How to Conquer the World with One Hand…And an Attitude

Imagine having a stroke at the young age of 36, paralyzed on one side, unable to speak. After three months in the hospital, Paul Berger came home in a wheelchair, with a 15-word vocabulary, and the stubborn determination to return to a normal life. A year later, he was walking and talking, back at his old office, but things would never be the same.

Many inspirational books take you through the person's crisis period. This book is different. It shows how much a person can achieve in the years after, and what life is really like when you have a severe disability.

Available in paperback, Kindle, and Audio-CD.

This nationally-acclaimed book will:

• Give you hope to return to the activities you love
• Inspire you to try new things
• Show you how to overcome disabilities, challenges and negative attitudes to achieve your goals
• Show you how everyday people on a budget can use long-term therapy to continue to improve years after a stroke
• Give you insight to make your marriage continue to grow stronger in the face of adversity
• Motivate you to follow these role models and live a full life.

You NEED this book. It's different!

• First to show 15 years of real life
• A stroke survivor wrote it
• It reads like a novel
• National experts raved
• Survivors and families love it!
• Offers practical advice, resources.

You can live a full life--therapy, school, volunteering, travel, hobbies, return to school, losing jobs, finding new work--with aphasia & paralysis. Paul is proof!

"I have read 30 books about strokes...but none even comes close to your descriptions.  Your book has been such a help to me."

- Joann Kirby, spouse of a stroke survivor, Oregon

"After my father had a stroke, I read several books on stroke and stroke recovery. I found Paul Berger and his wife's first-person accounts of their experiences the most valuable by far. At such a difficult and confusing time in my family's life, it was comforting to read about another family's similar experience and the road to recovery. If you or someone you care about has suffered a stroke, this book will inform you, inspire you, and give you hope for the future."

- Jocelyn D. Challas, Chapel Hill, NC

"Applause, tears, cheers and thanks! Thank you for sharing the details of your experiences in order to educate others about stroke and aphasia. Your book is a great learning tool. In addition to using this book as a text for my course, I plan to recommend it to the members of the aphasia support group that I attend (if they haven't already read it!) Reading your book had a true impact on me. Thank you again."

- Lynne Alarie-Bibeau, University of Mass-Amherst, MA

Available in paperback, Kindle, and Audio-CD.

How to Conquer Hobbies with One Hand
50 Tips and Tools to Make Things

Hobbies give you a balanced life. My model train hobby was a key part of returning to a fulfilling life:

• You get a sense of accomplishment when you finish a project.
• Creative expression is too important to give up after a stroke.
• Hobbies take you away from your day-to-day problems.

I want you to be able to pursue your favorite hobbies. Building dollhouses, model trains and airplanes, painting, decorating your house, any kind of arts and crafts. My easy craft tips work for any hobby.

Available in paperback or Kindle.

Table of Contents

• 10 Reasons to Have a Hobby
• 5 Ways to Pick a Hobby
• A 2-Minute Tour of My Hobby
• 5 Essentials for Your Hobby Work Area
• 20 Tools for One-Handed Hobbyists
  • Holding
  • Cutting and Shaping
  • Painting and Gluing
• Shopping List
• Resources

Includes 10 bonus tips!

Features 16 photos of tips and tools

Tools I use...

Since I can't hold a magnifying glass and work at the same time, I use magnifying goggles.

Since I only use one hand, I find a knife easier and more precise than a pair of scissors.

Bonus Tips...

I also use the angle weights to hold open my checkbook and reference books (dictionaries and cookbooks), and to hold papers while I'm writing.

"This little book is full of great ideas and product sources for the one-handed hobby enthusiast."

-Kathryn Levit, OTR

"I was impressed by the details...Very easy to read and very well organized."

-Gary Gondos, stroke survivor

"Thank you for your book and inspiration.  Model railroading will be even more fun now!"

-Don Fucci, modeler

Available in paperback or Kindle.

You Can Do It!
105 Thoughts, Feelings and Solutions to Inspire You

This easy-to-read book will:

• Help you express your feelings about what it's like to survive a stroke, especially paralysis and aphasia
• Give you solutions to get organized, dressed, and energized to succeed in everyday life after a stroke
• Provide tips to help you overcome disabilities to return to work
• Show you strategies to overcome aphasia and give a professional speech, like Paul.

Available in paperback or Kindle.

Table of Contents:

• 3 Things that Give Me Motivation
• Thoughts About Understanding My Stroke
• How It Feels to be Disabled
• My Solutions and Tips
• Tips on Finding a Job
• How I Learn to Give a Speech
• How I Conquered My Stroke

Motivation...

4. "Practice saying this out loud...I CAN DO IT! I CAN DO IT!"

Thoughts...

11. "My right arm and hand are useless--like a permanent broken arm."

Feelings...

14. "I'm slow at everything."

29. "My life was like the development of western civilization: Before my stroke, was like the rise of the Roman Empire, then when my stroke hit, I was thrown into the Dark Ages. Finally, after years of struggle, I emerged into the Industrial Revolution..."

Solutions...

63. "I can't button my sleeve on my good left arm, so I use collar extenders on the cuff button. This gives me a little extra room so I can button the cuff first, then slide my hand in."

Tips on Finding a Job...

79. "Explore new and different types of work you can do part time, full time, or as a volunteer."

“You have inspired many people by handling your adversity in the most positive way...What your spirit has done is greater than 70 home runs."

- Bob Williams, Stroke Survivor

Available in paperback or Kindle.

Conquering Aphasia & Stroke TODAY!
Volume 1: Paul Berger’s Guide for Stroke Survivors

This Kindle e-book is a guidebook for stroke survivors to return to everyday activities, and provides ideas, solutions and motivation. You can read it by itself or use it as a follow-up to my other books. You will find 50 real-life, Paul-tested tips based on many years of personal experience and the successes of other stroke survivors I have met.

I’ve organized this e-book around key themes of recovery and regaining your life:

• Hospital and coming home
• Solutions for all stroke survivors
• Conquering aphasia
• Enjoying recreation
• Returning to work
• Finding motivation
• Resources

“I loved it!  It is practical, informative, and easy to read.  An uplifting, must-read for all stroke survivors with aphasia. It 's just terrific and I think it fills an important void in the post-stroke literature.”

—Susan Ryerson, Neurological Physical Therapist, PT, DSc, Falls Church, VA

  "I have been asking people for 30 years what helps and what doesn’t work. I have recommended Paul's materials to my clients for years. This E-book adds new ideas and suggestions that are so very practical and useful.”.

 —Bill Connors, Founder and Director of  the Pittsburgh Aphasia Treatment, Research and Education Center and  www.aphasiatoolbox.com

Conquering Aphasia & Stroke for Caregivers
Volume 2: Stephanie Mensh’s Guide for Caregivers of Stroke Survivors

This Kindle e-book is a compilation of key caregivers’ issues and solutions, tested in Stephanie’s own relationship and among those caregivers she has had the honor of observing.

It is divided into the following chapters, each with unique sources and resources:

• Coping with Change
• How to Be Supportive While Building Independence
• Building the Caregiver Team
• Time Management Tricks
• Money Issues and Caregiver’s Employment
• Living with Stress...Stress...STRESS !
• Care for the Caregiver
• How the Survivor Can Help the Caregiver

“This E-book is well written, logically organized, easy to understand, and full of practical suggestions that should be helpful and encouraging to caregivers of stroke survivors.  I particularly liked the examples of Stephanie’s real-life experiences.”

- Janet M. Gritz, MA, CCC-SLP, founding member and consultant to Montgomery County Stroke Association

“This is useful, practical advice from someone who's lived it. We're all overwhelmed at times, and Stephanie shows you, one step at a time, how to get through the day and make the next day better.”

- Gwen Flanders, partner of a stroke survivor

This e-book expands on a series of themes and articles on caregiving that Stephanie had written for the Stroke Connection, published by the National Stroke Association.

More Conquering Aphasia & Stroke
Volume 3: More Guidance for Stroke Survivors and Caregivers

We developed this Kindle e-book collection of 12 articles to give you additional proven ideas and inspiration for survivors and caregivers. Solutions for travel, job search, telephone script for aphasia, caregivers communication tips, workplace protections for caregivers, and more.  Do you want to write your own story…we have tips for you!

Paul’s Tips for Survivors:

• 10 Tips to Maximize Stroke and Aphasia Recovery
• 5 Tips to Set Goals to Recover from Stroke
• Coping With Aphasia: Paul's 7 Quick Tips
• 10 Travel Tips For Stroke Survivors
• 5 Successful Job Search Tips
• Telephone Script: Leaving a Phone Message & Making A Phone Call

Stephanie’s Tips for Caregivers:

• Setting Goals for a Stroke Survivor: 5 Tips From the Caregiver's Perspective
• 10 Tips for Communicating When Your Spouse Has Aphasia
• Getting What You Need From the System: Tips for Advocating
• Workplace Protections for Caregivers
• 7 Tips for Writing and Publishing Your Expertise