On the day I had a stroke, I woke up with a body that was tied to the bed. But my mind had never worked so fast. That day, I didn’t just lose part of my body – I also lost a quiet warrior: myself. But then I realized that I could get back what I lost by writing.
At first, I was just keeping a diary. I wrote down how I felt, what I was afraid of, when I wanted to give up. Then one day I said to myself: “What if others read this too?” Maybe someone else who had a stroke like me, or a family member, or just someone going through a difficult time…
If I tell my story through a book, maybe I can reach one person – and that one person might hold on to life.
That thought moved me forward. With one finger, with my left hand, letter by letter, I started writing. Every word was a breath. Every sentence was a way of saying “I’m still here.”
Writing didn’t heal me. But it kept me connected to life. Because with every line, I was regaining myself. I realized that telling my story is not just an act – it’s a way of being.
Maybe my story is just like yours. Maybe it’s completely different. But if you are reading this, there is one thing I want to say:
You can write too. You can tell your story too. And most importantly, you can hold on to life.
Because sometimes one sentence can save a life.
Goran Mikulić