How Linda’s TouchTalk Gave Her a Lifeline
Before Linda’s strokes, she and her wife were a power couple by almost any measure. Linda was a NATO representative for the Marine Corps. She worked her way to become one of the highest-ranking civilians at Camp Pendleton in California. Linda’s wife, Evelyn, is a Human Rights Activist; Executive Director of The Sanctuary Project Veterans nonprofit organization; and a lifetime member of the Women Marine Association.
Then, in 2014, Linda suffered her first stroke. She recovered, only to have a second stroke in 2016. Again, Linda recovered. But when the third stroke came in 2019, it left her with aphasia. She struggled to communicate with everyone — doctors, therapists, and Evelyn. In Linda’s mind, she heard herself saying words, but the muscles in her face were impacted, and there was a gap between her brain and muscles. This condition is known as apraxia.
Evelyn recalls the time shortly after her third stroke. “It was hard for Linda to communicate with doctors…they couldn’t get answers from her,” she said. “Linda was frustrated. In her mind, the words were coming out perfectly. In reality, they weren’t.”
When it was time for Linda to be released from the hospital, Evelyn began looking online for solutions to help Linda communicate. That’s when Evelyn found Lingraphica. She saw that devices were covered by Medicare, so she called. Evelyn remembers the process as simple and easy.
Before her TouchTalk arrived, Linda was quite depressed and angry. She couldn’t communicate with anyone, and she had given up. It was also frustrating for Evelyn, as she was worried that Linda might be in some kind of pain and not be able to tell anyone.
“Now, at age 74, Linda can speak her mind,” said Evelyn. “The TouchTalk was her lifeline. We love that Linda can customize it to whatever she needs.”
The TouchTalk allows Linda to customize her device to exactly what she needs and wants to say. When Lingraphica called to interview Evelyn and Linda for this story, an awesome thing happened. Evelyn began speaking, but stopped and said, “Wait a minute. Linda would like to say ‘hello’ to you.”
And then, a computer-generated voice came from Linda’s TouchTalk and said, “Good evening. I am Linda, and I am pleased to make your acquaintance this evening.”
“The Lingraphica TouchTalk has added value back into Linda’s life,” Evelyn concluded. “She feels like she’s living again.”
