Vahan Khoyan (left) and Fanaise Millien (right)
On any given day at the library in Bloomfield,
New Jersey you might look into a study room
and see two men laughing. These two men,
Vahan Khoyan and Fanaise Millien, are
Lingraphica users. They meet a few times a
week at the library to practice with their
devices and create new phrases to work on. In
a folder they share, called "Vahan and
Fanaise's Phrases," you might find almost anything—
no topic is taboo. They'll happily click
the speak button and let you hear phrases
they've created like "I am an old, old, and
mean man," or "I'll see you later baby." When
they play one of these, they just can't help
cracking up.
After Vahan, a former FAA inspector, had
his stroke 3 years ago, he was totally unable
to speak, and his comprehension was affected
to such a degree that he couldn't tell the
difference between "on" and "off." He was
wheelchair-bound for 6 months. Now Vahan
walks everyday. In fact Fanaise, who has not
suffered any paralysis as a result of his stroke,
says Vahan wears him out with his constant
insistence on walking. And Vahan is equally
determined to get back to speaking. He has
programmed over 100 phrases into his
Lingraphica, which he practices relentlessly.
Because it helps him to sing the words he is
trying to say, he records himself singing into
his device and then plays it back for practice.
He has also made a folder with all his emergency
information, like his wife's work phone
number and his doctor's name, for easy access.
Fanaise, a former hospital worker, was also
unable to utter a word after his stroke two
years ago. With the help of his SLP at Kessler
Institute of Rehabilitation, Bernadette LaFond,
he obtained a Lingraphica, and got to work.
Now he speaks well enough to call his pharmacy
and tell them to be patient while he let's
them know what refills he needs. He'll tell you
that to him, his SLP's name is "Saint
Bernadette."
One of the phrases in Vahan and Fanaise's
folder is "Let's go out there and win." Clearly
they have taken their own message to heart!
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