Reconditioning Mind and Body for a New and Rewarding Lifestyle "Rehabilitation is not medical but physical and mental. The duration is measured in months or years, if not the rest of one's life. Success is for the strong-minded. It requires patience, persistence and attitude..." These are the words of author Sebastiaan Bakker, a man who knows all too well the power of truth they carry. In 2005, as he and his wife Dorthe prepared to leave behind the short but striking summers and long, cold winters of her native Norway, Bakker suffered a stroke in his brain stem. What followed was three long years of painstaking rehabilitation. The process of Bakker's recovery is nothing short of a revelation. With very few functions in his body working properly-if at all, his neurologist was worried he wouldn't live through the second night after the stroke. Yet somehow he did. His extraordinary story is told in multiple viewpoints, each adding a layer of understanding necessary to construct the bigger picture. First, it is told in two voices: a first-person accounting of the experience and a third person narrative that provides summaries and evaluates the progress of recovery. Within this duality the book is broken down even further into three distinct parts, each covering a vital period of the recuperative process from the state of affairs to the recovery of individual functions to non-chronological chapters that suggest ways of creating a constructive attitude towards rehabilitation and the role of caregiver. Written in a clear, consultative, and motivating style, Bakker's painstaking rehabilitation from a debilitating stroke is an uplifting and inspiring journey into the core of the human experience. The variety of narrative styles and conventions triggers the imagination, enabling easier recognition of behavioral or physical symptoms. A story about the power of positive thinking, motivation, and how to keep the spirits up, A Stroke of Bad Luck is more than a self-help guide-it is a spiritual and psychological how-to manual for life.
About the Author: Sebastiaan Bakker was educated as an engineer and worked most of his professional life in a variety of executive management positions, excelling in managing change and stimulating people until his early retirement in 2001. Prepared to live aboard a sailboat in the Mediterranean with his wife thereafter, he suffered a stroke in his brain stem that wiped out nearly all of his physical and biological stability and life support systems. A well-sought speaker at international conferences during his professional days, Bakker has transferred his prolific skills at communication to his first book. Bakker was born in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, in 1951.