After the Stroke: A Journal

I have read May Sarton's books haphazardly....I picked up some books several years ago at a garage sale, and A Journal of a Solitude was one of them. It was my first "read". I can't remember right at the moment the order of the other ones....I do know I recently read At Seventy, and I just finished After The Stroke. For some reason, After The Stroke really got to me. I cried like a baby when Bramble died, and then when Tamas died. I read the whole book on one day. I was appalled that May suffered for so long with diverticulitis, and her doctor didn't even try to figure out what was causing her pain all that time. And again, I was amazed at her hectic schedule, which she seemed to resume pretty quickly after the congestive heart failure, stroke and diverticulitis hit her in quick succession. It took me a little while to get used to her talking about Judy, Edythe, Janice, and all the other ladies, with never a picture of them, last names, or basically, who they were. Other than people who came over to help her out. Paid help?? Who knows? Oh well, I am a fan.....she was an eccentric lady, and I always enjoy eccentrics........

I've a longtime fan of Sarton on end of life issues ("The Reckoning", "As We Are Now") so who better than this insightful septuagenarian to help me understand my mom's post-stroke experience? No success on first pass--I found Sarton's journal entries tedious, self-absorbed, overwhelmed, and fretful, so I set the book aside. I came back around on it recently and had an 'ah-ha' moment: after the stroke, that's the way it is--tedious, self-absorbed, overwhelming, and fretful. Hang in there--Sarton's literary light shines on as she inserts wonderful snippets of poems and letters on aging, illness, and enjoying the now. Better yet, her gallant spirit rallies past fraility and fatigue on the road back to life. I look forward now to reading her journals from earlier, better times.

I was interested in Sarton's experience with stroke, since I've a relative going through this. The journal covers her 73rd year after a mild stroke leaves her weak in her left side. Although the stroke was not a major debilitating one, the varied problems from irregular heartbeat, congestive heart failure and feeling ill from various medicines affects her quality of life. The journal tracks her daily struggle to recover her creative thinking and to live alone (in coastal Maine). Her flower garden, letters and visits, plus her aging dog and young kitten bring her solace from her problems. Sprinkled with literary references and nature observations, the journal makes pleasant reading. If you have an aging parent or friend/relative with an illness, you can gain insight by reading Sarton's account of her difficulties and recovery.