Cindy - Cindy's world was turned upside down at the age of 32 when she had her stroke in 2005. So many things that she had taken for granted like reading, spelling, having a conversation in a group and talking on the phone were now slow and challenging. Phone use was key for Cindy, as her job revolved around it. After completing InteRACT, Cindy continued to work on her skills with help from her partner Nathan, family and friends. She also regularly attended a weekly aphasia group where she helped to plan sessions and was an active group member. In 2007 after much work on her part, Cindy successfully returned to the working world. She is employed in retail and loving it. She is a true survivor. John - John is a stroke survivor who relied heavily on volunteers during his recovery. Since InteRACT, John is now a volunteer himself - visiting a local nursing home every other week to help patients. In addition, as a Vietnam veteran, John volunteers regularly at his local Veterans Hospital where he enjoys listening to stories told by the veterans, and helping out everything from transportation to feeding. Kathy B. - Kathy had a stroke in 1997, resulting in aphasia, verbal apraxia and severe right-sided paralysis. She attended InteRACT in 2002, 2003, and again in 2004. Before coming to InteRACT, the thought of traveling by plane independently would have seemed an insurmountable task - because her communication skills "held her back." Since InteRACT, Kathy has flown on her own to visit family. She continues to improve in her ability to communicate and is becoming more independent in her everyday life. And Kathy regularly attends her local gym, volunteers with her local theatre, and volunteers at a local nursing home. Despite communication challenges, Kathy is an amazing singer involved with her local choir. Kathy C. - Kathy has a background in education - working as a teacher for many years. When she came to InteRACT, her goals included better communication with others and an ability to return to some of her previous hobbies including crafts, gardening, and crocheting. Kathy's hard work paid off. She now goes into stores or restaurants with confidence and will communicate with clerks, waiters, and others. Most people are usually able to understand what she is communicating. She uses speech, writing and gestures to get across her points. Kathy also started crocheting again. Upon returning home from InteRACT, Kathy's local Rehab Hospital presented her a special recognition award for her achievements and determination in rehabilitation. Mary - Mary was only 29 when a stroke affected her ability to speak, read and write. She was working in the film industry in Ontario at the time, but because of her communication challenges, she was unable to return to work. When she came to InteRACT almost seven years after her stroke, one of Mary's goals was to return to some kind of meaningful employment. Mary also wanted to focus on her reading skills. Although she could read some things, she found reading slow and difficult. Mary maintains a vegan diet, and she indicated a goal to perhaps work in a vegan restaurant someday. In her sessions, we focused on the skills she would need to work in food preparation, and some of her reading sessions targeted vegan recipes. We also worked on speeding up her reading rate. We focused on her speech, and improving her confidence when speaking with others. Mary's hard work paid off. She returned to Ontario, and is now working about six hours a day, four days a week in a vegan restaurant. She is also traveling with friends in her spare time.