Strokees? Strokers? Strokettes? Hunh?

The question has come up about what people who have had a stroke should call themselves. One suggestion I see a lot is “stroke victim.” I don’t really like that term, though, because it has the word “victim” in it. And I don’t like the word “victim.” Certainly what has happened to us wasn’t pleasant, or fun, or something to celebrate, but the word “victim” implies to me something that cannot be changed, something that cannot be overcome. And I really don’t like that idea. I’m determined to recover as much as possible.

So “Stroke Victim” is out. But what else is there? How else can we refer to ourselves? I’m all for being creative and unique. I would rather come up with something new to call ourselves.

Strokee? Stroker? Strokette? How about Strokic? Let’s take a look at these and see how they work. Strokee is interesting. The endings “-ee” and “-er” in English have meaning. The ending “-ee” means someone that something was done to or that something happened to. The ending “-er” means the one who was doing the something. Definitely Strokee would be appropriate. After all, our strokes happened TO us, not BY us. And Stroker, well, that’s a little racy. Better suited for adult-oriented material than for a little stroke blog.

So what about Strokette? Oh, come on.  I’m just trying to make you laugh here.  That’s just a play on Smurfette from the 80s children’s cartoon; if I join a new message board or something I’m going to pick Strokette as my username.

So that leaves Strokic. Like alcoholic. Now, I like that one. It’s different. Unique. And it’s a little mysterious, even. After all, what does it mean? Nobody’s ever heard that word “Strokic” before. And yet it tells you everything you need to know. For instance, the exasperated phrase, “I’m feeling very strokic right now!” says everything. Don’t you think?

So I think “strokic” is the new word I’ll use to describe how I’m feeling from now on, and Strokee is how I’m going to refer to myself and others in general. No “victim” here. Just someone that something happened to. I really welcome your thoughts.

— Virginia a.k.a. “Strokette”