel the experience of a stroke. The writing is artful, beautiful and strong..I loved the figurative language, treasures tucked in for the reader's delight! Most of all, the book has helped me appreciate my health, my family and friends, the beauty all around me, literally to be aware and mindful. The book is positive and uplifting. The author displays deep insight, is reflective and humorous, and shows great understanding of the human spirit. I'd like sequel.

[Vontel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent memoir of the author's experiences with an ischemic stroke, "a brain attack", as well as an exploration of, and reflection on, research and literature in his attempts to understand his experiences, find meaning in them, and continue his recovery from such an insult at every level. It is also interlaced with "the local", given that I am somewhat familiar with his locations for both his medical care and where he lives, and certainly with the Canadian and British Columbian health care system. His medical and other health care is, and was, provided in a regional community hospital, vs other accounts of experiences in larger cities and academic medical settings.

His book provides a different experience to another recent excellent narrative, "My Stroke of Insight" by Jill Bolte Taylor, a neuroanatomist who had a hemorrhagic stroke. Smith does provide a good selected bibliography at the end of his book, for the majority of his references. One of his key messages is how every stroke/brain attack is different, even with some of the common responses to the challenges. Another key message is that each person's narrative and personal emotional responses are as important to treatment and recovery as the physical care and therapy: that our brains and bodies are a unity, not a Cartesian duality.

I recommend the book for anyone who knows someone who has had a stroke, or CVA(cerebral-vascular accident), and for those in recovery. I certainly recommend it for any health care professional who sees and works with people who have strokes, and their families.

[Sylvia Kudrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book you will never donate to your local book sales. The author points out that, "every 40seconds someone in North America suffers a stroke." There is a good chance the " someone" will be a person close to you. The book is a reference for health professionals, stroke victims, their family and friends. The author takes us on his personal journey. What a privilege! This is a human story that is uncompromising, honest, meticulous, and unflinching. Readers will increase their understanding of the devastation a stroke victim faces. The author calls into question long standing beliefs such as...improvement will not take place after the first year following a stroke. Above all, this story offers hope and encouragement. My only regret is the Defiant Mind was not published when my son had a stroke: age 50.

[Ian Garrioch · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Defiant Mind: Living Inside a Stroke is a powerful read. I didn't want it to end! Don't let the subject matter deter you. This is a wonderful story and along the way, you learn a lot about strokes! Through his skilful writing, Ron Smith switches from the past to the present, allowing the reader to somewhat feel the experience of a stroke. The writing is artful, beautiful and strong..I loved the figurative language, treasures tucked in for the reader's delight! Most of all, the book has helped me appreciate my health, my family and friends, the beauty all around me, literally to be aware and mindful. The book is positive and uplifting. The author displays deep insight, is reflective and humorous, and shows great understanding of the human spirit. I'd like a sequel.

[Miranda Clarke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. Did you know that anyone of any age can experience a stroke? Have you ever wondered how you would feel, how you would cope while undergoing a stroke? Have you ever found yourself needing to help a family member or friend through the emergency and the recovery? Written from the unique perspective of a patient undergoing the stages of his own stroke, the book is immensely informative to any of us as potential stroke patients and to all patient supporters, even medical and rehab professionals. The writing is so well-crafted that it carries the reader along on what turns out to be a most engaging journey.

[Garnet Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This remarkable book is beautifully written while providing important information about strokes that EVERYONE needs to know, especially stroke survivors, caregivers and medical practitioners (doctors, nurses, therapists). The shocking truth is that one out of every four North Americans will suffer a stroke in their lifetime. Typing his book with the index finger on his left hand, Ron Smith has given readers a great gift. His account of his brain attack and subsequent steps to recovery is full of anecdote, compassion, humor and profound reflection. This memoir is a testament to the importance of defiance and the will to live.

[Gary Fulton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ron Smith's memoir is informative, poignant, heartwarming and downright scary. Smith is a gifted writer who conveys his stroke experience blending the transcript of the events with a deeply personal reflection on the simple pleasures of life, thought, memories and mostly love. Honestly, I was surprised by the emotional impact this book had on me and by how much I learned about the fragile, yet defiantly strong mind. Highly recommended.

[Sharon Fleming · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional book! Whether you have had a stroke, know someone who has or are just looking for an empathetic insight, Ron has beautifully crafted his recovery with emotion, facts, and the genuine realism that follows such an attack. Very grateful that a book of such impact is available to help others through their journey. What an inspiration you are Ron!

[Alice · Rating 2 out of 5]

There seemed to be some things that didn't seem possible to happen on a Neuro ward. Had trouble finishing it.