Story of a caregiver: Seeing the opportunities and seizing them

"Since 2016, I have had an independent practice as a speech therapist. One of my patients was a lady who had always led a busy and varied life. She had traveled around a lot. She played theater and gave lectures. Because of an autoimmune muscle disease, this was suddenly no longer possible. She could hardly speak or swallow. She came to me to practice those skills.

Even at our first meeting, I asked her what she would like to do next. And the answer was surprising and disarming. "I would very much like to do theater again. I know it will be difficult, but I have loved it so much. It's my joy and my life." That woman was so passionate that I built all my therapy sessions for her around drama and recitation. We were constantly working with theater texts. The woman really enjoyed that. (...) "Thanks to new medication, the woman gradually regained her vocal strength. She continued to make good progress. And she was able to fulfill her dream of being on stage again. She got a role in a play, and when the performances were coming up, she sent me an invitation. It was as if she wanted to show me: on this we worked together and it worked!"