Brain good, Hand bad

Hi, I’m Michael and I’m a stroke survivor.

I recently wrote about cleaning up my rehab kit over the Christmas period. That simple act stirred up a surprising number of memories and emotions.

I remembered trying to sticky-tape chopsticks to my hand because I couldn’t grip. Using my wife’s birthday as motivation to learn a short speech. It was a strange journey to revisit, and the memories remain vivid in my mind’s eye.

A Well-Meaning Friend

One of the more humorous memories involves a close friend of mine. A genuinely good guy who would do anything to help. At the time, though, he was understandably scattered - his father had just been diagnosed with cancer, a reaction I can very much relate to.

People were doing their best to understand what the stroke had and hadn’t affected.

Brain Good. Hand Bad.

The general message circulating was fairly accurate:

• Brain — good.

• Memory, recall, and commercial thinking — intact.

• Speech — gone, thanks to brain damage.

• Hand — not working.

I needed help cutting food, getting dressed, and doing most things involving fine motor control.

In short: brain good, hand bad.

The Mix-Up

Somewhere along the way, my friend received a slightly scrambled version of that update:

• Brain — bad.

• Hand — good.

Acting with the best of intentions, he went out and bought me some very cool - and very expensive - brain games. The kind where you have to untangle multiple pieces of intertwined metal.

Games that require two hands.

Laughing About It Now

I genuinely appreciated the gesture. And every time I see those games, they still make me laugh.

They’re a perfect reminder of how confusing those early days after stroke can be - for everyone involved. Recovery isn’t linear, communication is messy, and sometimes even the most thoughtful help misses the mark.

But the kindness behind it never does.