Stroke Survivors With Aphasia Make Their Voices Heard Despite COVID
AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) - The holiday season is concert season. Because of the pandemic, this year, most concerts will be virtual. For the members of one choir, no matter how their voices are heard, singing is a celebration of strength and resiliency.
They rallied to record their winter concert fundraiser.
"The name of our concert is 'I'll be Home for Christmas (If Only on My Screen),'" said Rebekah Stewart, a board-certified music therapist and COO of the nonprofit Rehabilitative Rhythms.
Rebekah launched the Rocky Mountain Aphasia Chorale in 2018. Many of the members are stroke survivors.
They have aphasia, meaning they've lost the ability to speak, but amazingly they can still sing.
"The pathway in our brain for speaking and singing is just different enough that we can lose one skill and retain the other," Rebekah explained to CBS4 Health Specialist Kathy Walsh.
Among the members are Stacy Wren and her husband, David. Stacy was 53 years old when she suffered a massive stroke with aphasia.
"She was able to do some 'yes' and 'no' kind of answers," David said.
Seven years later, Stacy still has difficulty with words, but she takes music therapy with Rebekah and sings and plays the piano.
"She shocked me with her recovery of some piano skills," said David. "She's retraining her brain in multiple ways there."
David and other care partners see the choir as a community.
"It's like a support group," he said. "It's comfortable, it's comforting."
"It's a moment in the week where there isn't a survivor and a caregiver dynamic, they just get to sing together," said Rebekah. "There's something really special and bonding about making music together."
"I have a place I trust," Stacy said with no trouble at all.
Singing is a celebration of success for the stroke survivors. Their winter concert will end with "Fight Song."
Some of the words are "This is my fight song, take back my life song..."
For the Rocky Mountain Aphasia Chorale, it's an anthem of courage and community.
The final words of the song are "I've still got a lot of fight left in me."
The virtual choir concert, "I'll be Home for Christmas (If Only on My Screen)" is Friday, Dec. 18, 2020.