My husband had a stoke just over 3 years ago and we have been living with aphasia ever since. At times aphasia feels like the 3rd person in our marriage. My husband has come along way with the help of many including the stroke comeback center. As a caregiver I hav come a long way too. Learning different ways to communicate has been a challenge and we use humor a lot in our house while helps relieve the stress that comes with not being able to communicate like you used to with your loved one. Aphasis is far reaching and affects those around the one with the diagnosis. I am cery careful in my communication with my husband Randy most of the time as he needs and wants to do as much as he can on his own . He is still the smart , caring man I married. Finishing his sentences takes on a whole new meaning now. We are close enough to be that couple who finishes each other sentences for which I am grateful. Trying to figure out what Randy is trying to say sometimes is like playing a game of charades, using different ways to say something without words. And the same goes for when he is trying to understand something I am trying to say – sometimes words are not enough and that is universal. So maybe we are not so different after all, just special.