Hass Mawji

Hass is a stroke survivor and peer support volunteer who uses his own experience to give back to others in need of support. He benefits from regularly attending After Stroke virtual support groups to connect with other stroke survivors.

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Hass has been doing a lot of learning online these days. Strangely enough, it was during a video call in 2015 that he first knew something was wrong.

The person he was talking to noticed he was “speaking a bit funny.” Hass looked at himself on his screen and saw that his face was drooping on one side.

He hung up the phone, stood up and immediately fell back down. He realized that he needed to act fast. He slid down the wall and crawled towards the door. Hass grabbed for the door handle once, then twice, and finally opened it. He shouted out and his family called an ambulance.

Hass was diagnosed with a hemorrhagic stroke that affected the entire right side of his body. He was in hospital for six weeks followed by outpatient therapy for three months, and several years of practicing specific skills like walking.

Hass continues to seek out new learning opportunities online and ways to connect with other people. The experience has been so positive that he hopes “virtual programs are here to stay, even when we can meet in person again.”

How we helped

The personal goals that Hass set aside for his recovery include the need to practice his communication and connect with other stroke survivors. Through the After Stroke program he regularly attends the After Stroke conversation and virtual Aphasia Peer Connect groups, giving him plenty of opportunities to communicate with others.

He has benefitted from becoming a volunteer, giving back to others in need of support after a stroke. About a year after his stroke he started as a peer support volunteer with a monthly After Stroke support group.

Participating regularly in virtual sessions has given him the confidence to seek out new learning opportunities and find other ways to connect in his community.. He is working on improving his computer skills through virtual classes, something he has been interested in doing since his stroke.

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