MEET DUANE
A native of Colorado, Duane traveled the world in the U.S. Navy for four years. It has been a little over a year ago that Duane had his stroke. “They still don’t know why I had it,” he says. He was only 48.
One of Duane’s big passions is working on cars, fixing them up and showing them. One of his big accomplishments this year was showing one of his cars, a Trans-Am, in a local show.
Being part of RMSC “has given me a life,” he says. “My life is changed.” Duane is stirred, though, by focusing on improving his speech. He enjoys speech lab and the Aphasia Support Group at Littleton Hospital the most. Learning to spell again and to “speak without stuttering” are the improvements he sees in the future. Using a computer represents one of the new ways that Duane is concentrating on his goals. Emailing and getting onto Facebook offer interesting and unique ways to apply all the words he is relearning.
Duane plans on being at his niece’s wedding later this year. Family means everything to Duane. He feels very close to his mother and sister, who live nearby and provide physical and emotional support as Duane recovers.
As a former mail carrier who was used to covering a lot of ground, Duane says he plans on covering a lot more as he continues focusing on his rehabilitation with RMSC.
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Rocky Mountain Stroke Center
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