This is the year that I am hopefully going to FINALLY publish the book that I have been writing for the past 10 or so years. "A Stroke of Power: the holistic approach to stroke and brain injury recovery" is getting a ton of work put into it and I have been making some huge progress. The chapters are all coming together and the research is being done that is going to help me to share my theory on the "WHOLE-istic" approach to stroke and brain injury recovery with the world. 

It is my dream that...
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Something big is coming. 

I am writing a book! It is on my theory for stroke and brain injury recovery from a "WHOLE-istic" perspective. I will be sharing information about what I feel are three big things we need to focus on if we want to heal from something like a stroke - nutrition, fitness, and mindset. These three things all work together to help us create a balanced, healthy life. 

I have been working on the mindset portion of the book a bit for the last few weeks, and I wanted to share a...
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I have been going to the gym regularly (3x per week) for months now, but my limitations make a lot of things that I would like to do there difficult. A great example of that is planks - I have difficulty with getting up onto my toes, as my affected leg gives out every time... until today. During today's really-quite-tough workout, I somehow managed to do FIVE 30-SECOND PLANKS, on my toes, near-perfect form, and I can still (kinda) move afterwards. 

I am shocked and SO PUMPED! I could feel that...
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I really only seem to update this annually these days, but life has gotten busy! It's been crazy in all the best ways. 

Let's start with what my adult life looks like lately - I am working full time for a regulatory consulting company. I am on their Marketing team and absolutely love it! I work from home most days too, which means that commuting is super easy. It also means that I get to work out of mine and my boyfriend's condo, which is right on the lake. Paradise! 

Speaking of the homestead,...
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At what point does something stop being a story and start being reality?

I was thinking about this recently, because ever since I have all of my medical stuff go on back when I was a teenager, people keep commenting to me that my attitude must be one of the things that got me through it all. And while they are not wrong, it made me realize that there are a lot of things about who I am growing up to be that were 100% shaped by the medical events of my childhood.

I think that a lot of this ...

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Well guys, I am really quite happy today. It has been more than 20 years since my second stroke, and it looks like I am STILL improving, even after all that time has passed. 

I peeled THREE oranges completely with only my affected hand today (right hand). I haven't been able to do that since I was a teenager. 

Victory is mine! Just keep believing that recovery is POSSIBLE and recovery is CONSTANTLY HAPPENING, and then just watch what happens. 

I think that the other thing that has been helping m...
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Found this article today and think it's got some really good information: Sleep After A Stroke The Key To Faster Recovery | Saebo

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Amazing! There is finally some easily accessible information available about AVM! For years after my diagnosis (back in 1996), there was just nothing out there about the condition because there was no real research being done! It was assumed that the condition was much more rare back then too (the numbers that I was given are dramatically different than the ones given in this article). 

But this is a huge step in the right direction at least! It's about a need for greater awareness too. Just k...
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Sometimes, the universe sends little hints that all of your efforts are going to be worth it and that everything really is going to work out in the end. This past week, I had a massive one of those experiences, and it’s the simplest little thing that is the most significant too… I can feel the ground underneath my right foot.

That is HUGE NEWS, because that was the first thing that I lost with my first stroke back in 1998. I was 13 years old and it was March Break. I was spending it at ...

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I can feel the ground underneath my affected foot today.

I don’t think that you all understand how significant this is… when I had my first stroke, which was a side effect of cranial radiation treatment that I had to have back in 1997, the first thing that I noticed was that I couldn’t feel the ground under my right foot. The radiation treatment had caused brain swelling, which in turn caused a progressive stroke on my right side. First the nerves in my right foot stopped communicatin...

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Today's epic realization: I am already better.

In fact, some days I would dare say I am better than better. (I'm talking about my recovery of course, but isn't it amazing how much that blends into the rest of our lives as stroke survivors?) 

But it's true when I think about it! I have days when I am so functional that even I can't tell that I have had one stroke, let alone two of them. My hand works and I have all of the fine motor control. My leg co-operates and I can walk normally. There are ...
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Did you know that, as of this year (2020), it has been 22 years since my first stroke? Geez, it's been nearly 20 years since my second stroke! And as hard as that is for me to believe, there is a lot that I have learned in that time and a lot that I have taken away. 

For example, one of the first things that taught me after my first stroke was regarding stairs - always step up with your good foot, and step down with the bad". This stabilizes your balance and helps you accomplish the steps with...
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You know how my last post a few months ago was all about personal growth and change? OH BOY has there ever been a lot of that since then!! Alex and I moved in together at the beginning of February... literally only a few days before I broke my right leg!! Yup - broken my tibia and fibula and fractured my tibia. I need to learn to watch where I am putting my big clumsy feet LOL....

So since then, we had to move again (all in a matter of about two months). But now we are close to downtown Hamilt...
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You know how personal growth is a continuous thing (or it should be at least)? I like it much more when it's evenly spread out over the course of months or years... but in the last two or three months (since beginning my co-op for school), I have been hit with a whammy of growth, development and maturing.

It's a lot to handle, or at least I feel that it is. Learning about decision making, making wiser decisions, budgeting, managing my time better, managing my life better... 

Sigh.

My 34th birth...
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I have finally done it... I have come up with an explanation for why I act the way that I do (a tad overly optimistic, shall we say?). And it all ties back to my theory about daisies.

Daisies are the highest life form... were you aware of this? Think about it: a daisy is a very simple flower with a big yellow centre, a few white petals and a couple of very basic leaves. A daisy's ENTIRE purpose in life is to make people smile.

That is a noble purpose!! I have a crazy amount of respect for daisi...
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According to Canada.ca, about 741,800 Canadian adults aged 20+ live with the effects of a stroke. One-quarter of Canadians living with stroke are under the age of 65. However, previous estimates of stroke prevalence may have massively underestimated the true number of individuals experiencing the effects of stroke in Canada! (pause)

I am here today to talk to you about the reality of limited mobility and decreased function that many stroke survivors face, and the promise of hope for better r...

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Well, another year has come and gone... these past 12 months have been full of adventures, learning lessons, trials, victories and love. I feel that I made more progress on my recovery than I have in a very long time, and possibly a full recovery is within sight (hopefully). 

I just wanted to thank everyone for all of their marvelous support this year... I truly would not be able to do this without you! We are making a difference and changing the world together.

Cheers to another great year!
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Well, the last fundraising event of 2017 was last weekend... and overall, we did really well this year! I met a ton of really super people, raised a bunch of awareness and sold a lot of angels. 


Still selling the angel figurines... we have sold thousands of these by now!...
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Well, one event down for this year's holiday season. I have a couple more events to do, but I was super happy for this one, because my table was situated right beside my groovy little sister (Christina, of Miss Messy Jewelry) and my awesome mom (Darlene, who was there doing AVON). That always equals a good time!

Chrissie was promoting her handmade (and super cute!) jewelry, but the best thing was that she brought little bubble soap things to give out! And so Chrissie and I were having the bubb...
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The Special AVM Research & Awareness Fund will be fundraising at the Christmas Bazaar at Viva Retirement Residence in Mississauga (the Christmas Bazaar at Solel Congregation of Mississauga, 2399 Folkway Drive, Mississauga, ON) on Sunday November 5th between 11am and 4pm! Come on out and browse the show, shop for Christmas gifts/decorations/more, and check out our fundraising table... we will be there with our Kneeded Angels, as well as a variety of warm and fuzzy (and homemade!) hat and scarf...
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Get ready for it... this weekend has been all deep and philosophical, and so a ton of pondering on the following points has occurred. I thought it was interesting though, so I wanted to share it with you...

The title of this blog post sums up the point of it pretty perfectly - we will all have points in our lives when Life hands us a chance. It can be anything - a chance to suddenly travel, a chance to go back to school, a chance to make a new friend, a chance to change someone's life. What ...
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I always seem to encounter interesting people while taking transit these days... Some have amazing life stories. Some are dealing with things that seem epic compared to what the average bear has to deal with on a daily basis. Some are sad, but many are just the friendliest people you would ever be fortunate enough to meet.

This evening was no different. On my way home from my night class, I struck up a conversation with a really nice lady while we were both waiting at the Port Credit GO sta...

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As another week draws to a close, I was sitting here reflecting on the things that I managed to get done and what I accomplished this past week (and during the month of February as a whole). This month has actually been absolutely incredible when it comes to my physical recovery! I can now lift more weight, do more reps and accomplish so much more than I ever dreamed in the gym. I am actually doing well in school and really understanding and learning the material (which is sort of a new exper...
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A friend of mine shared this link with me today... a heartbreaking story (as many AVM-related stories are), but it has a happy ending  :)

Check it out here: http://tiphero.com/identical-twin-difference/

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This time though, it isn’t literal (I had a couple of brain hemorrhages back in 1998 and 2001, for anyone who doesn’t know). This time, the thing that is blowing my mind is actually the power of that very organ.

I had a pretty serious stroke right after that last brain hemorrhage, which I am still recovering from. But for the past few years now, I have been working on teaching my body to remember how to be functional. This is accomplished through some pretty intense visualization tech...

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The Special AVM Research & Awareness Fund would like to invite you out to Chartwell Baptist Church (1880 Lakeshore Road West, Mississauga) on Sunday November 22nd after the services for an afternoon of Christmas food and fun! Details to follow!
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If you are in a band (or know someone who might be interested) and want to help us raise some money and show off your music, get in touch with us and we can chat! We are trying to piut together a few small benefit shows throughout the fall.
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  My goodness, where did the last half of this year go??  Time has flown since the summer and planning for The SHINE! Festival was in full swing.  The festival itself turned out great - amazing music, played to an amazing crowd.  Plans for what we do different next year are being discussed, and other then that, it's safe to say that SHINE! is on hold for the holidays  :)

  On an awesome note - today, one of my incredibly amazing volunteers from SHINE! came with me out to the Sick Kids Foundati...
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

August 17^th, 2013 – Oakville, ON – This summer, one young lady and her family are making a rather loud statement to raise funds and awareness… in the form of a benefit concert.  Veronica McCombe is bringing her foundation (The Special AVM Research & Awareness Fund, benefiting The Hospital For Sick Children) to Coronation Park on Saturday August 17^th, 2013 to rock the stage with an afternoon and evening of live music, guest speakers and fun!  This is the first year ...

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  Well, it's official - we have the schedule all filled up for the day of the show!  Come on out to Coronation Park on Saturday August 17th, and see...

• 3:30pm - Sarah Jordan
• 4:00pm - Rebekah Stevens
• 5:00pm - J'aime Payne
• 6:00pm - The Reverand H.C. & The Grievous Angels Choir
• 7:00pm - Barry Szeto
• 8:00pm - J'Nai
• 9:00pm - Zara Ahmed (Zara is coming to us all the way from Montreal!  She grew up in Oakville and is returning home to headline at SHINE!)

Looks like a fantastic afternoon of live music and fun...
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  Go to http://TheSHINEFestival.webs.com to purchase your tickets for The SHINE! Festival... only $20!  This promises to be a great day of live music, friends and fun in the sun.

  The band line-up has been nearly completed... we are still looking for a few smaller acts to fill in the gaps between bands, but otherwise it is shaping up to be a pretty great day  :)
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  Stay tuned for the date that tickets will go on sale for the concert of the year!!  The AVM Foundation is hosting a benefit concert in Coronation Park (Oakville) on August 17th, 2013.  Come on out and show your support!


~V
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  It is alreay nearly March, meaning that my wedding at the end of May is fast approaching!!  I am so extremely excited, mildly terrified and completely pumped  :)

  I have been doing a ton of thinking and all that lately, and I decided the other day that I may take a few months to temporarily close up my tea business and focus way more on fundraising.  This is, after all, my number one passion and priority!  So I think that this is a good move.  Plus, it should give me more time to focus on p...
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    It feels incredibly hard to believe that it has already been more than six months since Christmas!!  But here we are, barrelling toward the middle of July already!  That means… technically only two and a bit months left of summer and the beautiful warm weather we have been having, Daylight Savings Time has already passed which means that the days are already getting shorter, and (gasp!) there are only ten-ish months left until my wedding date.  Wowzers.  Time really does fly sometimes.

...
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  It's the end of November/beginning of September, meaning that my mom is having her annual Christmas/AVON/crafts/fundraising stuff open house again.  Everyone should come on out and check it out!  E-mail AVM_Foundation@hotmail.com or call 905-844-6554 for details like our address and such.

  The sale started last weekend and it's been going pretty great!  I love Christmas  :)
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  This fall, before my 27th birthday hits at the end of November, I think that I very much want to have accomplished quite a fair bit more with my fundraising.  I started up an initiative called the Positive Graffiti Project, which I ran throughout the summer and it sort of culminated at the end of September at my old high school, with a massive amount of student participation and success  :)

  So now i am seriously considering taking my Positive Graffiti Project on the road and seeing who els...

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  So I figured out not too long ago that it's usually best to just try and take life one day at a time... seriously!  Though this is something that I would have figured would be sort of obvious, I guess it just sort of wasn't. Things are changing though, and these changes are great!

  This week coming up is looking pretty exciting!  St.Thomas (my old high school) is holding pretty much a full day of Positive Graffiti-ing due to the fact that next week is Spirit Wekk.  Super exciting!  So I hav...
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  WOW!  Life sort of got away from my for a while there.  Don't you just love it when things are all crazy-like?  Me, not so much!  But at least with the summer ending, I should hopefully be able to get some rest sooner or later.

  Needless to say, the walk-a-thon got postponed due to scheduling conflicts, for this year at least!  So we at the foundation headquarters have been trying to come up with new and exciting ways of raising funds and awareness for our cause.  We came up with the *Posit...
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  So it looks like the AVM Research & Awareness Foundation (at The Hospital For Sick Children in Toronto, ON) has a new web presence!  We have traded in our old webpage (http://www.angelfire.com/stars4/touched_by_an_angel) for this new website, in favour of a more updated design and a slightly more professional look.  Just in time too... as it looks like the "Walk Cuz You Can" is going to be happening pretty soon!  This coming April 23rd (2011), join us at in Hamilton Bayfront area for a walk...
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