What caused your aphasia, or the inability to speak or find words?

I was reaching for a six-pack of tonic water on a top shelf in a supermarket in March 2009. When I removed the one I wanted, another one came flying off and hit me in the head.

When did you first have symptoms?

Two days later, I felt "weird" and knew something was wrong. My husband asked me some basic questions, but when I tried to answer the words just didn't come out. He called 911, and the ambulance personnel asked me the same questions. When I couldn't answer, I was rushed to the hospital.

What happened at the hospital?

I had a computed tomography scan, which revealed a collection of blood outside my brain. They told my husband it was a subdural hematoma and they had to operate immediately. I was diagnosed with aphasia and started language and speech therapy.

How was your language affected?

A lot of people came to visit me, and I was told later I called everyone Melynda, who is a close friend. I had to relearn the alphabet. A speech pathologist came two or three days a week.

Did you continue therapy after that?

Yes, I joined a program at Mount Sinai Hospital as an outpatient. I was there for two and a half years. I went four days a week, five hours a day. By that time, I was also attending programs at the International Aphasia Movement (IAM) once a week.

What are the IAM meetings like?

First there's a meeting with the entire group—people with different types of aphasia in a single circle. Then we break into small groups according to our level and the kind of aphasia we have. The smaller groups are run by speech and language therapists.

Now you're the director of the IAM. How did that happen?

When Harvey Alter founded IAM after his own stroke and subsequent aphasia, he instituted a policy that the director be someone with aphasia. Before he died last year, he asked me if I would assume that responsibility.

What have you learned about aphasia over the years? People are often told they'll improve and then plateau. It's not true. People continue to improve. It's not that everyone who walks through the door at IAM leaves without their disability, but people learn to accept their limitations while being committed to improving.