I love how she doesn't edit out the parts where she messes up...it shows that she is human and real! Literally, she is so amazing and someone I definitely look up to! ❤️❤️
actually, they was right in saying "a british accent" they didnt say "the british accent" implying that there is one universal british accent. they said "a" meaning an accent coming from britain, and while yes there are many and they are very different, "a british accent" is still correct. british people have accents, making their accents "british accents" if you dont specify anymore. just like me being american make my accent "an american accent." that doesnt mean every american accent sounds the same, but they are american accents. also leave them alone lmao
3 months after I met my boyfriend he got diagnosed with leukemia . He went into a coma for a little over a week and flat lined. He had total liver failure, diabetes, and I just felt like everything was going to be over. The nurses were telling his parents to start planning his funeral. He had to relearn to walk and stand up and everything. Well right now, we have been dating for almost 3 years and next June he will be done with chemo. In November we are getting married! He's doing great! So I want to say watching your videos and seeing you get better and better makes me happy! You are so strong. You are learning things again just like he did. You will have bad days, but just remember you have people here that are so proud of you. ❤
Also I bet during this traumatic time she should get one of those dogs that help her when she's feeling down. Like how military people sometimes need one because of their struggles
Rilailey Kuma she does have a dog! She was playing with her on her Snapchat the other day. I think animals, especially dogs, can help a lot when it comes to that stuff!
Pertaining to the memorization of the 5 words: for anyone who struggles with memorization normally. I usually mix the words together to remember multiple words. So like "Face, Velvet" I imagine a velvet covered face. and then "Daisy, Church" I imagine a daisy in the front lawn of a church, and then "red" maybe the church is red in color... I know she had a brain surgery so it'll be different for her but my husband has trouble memorizing sometimes (just in general) and I try to tell him to put pictures to the words and sometimes it helps him.
What a wonderful video. It really can get better - after my brain cancer diagnosis (Glioblastoma) I experienced two surgeries and a chemo/radiotherapy - in my case I was not able to read anything but it really improved over the time and I'm working with a neuropsychologist at the moment to do some more tuning of my reading abilities. With some support we can get some good results again :)
I am a Speech and Language Therapist and your speech is doing amazingly well, I'm so impressed you should be very proud of your improvements! Also, you are gorgeous without hair or makeup 😊
There's a trick to remember random words following each other in order. Just image a story as you hear them. So as you were saying, i imagined a FACE covered with black square piece of VELVET and a DAISY laying over it. Then a big gothic CHURCH with that man and his covered face laying on a RED carpet in between the seats of the church. ;) Works even for not your native language as long as you know the meaning of the words.
I have Multiple Sclerosis at the age of 19. I can kind of feel what youre going thru. I've been positive about it to keep myself sane. I'll be praying for the both of us.
I know multiple people with MS who are living happy, normal lives. Everyone has bad days, but they also have new medicine to treat and slow the disease. Take care of your health and body and for sure try to limit stress as much as you can because I noticed this correlates with symptoms. You got this girl!!!!
I decided to write something different than I originally did. I just want you to know that you are an inspiration. Even in these times of struggling with a brain that doesn't function correctly, we can still see who 'you' really are. It's obvious that you're a teacher, you teach in every video. As you struggle to tell us how you are doing and why things are happening, you are educating us viewers not only on cancer but on the resilience of the human body and spirit. Your inner spirit can't be changed by chemo or cancer even if you words and brain function are. Someday I hope you'll look back at these times and see during all of this...you were still 'you'. Educating and uplifting even in your darkest hours. Until then, when your struggle seems to much to handle, rely on us to lift you. :)
Seems as though "Please enter a name"'s comment has been removed, but I'll keep my reply up in case they decide to come back and read... @Please enter a name...and I don't particularly like trolls. That being said, you misunderstand. It's not her illness that makes her an inspiration, it's how she's handling herself DURING her illness. She had the courage to show her hair loss and seizure during her surgery. She has the courage to upload an unedited video so we really could see how much her speech is effected. She had the courage here to show herself as she really is. Struggling with how she looks, how she speaks, how she can't do simple things she used to be able to do...all the same while being the educator she is. Her kids from her class show up on here once in awhile and you can see their struggle as they watch their teacher reduced to what they may not understand, yet she continues to try and soften the affect it has on them. She has put all vanity aside to just be who she was meant to be. THAT is why she's an inspiration.
I had a brain surgery back in March, it left me in a wheelchair having to relearn to walk along with a lot of other things.. i had to shave my head I gained so much weight it left me unconfident. Your videos help me so much. Thank you ❤️🙏🏻
Jesus I love how you can laugh at this sometimes! I laughed so hard when you said Rhinoceros correctly (7:00), got so excited but was like "nope not saying it again but I got it...rewind bitches!" I freaking love you! Paused the video at 14:44. I remember all 5. Face, Velvet, Daisy, Church, Red. But I've been good at instantly memorizing things. If you weren't great at memorizing before hand, remembering 2 is AWESOME! So proud of you pretty girl! 💗💗💗 Edited for rhinoceros time stamp
Your videos are very inspiring. I just lost a good friend to stage 3 Anaplastic Astrocytoma brain cancer. It was a very short battle but he had so much positivity and lived by the words "no bad days". I pray that you keep strong and keep inspiring people by your videos. You are so beautiful and keep fighting❤️
Andi E the father of my boyfriend is suffering from that kind of tumor too...they couldn't do an operation and chemo/radiation did not work...they have him 3-6 months to live in August 2016...he is still alive...it's horrible...especially for my boyfriend (he is 20) and his family...he is deteriorating...but nobody knows how long he really has which makes it so much harder...it's a horrible disease...I am sorry for your loss :(
I know that. I've heard that you use a different part of the brain for singing, but it does still help in a way. The congress woman who was shot in the head, Gabrielle Giffords, did music therapy when she was recovering in the hospital. A therapist would play the guitar and get her to sing with him in order to help her relearn to speak. Besides, music is proven to be all around good for the brain in all kinds of other ways, too.
It will probably help with her speech, plus if she already loves to sing, then it may also help with the sadness. I know when I sing, it always seem to lift my spirits! She is doing great considering everything she has been going through.
Hey lovely! Yes I got the math and five memory words test right.. but I also did not just have brain surgery! You are beyond amazing, and I am super happy to hear there will be a vast improvement in your healing and progress at the 2 week mark.. once the radiation starts to come out of your body! Yay! Woohoo... I will be anxiously awaiting for that update video!! Because of course.. we all want to celebrate along with you!!!! Okay.. so I just wanted to say I really enjoyed THIS update.. and think you did so well with it! You are so strong, brave and so very smart to go to the psychologist to get that extra support that you need at the very difficult time in your life! That too is a sign of strength to know when you need something, and be brave enough to do that for yourself!! You just keep being such an inspiration!! Wishing you a strong and peaceful recovery. Congrats again on the good news of being Cancer free and in remission!!! Wooohoooooo..... hahaha :))))
I can't imagine how frustrating this all is. Thank you for sharing all of this, you are so strong and it's incredible to see you improving in every video!
Face, velvet, daisy, church, red! ❤️❤️ You're incredible!! Not because of what you've been through (you were incredible before that) but because of what you are accomplishing!!!
I wish you could see through our eyes that you do NOT sound stupid. I know you will be paranoid but you will most likely be the one to notice they way you're acting or speaking. You are seriously moving mountains!!!!
I love you girl i am sorry you are struggling with aphasia and the loss of confidence that comes with it. I can't begin to imagine how frustrating this season in your life is. Just know that we are on your team and are all routing for you!
Face, velvet, daisy, church, red! You're still doing so great! I love to see your progress. I can't imagine the struggle, but one things for certain.. I'm sure you'll be an even better teacher because of the struggle. You'll understand where your kids are coming from when something seems too hard, and they'll be able to see anyone can overcome any struggle or assignment!
My dad had a ruptured brain aneurysm in 2014. They told us he would either die or be in a nursing home. He woke up from surgery begging for a Mountain Dew. It took him awhile to be his normal self again. He had 2 brain surgeries. He still struggles with short term memory problems. He has moments where he'll just cry for no reason. It's all part of having brain surgery. You can do this! You're so strong!! 💕
My favorite part of your videos is when you say a word correctly and get excited about it. It's inspiring and really shows how hard this is for you, but more importantly how hard you're working to overcome it. Keep up the awesome work and keep making videos!!!
I remembered them all except for Daisy which is ridiculous because my dog whose name is Daisy is laying right next to me as I watch this 😂 I'm very impressed with how positive you're staying. Even when things are hard, you find little positives in them. That's amazing. Also good for you for seeking help for feeling depressed. Keep up the positivity, it'll do wonders for you! 💜
Just think, your videos could be offering so much comfort and inspiration to others going through similar struggles or surgery and cancer battles! It's inspiring to me! I hope you continue to heal inside and out and be proud of yourself, you are doing awesome!
hey sweetie... I just wanted to say that I am proud of you and that I am so amazed of you cause I have never met a person who is so confident and cool with this hole situation like you. There are not enough words to explain how impressed I am! I wish you everything...!!!
You STILL are a really great teacher because you explained all of that so well. I also think it's a great sign you know when you do something incorrectly. I know what you mean about getting frustrated not being able to do everything I become paralyzed from wrecking my car on ice. I'm with you girl:)
I love how strong you are honestly I admire you and your strength my prayers go out to you and your health.Stay strong, you are a wonderful human being and never forget that your not alone 🤗❤️🙌🏻
I think you are amazing! I was diagnosed with 2 kinds of breast cancer 2 wks after I turned 35. I had aggressive chemo, my ovaries removed and am on a ton of meds. Not having hair was embarrassing and my memory problems and knowing what I want to say but not being able to get it out in conversation is so frustrating. I am done with chemo now and had a double mastectomy. I feel like my memory is continuing to get worse. Praying your cancer is gone, stays gone, and you make a complete recovery!
I couldn’t remember all 5 and I haven’t had any kind of surgery, so don’t beat yourself up! I know it’s hard but we’re all here for you, cheering you on :) you can do it!
Hi Courtney! I loved watching this video because my dad had a stroke almost exactly 2 years ago (Aug. 22, 2015) and has expressive aphasia. He says the craziest things sometimes! As hard as it is seeing him like that, there's more great moments than bad. He used to read constantly but now he can't even read 1 page without forgetting what he just read. Definitely keep laughing at yourself (for the right reasons) and keep your spirits up! Your attitude towards your struggles is astounding.
Can I just say that around 12:30 when you started showing frustration with your "lack of ability", my heart just about broke. I can't even imagine going through what you're going through, and it is so understandable that you feel upset over not being able to remember or do things that you could before. But let me tell you... I've only just discovered your channel within the last week or so, but it's already one I am visiting frequently. You are incredibly brave, strong, and have so much determination. The fact that you are willing to show your process and journey to the world just confirms your genuine soul. And how wonderful your soul is greatly outweighs maybe forgetting a few words. You have SO many people rooting for you, myself included. The progress you have already made is AMAZING, and will continue. You have such a great mindset and you're truly inspiring. Keep going! You'll get there!
I have to admit I found you on my home page from one of your most recent videos. You are gorgeous. I am so sorry that you have lost a little bit of confidence but you should know that you are amazing. I can't even begin to completely understand what you are going through but I hope there are only better times coming for you! ❤️
Pausing this where you said to and write down what you said to remember. I got. Face,church,daisy,red.. im hoping that right. Also I didn't remember the line you said to remember about the guy going to work in yellow shirt lol.. you're doing super well though you should be proud... thanks for sharing this is interesting. Heaps of love ❤️🤗❤️
Lauraphoid Paige Louise is doing it right. About 5 minutes after Courtney read the list, she asked us to pause the video and write what we remember in the comments.
My mom suffered from Bell's palsy when I was younger half her face went paralyzed and though it was hard for her she made us comfortable with it and helped herself get through it by laughing at herself and making light of the situation because there wasn't much she could do about it I'm glad that u r laughing and smiling and once u get through this tough part of ur life u will be stronger in the end ur more beautiful than ever and we r all supporting u through prayers and positive thoughts
You should really check out the documentary My Beautiful Broken Brain* on Netflix. It's about a girl who has a stroke and it effects the part of her brain that controls her speech and some of her vision. It's a lot similar to what you're going through! She recovered pretty well btw! ♥️♥️♥️♥️
You are beautiful and truly inspirational.. I pray you make a full recovery. It's ok to be sad, please know this community is right behind you.. we are here for you gorgeous girl ❤️💐
You are beyond beautiful and such an inspiration I had cancer in high school it is unbelievable how difficult having cancer is on its own but trying to wrap your head around everything is nearly impossible I wasn't able to wrap my mind around it until months later
You are doing SO SO well!! I'm so glad you can see some light at the end of the tunnel! I'm excited for you that you can look forward to not only the radiation doing it's good work in you but also as it declines from your brain & body you get to see great improvements and strides in hearing, seeing, comprehension, understanding and talking and remembering!! It will be awesome to rejoice with you in this! And I'm rejoicing with you even now! 💃💖
I LOVED your diagram explaining how your brain reacts and processes inputs and outputs! It's brilliant! This surgery has not dampened your talents and drive and love for what you do best in any way, girl!! It's all still in you and exuding out of you!! You are such a joy to watch and root for! Keep your head up HIGH and be encouraged as you are and will continue to get better and better!! My doctor told me 2 years ago that my recovery will be a marathon not a sprint but that I will get better. It was hard to envision back then I just had to believe by faith. AND here I am SO much better now than I was before and still improving! And you will be too and I'm believing even FASTER FOR YOU!!! Keep your head high, girl, because you ARE SO BEAUTIFUL!!!! 😀💞😘
💐💐💐COURTNEY !! We're praying for you to have FAST healing! Praying for your mom too! 💋💋 Maybe start small and go to the park and enjoy the sunshine! Then maybe your favourite fast food places? Enjoy being alive! I'm so glad you're still on this earth. Please don't let others steal your joy!! 💋💋💋💋💋💋✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨
AND MORE HAIR TUTORIALS!!! I never do anything to my hair and I saw your hair tutorial and tried it and I got SO many compliments. After my extremely traumatic horrible accident I kind of stopped caring for myself and you have changed my mind completely on life. Just keep going!
You are beautiful and such an inspiration. My uncle had brain cancer and had radiation. His hair and speech did the same as yours. I lost him last year due to it. But keep your head up, and keep pushing. You are doing awesome. Try not to let yourself be so stressed. Your are so awesome, and I'm glad I found your channel. You help me kinda of see what he was going through.
I think I have commented on every single one of your recovery videos but seriously, your speech is improving in LEAPS AND BOUNDS! It is so much better, you are barely messing up and using so many more words than in your first video. Well done. That is incredible and I'm sure it's because of all the hard work you've been putting in during speech therapy ❤️
the test you did is called "Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA)". I used to perform this test when I was working as a psychologist. It is amaizing to see your results. and I also try to feel how frustrated you are. I wish you courage and happiness. I am glad you share your experience with us. I admire and appreciate that you share your vulnerable side with many people. I know you will be confident and happy with the way you are. You will look back and be amazed with yourself how much you got through and made a long way. big loves from Turkey
your brain is a little tangle :) it will untangle it a little bit more every day. Because brains are magic and it will figure things out. You're doing amazing ! You just had a huge brain surgery, hearing you talking like this is amazing. Sending you good vibes and lots of strength
You're doing great. Keep up the good work. I was diagnosed with cancer and went through several surgeries and then chemo. I couldn't remember a lot of things and my body hurts all the time. But I'm doing much better now. You will get there. Thank you for sharing your story. You are an inspiration.
You will be healed from cancer and depression in Jesus name your speech will corrected your tongue will be lose your hair will grow back in Jesus name love you mamas in prayer for you ✝️🙏🏻
You're nothing but an inspiration to me. You're an awesome lady and just know so many people are rooting for you. Keeping a positive attitude in a tough situation is hard and you seem to be doing better than a lot of people. Wish you nothing but the best
My sister was in a bad accident 2 ½ years ago. She was in a coma for one month as she had a TBI (traumatic brain injury). We were told she wouldn't live but if she did by some miracle that she'd be a vegetable as she had no brain activity. We prayed very hard. She woke up after a month and was off the ventilator in 24 hours. She knew who we were and once she finally had her trach removed she could talk. However, she had a very similar experience as you are having. She couldn't articulate what she meant and what words came out is not what she meant. I had to brush her teeth for her, give her bed baths, change her clothes and adult diapers for months. She finally came home 6 months after the accident. It was a long hard road but she has made great strides in recovery. She can communicate very well. She can walk although not perfectly. She wasn't able to go back to work but she's alive and with us. She's struggled with immense depression as a result of all of this. I think it's very rave that you've let us into your world and I'm going to have my sister watch you because I know it'll help to know someone is facing similar mountains. I think, if you're interested, it would be so helpful for you to talk to her about things you're going through that she's already been through. I'm praying for you. Stay strong and keep being as amazing as you are!
YOU NEED TO GET OUT AND GO PLACES. That helps with depression and you need to speak to people and explain to them "bare with me I had brain surgery and I battled cancer and my speech and understanding what you say is mixed up" I guarantee people will say you are awesome and tell you how strong you are. Girl if I came up to you and you spoke to me and told me that I would give you a hug and tell you what an inspiration you are. Get back in the horse and go get you a good meal at a restaurant!!!!!
Yeah I battled depression and going out was unbearable. Even though I could fake it I was still miserable and couldn't wait to go home and roll up into a ball and disappear.
As a brain tumor survivor (so far) I went through mild to severe depression. I think it's quite normal! In my case, the culprit was seizure meds. My doctor & I discussed it & together we decided it was less painful for me to have a seizure than to be depressed on these meds. But I went through a long period of depression. Sometimes it's hard just to do the basics. It should be done one step at a time. After stopping my seizure meds, I took 10 mgs of Prozac in the morning and another 10 mgs at night for a few months. It really helped me but everyone is different. I'm no longer on seizure meds or Prozac (which helped with anxiety & depression). I really do think it's perfectly normal to be depressed after major brain surgery & the different ways we recover. I still have issues & I'm quite open with people about my situation. 99% are very kind & willing to be patient and help!
I don't know you, but I want to give you the biggest hug. You are handling this really admirably, and bravely. What a seemingly insurmountable thing to deal with - you sound so much better already. Please know so many are rooting for, proud of you & sending you love & strength. ❤️
Jeez, i know how mad i get when i can't find something (ive been misplacing and/ or forgetting stuff all the time for the last 2 years), i cant imagine how tough this all must be for you - but you are doing so amazingly well, you're a rock star lady!
Samantha O i just subtracted the 3 (from the 93) from 7, (because i knew that 7 contained a 3 and we could get it down to a nice even 90, for easier subtraction). Then, i am left with a 4. I minus 4 from 90 and we get 86! I just find it easier to break them down into smaller and easier/nicer numbers!
Girl after having had 4 concussions, I had just a small taste of what you're describing. Not being able to remember certain words. Not being able to do what you used to and what is normal. Getting so exhausted after doing seemingly simple therapies. I can only imagine what you are feeling like! But just think, in a year from now, or two years, or 10...how far you will have come! Our bodies are incredible and made to heal. You are determined and you will go back to normal. Life will be even better than it was before. I have faith in you and just keep swimming as Dory would say. ❤️❤️❤️
I never comment on videos, but for you to say you're (understandably) sad makes me so sad and I want to help you so much!!! You have gone through a lot, but you seem so brave and inspiring to me! If I were to go to anything like you have I would be so damn happy if I could handle it half as well as you do!!! I feel like I would usually pity someone in your situation, but I am 100% inspired and amazed by how you have been reacting to this! Yeah, you cry sometimes, but 3 days a week?! Gurl, I would be SO dehydrated from crying, you have no idea! Also, seeing how happy you get when you get a word right? It makes me smile so much, it's the best! You are amazing!!! If making videos help you please keep making them cause it honestly makes my day so much brighter seeing and hearing your progress!! You are my hero!
You never really get better .. you kinda just go through it . I had a brain tumour too and spent about 2 months in two separate hospitals learning to walk and talk and everything , even to this day when I talk I go blank and forget what I'm talking about , a brain tumour and the surgery takes a toll on you so hard . I use to be so confident and now I'm so insecure . Disabilities are not always visible and I wish people understood that :/
Shelbie Wilson I don't have a brain tumor and I struggle with remembering my point in a conversation sometimes too... though I am dyslexic so I don't know if that has anything to do with it.
teddysurf I mean like knowing exactly what you want to say but not knowing how to say it , it's the worst feeling in the world , everything that everyone who has had one or does have one - everything that we all struggle with is heart breaking and most of the time I feel so stupid and that I can't do anything right ever , it's not fun lol
Shelbie Wilson yeah it's like you can describe everything about it but you can't think of the descriptive noun to sum it up...whether it be people's names or a descriptive word in a conversation and then when you try to think of it you loose your train of thought? At least that's what happens to me...
You are so inspirational for kicking ass no matter how hard it gets I had a heart transplant 16 months ago 3 months after I had my newborn son at 22 getting sick is life changing beyond measure and to beat it everyday your a warrior your a survivor and to hear your story is incredible it gets hard it is hard and to always portray it is no matter how much it's killing you inside is a struggle it sucks is right I'm absolutely praying for you god picks such crazy unexpected journeys for us I remember waking up from my Coma I had to learn to write again so learning and gaining all you have is a blessing keep pushing girl and breakdown when u need to your human and sometimes life happens to us majorly and so damn fast u look back and realize I really just did that praying for you 🙏🏽
I give you all the respect in the world. You fight every day to get back to who you were and what you knew, and you do it with such courage. You are the definition of resilient and I can only hope to be half as strong as you are! God bless you!
You've come so far in such a short amount of time, we can all see the improvements you've made in each new video you post. I know that the healing isn't happening fast enough for you but each new day is one more step forward, closer to full recovery.. you will get there! Be proud of yourself, be kind to yourself.. and try not to care about what others may or may not think of you if you go out.. they probably can't do subtraction very well either and they don't have your excuse ;) .. One day at a time Sweetheart x.. ps, I forgot Daisy.
Kristen Burns literally forgot the last two because i couldnt focus. I have auditory processing disorder and ADD so thats nothing new lol. I literally would get frustrated in school if the teacher didnt write notes on the board.