To the editor,
“I live”
John Hansen,
Kodiak
Letter to the editor,
The other letter on this page was written by my husband, John Hansen, who also addressed the envelope. He requested that I add my own letter to explain.
John had a stroke in February 2021 while he was at work at Spenard Builders Supply. He was medevaced to Anchorage right away. The last thing he said to me before they loaded him into the ambulance for the trip to the airport was “I love you.” And then his brain began to swell.
When I saw him again at St. Elias Specialty Hospital, my husband, who used to keep a stack of “Scientific American” in the bathroom, had a six-word vocabulary. He could not say “I love you.” He could not read or write; he could not be sure that the few words he could say were what he had meant to say; he could not be sure that what he thought we had said to him was what we had actually said. Something had taken the file cabinet in his brain where all the words were kept and thrown it down a long, dark staircase to shatter at the bottom. And he had to crawl around with a penlight to gather up loose words, carry them up those stairs a handful at a time, build a new cabinet from scratch, and guess at which word went into which folder. Plus, he was right-handed, but the stroke affected the right side of his body; so he had to learn how to write as a southpaw as well as how to live with one usable hand.
This is the first letter John has written since the stroke. He has replaced “Scientific American” with science podcasts; he can read primers, and is striving daily for more; and he is re-learning how to write, word by word. His doctor has warned him that his new 100% will not be his old 100% — his disability application is in progress — but he is determined to get back as much as he can.
We have received so much support through this sudden detour in our lives. Thank you to everybody who has helped with tasks I could not manage, contributed to John’s GoFundMe, left anonymous envelopes on my desk at work, prayed for us, and so much more. John’s journey back to his new 100% is not over, but we would not have gotten this far without all of you. Thank you.
Jennifer Hansen,
Kodiak
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