A Scientist Shares How Knitting Helped Her After Having a Stroke
"Knitting provides me with a chance to focus my attention on one thing. My mind is attentive to the yarn, the needles, and the project at hand. This is so beneficial during recovery."
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This article originally appeared on the PsychCentral blog Crafting to Heal which I wrote in 2019. Since the blog has since been archived, I have some posts related to craft as therapy from that archive that I want to share here on Substack. I previously shared an interview with Rebecca on knitting as a stroke survivor that then led to this new interview with Mary, which I’m sharing here today.
After reading that previous interview about how knitting heals after a stroke, Mary left a comment to share some of her own experience. I was intrigued and wanted to learn more, so I’m thrilled that she chose to complete her own interview about post-stroke knitting therapy.
Did you engage in knitting therapy before your stroke?
I don’t actually remember learning how to knit. I do remember knitting a sweater and a few other things. However, I really didn’t knit regularly before the stroke. I hadn’t really thought about the benefits of knitting at that time.
Can you share a little bit about the stroke?
A few years before the stroke, I’d had a mastectomy with a reconstruction failure. I had learned about a new technique that could help with correcting the reconstruction. It was available at Georgetown University Hispital, about 180 miles from where I live. My daughter was living in a large house, so I would be able to stay with her in my recovery. It sounded like a great plan. However, it didn’t turn out that way.
I went to the hospital where I was to have microsurgery and a 3-day ICU stay. I was released from the ICU to a regular room and was getting ready for discharge the following day. However, I collapsed in the hallway. I was conscious, but I couldn’t walk. It felt like my legs melted me down to the floor. The staff managed to get me onto a gurney and knew right away that I’d had a stroke.
Georgetown University Hospital is a teaching hospital with some of the best staff and instruments anywhere. Within minutes I was going through all kinds of imaging and tests. Despite all of the tests, they couldn’t find the specific cause of the stroke. It was a frustrating time. I remember trying to speak French and even my limited use of ASL because I was having trouble speaking in English.
What made you think of knitting therapy after that?
I’m a biologist by education, with a minor in psychology. In other words, I’m a scientist. I am used to research and advanced language. Having a stroke, with aphasia, was extremely frustrating for me. I needed to do something hands-on to create new pathways in my brain so that I could heal.
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Below the paywall you will find:
The biggest challenge of knitting after a stroke
A serendipitous encounter
How knitting for cancer treatment differed from after the stroke
The benefits of receiving a knit item
Succinct articulation of the benefits of knitting
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