[BigV]

A Golden Hello Kitty for you wolf, and a standing ovation. way to fucking go. srsly.

...

It is widely acknowledged that you are a gifted storyteller but that's not why even *I* could tell that a tracheotomy was what was being communicated, ffs. Of course, you're an empathetic listener too, but how could anyone miss it, like dr garble??? Anyhow, good job, really. I know what it feels like to be able to "hear her thinking".

My Mom had a stroke in 1997. She's lived in an outstanding assisted living facility since 2001. As a result of her stroke, her mobility is severely restricted, but worse, she has aphasia. Her language center was the center of the bullseye and her speech is limited to one "word": "genna".

This word can be said with lots of inflection, emotion, emphasis. It can be sung or whispered. Her receptive language is pretty impaired too, I've see her answer the question "are you a man?" with a clear affirmative nod. Riiight. I've known men, and Mom, you're no man. She just has a hard time understanding a lot of times. But I've spent a lot of time with her, I have her best interests at heart, and (this is important) she trusts me.

Lots of times I've translated her not-strictly-English expressions into words the doctor/waitress/driver/daughter could understand. Lots. Grateful, relieved nodding follows. Mom's physical disability is a big problem in her day to day life, but she's got a lot of that settled. Her failure to communicate is cruel though. I'm glad you helped your friend, wolf. I hope you know how much that means to her. I do, and I thank you.