VOICES OF THE BAY

VOICES OF THE BAY

By Nina Murphy

Finding The Right Words

Barrington resident Michael Obel-Omia sets out on a bike ride to raise awareness about aphasia

Since su ering a stroke in 2016, aphasia has been a major part of Barrington resident Michael ObelOmia’s life. A medical condition that a ects speech and, for some, the ability to read or write, aphasia makes it challenging to communicate and be understood by others. Obel-Omia’s condition is referred to as fluent aphasia – he can form words physically but often it’s the wrong word or in the wrong order.

The irony is not lost on Obel-Omia, whose lifelong relationship with words can be traced back to earning a Bachelor of Arts in American Literature and a master’s degree in English Literature from Middlebury College; he was an educator at independent schools across the country and he’s an accomplished public speaker and writer. Since the stroke, Obel-Omia has worked tirelessly with speech and language therapists, attending the Aphasia Resource Center at Boston University.

An accomplished cyclist and former instructor at the Bayside Family YMCA, Obel-Omia was able to reclaim his daily biking routine – despite experiencing some paralysis on his left side. He boasts a track record of pedaling for numerous fundraisers, and this month he’ll be raising money for one close to his heart when he participates in Stroke Across America. Obel-Omia joins four others traveling 4,000 miles – 150,000 feet uphill over a three-month period – to raise awareness of strokes and aphasia. To support or learn more about the cause, visit his GoFundMe: Michael’s Stroke Across America Ride.

STATIC: It is very hard to speak. I have 1,000 ideas in my head. The words come out in the wrong order. I loved reading and reciting poetry. I can’t speak eloquently or elegantly anymore. It’s like I am the radio dial and it’s moving along and you hear the stsst [static] and then the dial hits a station and tunes in. That’s what it’s like when I hit the right word.

MOVEMENT: I love cycling. When I’m cycling, I love it when it’s quiet. I am playing music, the wind is behind me. I imagine if I sailed, it would be that feeling. In my body I feel the movement in my thighs, hips, arms – you feel the pumping. It’s wonderful. With tenacity and hard work, you can get back on that bike again.

ADVOCACY: I don’t have a job anymore. For 30 years, I had been doing things I loved. Now I want to be an advocate. I want people to know about aphasia. I can’t use my words the way I used to. When I’m gone, I want people to remember you can do something [despite a setback].

Obel-Omia spent two years channeling his aphasia experience in Finding My Words: Aphasia Poetry. “The Black Swan” is a selected poem from his book, which can be found at Barrington Books.

THE BLACK SWAN

By Michael Obel-Omia

A small, slight slender swan paddles the pond.

Ever so slightly, a swan gracefully glides, smoothly, gently, peacefully, as quietly, rhythmically, he flows.

Look at it: how nimbly, lithely, it flows.

How I envy him.

But, below the graceful tips of glide, the swan is churning, pulling, frantically, desperately even, making the legs work, ever churning, ever pulling, ever frantic, works hard, real hard, for each word.

Aphasia.

Someday, one day, I, too, will speak it.

GRATITUDE: I know I am blessed – I have a great deal of patience now. As a person, I am very frustrated and very angry because I can’t do anything I used to do, but when I sit down every night, which I have done for the past four and a half years, I write a little musing for 20-30 minutes about what happened that day and email it out to about 450 people. I write it every day. I tell them I am blessed, humbled, and I am grateful. I have to remember patience, patience, patience. I wake up every day and say, “Oh my god, I made it.” I’m lucky today.

Know someone who might be a good fit for Voices of the Bay? Email Nina at YourHomeWithNina@gmail.com

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