I received an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of this memoir courtesy of Greenleaf Book Press via NetGalley.

Release Date: July 24, 2018

Publisher: Greenleaf Book Press

Genre: Memoir / Self-Help

Rating: 3 / 5


Storyline:

Ted Baxter was an extremely successful businessman when he suffered a massive stroke at a young age. This stroke occurred after a blood clot formed in his leg after a few days of long flights and managed to get to his brain through a small undiagnosed hole in his heart. Such an event could knock someone down for good, but Ted tackled the challenge head on and this is story of recovery from stroke and resulting aphasia.

The Good:

Ted is incredibly hard working and determined in everything he does. Nothing he does is halfway and his stroke recovery is no different. His story is inspiring and does a great job explaining what aphasia is and how he fights for recovery from it. He has been extensively re-training his brain for many years, a process I found amazing, but also seemed exhausting just reading about it! This story is fascinating and empowering, definitely puts a new outlook on what it means to live with aphasia and life after a stroke.

The Bad:

I was expecting the author to touch slightly on how he managed to cover paying for all of the extra therapies he received without working. From his high-end business career, I’d assume he had quite a bit of money reserved, but such therapies might not necessarily be available to everyone of all classes. As someone with a chronic illness myself, I know insurance does not cover every therapy, regardless of need and that hospital bills are large even with insurance. Without question, his hard work is what has helped him succeed, but I would have liked him to at least mention how the therapies were paid for and how others without his luxuries could go about obtaining similar results. I know most people don’t want to talk money in a book, but those with health conditions know that, unfortunately, it is a huge barrier to adequate treatment.

Bottom Line:

A great, quick read that had me inspired to work harder on the little things in my own OT and PT.

This was a great book about resilience and living each day to the fullest! Ted's stroke could have put his life on a downward path if he had given up and not chosen to be relentless to get back to "normal".

Ted W. Baxter, a high-powered financial consultant who had had a meteoric rise in his field, suffered a massive stroke after developing a blood clot after a long International flight. He was so physically and mentally damaged by his personal traumatic brain injury, that his life hung in the balance for some time.

This book is the story of his recovery. He details in excruciating detail the kinds of therapy he experienced on his long road to recovery. Sadly, this is presented almost clinically, without any insight into the emotional or psychological challenges that Mr. Baxter surely experienced. And, the multiple therapies that he experienced were most likely only possible because he had the means to travel around the country for two years in his quest, certainly rigorous and challenging, to do so. The closest thing to emotion is the divorce he eventually gets from his wife, who was his prime cheerleader during his recovery, and even this is mentioned as casually as one might describe getting their teeth cleaned.

Indeed, Mr. Baxter’s recovery is something to celebrate, as is his incredible tenacity in pursuing it. Most people who had the massive stroke that he had would not have recovered to the extent that he has. However, the writing is ragged and not compelling. While I realize this book was written by someone who continues to struggle with aphasia, it would most likely have been far more compelling had he employed a ghost writer. I can’t recommend this book to the general reader. However, it might be interesting and useful for clinicians who work with stroke and traumatic brain injury patients.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley. I thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for making this book available to me.

What an inspirational story! At 41, the author had a massive stroke that seemed sure to kill him. But he survived and through sheer relentless will and many years of treatment recovered to a remarkable degree. Highly recommended!

Thank you to the author, Greenleaf Book Group and NetGalley for the review copy in exchange for my true feedback.

#Relentless #NetGalley

I chose to read "Relentless" based on the belief that it was a memoir, but after finishing the book I felt I knew very little about the author, Ted W. Baxter. He and his wife provide information on a long string of events, but the reader is rarely allowed to experience much of their emotions or private thoughts. I was not allowed to get to "know" these people, and I felt shortchanged.

After Ted Baxter suffered a stroke, we learn of his hospital treatment, his education and career up to that point, and a little about his wife. But even this knowledge left me with more questions than answers. I really wanted to know how the stroke affected them at the core, not just on such a surface level. Did the stroke cause him to lose his love for her? Did he fully know who she was? If so, when? Did he lose all sense of closeness and intimacy? Did she secretly resent the demands his illness placed on her and their relationship? Why did the author wait so long to reveal the pre-existing and developing strain on their marriage?

The frequent point-of-view changes were jarring, especially when several other family members' experiences of the event were sporadically inserted. There were times when a POV change would occur and I couldn't remember what relation the person was to the author.

The book will no doubt provide invaluable information for medical professionals, caregivers and/or family members dealing with stroke survivors. The author's options, choices, self-experimentation, setbacks, progress, etc. will provide a wealth of guidance. I do, however, hold the opinion that a more personal voice should have been adopted in telling the story of his illness and recovery.

Kudos to the author for overcoming such unbelievable odds! The backstory is thoroughly created, and the scientific information is not overwhelming to the layperson. One thing that was distracting was when it jumped back and forth in perspectives....some of them are clearly marked, while others are not (this may just be in the e-version). One thing that stuck out over and over again, however, was the author's ability to overcome. By this, I don't mean his tenacity....obviously, that is something necessary and something that anyone could have. I mean his half-percent status. No 'normal' person could invest, financially, in the amount and type of therapy that he received...as well as the support from someone who clearly wasn't having to work and juggle his care. As I said, he's done an admirable job, but to think that his story is one that many others could replicate is a bit of a stretch.