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Stephen reflects on his life following the car accident in this oral history interview conducted by fellow SteppingStones member Seth. Before his brain injury, Stephen said that he had a lot of friends and preferred to spend time with his friends, rather than his family.
Stephen: "When I was young I was a nice person, but then when I turned 12 or 13, I became more tough. When I turned 15, I had a son. Being 15 years old was very early [to have a son]. It was a hard time for a long time before I had the accident."
After the accident, Stephen was in the hospital for two months and then moved back home to live with his parents. For the next six months, he was in rehabilitation five times a week.
Stephen: "They found out that I have what is called aphasia. I don't know a lot of hard words."
Seth: "What have been your biggest communication challenges?"
Stephen: "It's mostly easy with my family. They treat me like a normal person. Other friends I don't like to talk to. Most people don't understand aphasia. I'm always scared that people think I'm dumb. But I'm not. They just don't understand about the aphasia."
In addition to aphasia, Stephen continues to experience a number of cognitive-linguistic challenges, including memory loss. Life after the accident is much different than before. In the future, Stephen would like to be able to drive again, but he is no longer able to do so after a recent seizure. He also would like to begin dating.
Stephen: "I would love to find a girlfriend. That would be the absolute best thing. It has been two years, two and a half years since my accident. That is one thing that I can't do is go over and ask a girl to go out. I have to be strong with myself, but it's hard."
Seth: "How have things changed since your accident?"
Stephen: "I'm a nicer person now because I realize that my family is most important. Not my old friends, not people I think are cool. I am different, and I try to be as nice to my family as I can."
To listen to the entire interview, visit www.krempelsfoundation.org/oralhistories.shtml.
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