Overview:
Stroke survivors and their care partners in the Twin States have found comfort and community in a stroke support group organized by Dartmouth Health. The group has been meeting online since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, but members recently started to organize in-person gatherings and a pizza-making class at King Arthur Baking in Norwich was one of the first. The group has about 20 regular participants and meets from 10 to 11:30 a.m. the first Friday of the month via Zoom.
NORWICH — Laura Davidson and Nora Skolnick kneaded pizza dough and shaped it into small loaves on an overcast afternoon during a pizza-making class at King Arthur Baking in Norwich.
Following a stroke in December 2023, Davidson, 73, of Braintree, Vt., was diagnosed with aphasia, a condition that can make reading, writing and speaking difficult.
“I don’t think people realize … everyone looks at Laura and says everything is great; she’s fine,” Skolnick, 60, said as she rhythmically pressed into the dough with her hands. “They don’t see the struggles.”
The couple were two of 11 stroke survivors and care partners who participated in the King Arthur class on Thursday afternoon as part of a stroke support group organized by Dartmouth Health.
While the group has been meeting online since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, members of Dartmouth’s Cerebrovascular Disease and Stroke Program Team have recently started to organize in-person gatherings and the class at King Arthur was one of the first.
Clinical social worker and case manager Rob O’Donnell, of Orford, has led the group, which has about 20 regular participants, for around two years.
“The idea is to bond with people, to share ideas,” said O’Donnell, 68, who is a stroke survivor himself. “When people see other folks becoming resilient, it is inspiring.”
Though support group members live in locations scattered throughout the Twin States, they get together outside of Zoom, with some traveling as much as three hours to see each other.
“It’s been unbelievable. We all have created this link because of a stroke, but we all have lives outside of a stroke so we’ve been able to help each other in other ways,” said Kim Moore, 63, who attended the class with her husband, Scott. “They have become what you thought of as your best friends in grade school.”
Scott Moore, 64, had a stroke more than two years ago. The Stockbridge, Vt., couple joined the support group while he was still recovering at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.
“That very first call he was very emotional,” Kim Moore recalled, while waiting for her pizza to bake in the oven. Other group members “were just very helpful (saying), ‘You’re going to be OK.’ “
No matter what they encounter, “there’s someone you can call,” Scott Moore said. “I like the group because everyone genuinely loves each other.”
Over the last couple years, Davidson and Skolnick have found comfort and community in the support group. They have shared their struggles and successes with other members, leading to strong friendships.
“You know you’re going to face challenges as a couple … so having a group you can just talk with” is really helpful, Skolnick said.
Though the stroke did not leave Davidson with physical disabilities, it has changed how she functions.
“I’m still intelligent, but I need to slow down things,” Davidson said. Pre-stroke, she used to be a voracious reader and “now it’s work.” Recently, Davidson has discovered that if she reads a book while listening to the audiobook at the same time, it makes it easier.
Skolnick, too, has had to adjust.
“It’s been hard,” she said, adding that she’s had to learn to be more patient. “Sometimes she doesn’t understand what I’m saying or I’ll try to put words in her mouth; not give her the time or space to come up with the words on her own.”
David Duffy, of Fitzwilliam, N.H., was working in finance when he had a stroke almost seven years ago. During his recovery, his medical team told him he had a “disabling stroke,” which would affect his ability to function daily.
“I didn’t want to believe them, but over the years I have believed it is what it is,” said Duffy, 57, as he worked to form his pizza dough into a heart using his hand.
He has limited movement in his right arm and cannot use his right hand. His goal is to “try to get 1% better every day.”
Embracing new experiences — like making pizza — helps Duffy with that because he interacts with people in larger groups, which has been a challenge for him since his stroke.
“I could not have done this three years ago,” Duffy said. “I get used to blocking out what I don’t need to hear or pay attention to. It helps me expand my horizons.”
He joined the stroke support group around two years ago and is in the process of forming a similar group through Cheshire Medical Center in Keene, N.H., a Dartmouth Health affiliate.
“The thing with stroke is you tend to feel alone and isolated and not many people understand,” Duffy said.
During the class, baking instructor Ryan Salarno demonstrated how to make the dough, knead it, shape it and add toppings. There was ample downtime for conversation and connection, which in many ways was more important than the pizza itself. (I can confirm it was delicious; Davidson kindly offered me a piece of hers and it smelled too good to refuse.)
Dr. Timothy G. Lukovits, a neurologist who is medical director of Dartmouth Health’s Cerebrovascular Disease and Stroke Program, smiled as he saw group members sit side by side, eating the pizza they made.
The support group can play an important role in the healing process, he said. For example, he has had patients tell him that attending the support group has helped them with depression.
“A doctor talking to a patient about how you have to change your lifestyle is only so effective,” Lukovits, 59, of Norwich, said while having a piece of pizza. Advice from peers can land differently.
O’Donnell, the support group’s moderator, sees that every month he spends time with the support group.
“Nobody gets better unless they have a reason,” he said. “That power of example is not to be underestimated.”
The stroke support group meets from 10 to 11:30 a.m. the first Friday of the month via Zoom. For more information, contact O’Donnell at Robert.J.ODonnell@hitchcock.org or 603-650-7045. Visit https://events.dartmouth-health.org/event/virtual-the-stroke-survivors-support-group-6 to register.
