Early on after my stroke one of my doctors diagnosed me as having an incomplete version of Locked In Syndrome (we just call it ILIS) because I could blink my eyes voluntarily and move my right index finger slightly. It doesn’t sound like much but I know of people in a situation similar to mine who are in worse shape than me physically and I am very grateful for the capabilities I still possess.

Being able to blink my eyes at will has proven to be tremendously helpful. I communicate with my wife and others by using a system of eyeblinks, characters of the alphabet and numerals. Being able to communicate was pretty much taken for granted by me prior to my stroke but it was the #1 Thing I wanted to do afterwards. I sincerely hope that others who have suffered a debilitating physical setback as I have can find a way to communicate. It really means the world.

Another way I can reach out and touch the outside world is by way of my right index finger. With it I can squeeze and activate a buddy switch, which is nothing more than a “clicker”. With that switch I have complete control over my laptop computer. With my setup I can “speak” to others, control the TV, use email, send and receive text messages, listen to music and audio books, stream movies and TV shows, watch DVDs, among other things.

I guess if you have a stroke and have to have Locked In Syndrome, it’s best to have the “Incomplete” kind!