Thirty-five years after being sexually assaulted while serving in Kuwait, I find myself asking a question that society still seems reluctant to answer: Why are we so concerned about protecting the futures of those accused of sexual violence while overlooking the futures of those who survive it?
I spent years telling patients to disclose every medication, supplement, symptom, and substance to their healthcare provider. Then I became the patient who didn't follow his own advice.
Medicine can explain what a stroke does to the brain. Living through one teaches you what happens afterward, when medications, fall precautions, blood pressure management, and adaptation become everyday life.
I spent years understanding disability as a healthcare provider. Then multiple strokes put me on the other side of the exam room and taught me how different understanding disability is from living with it.
