Stroke Victim Uses His Communication Device To Reach His Goals and Help Others
In December 2013, Arthur “Butch” Goodwin of Jacksonville, FL, suffered a severe stroke. The former logistics employee of Walmart was working at the time of his stroke. Butch experienced a left-sided ischemic stroke, which affected his motor function and communication. He worked with a speech-language pathologist in an inpatient setting, at home, and at a neurological day treatment center through Brooks Rehabilitation in Florida.
Currently, Butch attends Brooks Rehabilitation Clubhouse—a full-time day program that provides for long-term recovery needs for individuals who have suffered from an acquired neurological injury—as well as the Brooks Rehabilitation Aphasia Center
“I really feel whole-heartedly that Butch exemplifies strength, resilience, motivation, and compassion,” said Jodi Morgan, the speech-language pathologist who manages the Brooks Rehabilitation Aphasia Center and completed Butch’s initial evaluation before he attended the center. “Butch does everything to make people feel better about themselves, and he always puts other people first, in spite of everything that he’s endured with his stroke.”
While going through speech therapy, Butch was encouraged by his therapist to use his Lingraphica TouchTalk™ device in order to help with his expressive aphasia and apraxia. Working with his speech therapist, he used his device for scripting and practicing his speech mouth movements.
Butch Inspires Others Thanks to His Communication Device
When Butch meets new people, he tells them about himself with an introduction that he programmed and personalized on his TouchTalk. With the push of a button, the TouchTalk says: “My name is Butch Goodwin. Nice to meet you! I had a stroke. I have aphasia. Loss of words.” In addition to being able to communicate with others, the Lingraphica device has helped him to better pronounce his words and letters. It has also helped others to understand what he wants to say.
Butch has been able to use the device for many different personal achievements. As an usher at his local church, Butch uses his device to greet people as they enter the services. With the help of his TouchTalk, he can take public transportation independently to the Brooks Rehabilitation Clubhouse and Aphasia Center. Now, he also attends adaptive sports events and workouts through the Clubhouse and can confidently participate due to his device.
In 2017, Butch was recognized by Brooks Rehabilitation as one of their “Faces of Stroke,” a prestigious award given to stroke survivors who exemplify motivation, strength, and compassion during recovery and return to day-to-day life. Butch used his Lingraphica device to script a speech that he gave at the presentation of this award in front of hundreds of people.
“Butch’s hard work and determination are just remarkable,” said Jodi. “He doesn’t quit and works toward better communication and better understanding of the world around him. It’s amazing to see him use his device in ways to help him meet his goals as well as to help others. He’s a real inspiration.”
