Due to Jeff’s stroke and aphasia, he now is more expressive and smiles a lot more than he used to. His happiness and joy are very infectious to others, including strangers. People will ask Mariah, “How is he in such a good mood, even when he can’t talk?” Jeff attributes strength to his family, friends, and faith.

Read Chapter 1

Chapter 2
Homecoming: The Church Community Steps In to Help

Nearly six weeks after the stroke, Jeff Windt was able to come home on July 28, much to the excitement of his family and friends. During the time he was in rehab, the family leaned on the support of their church family especially to help with taking care of the boys. They would watch the boys during the day, taking them on adventures and outings to provide Mariah time to be with Jeff and take care of errands and help the boys relax for a bit.

Jeff underwent intensive therapy sessions at home throughout August and September. During this time, his communication challenges became even more clear to the family. The boys especially struggled with no longer being able to easily communicate with their dad, when less than a few months before, they could hold a full conversation with him. He was not able to play catch or chase them around the house anymore because of physical limitations.

It all had changed so much in such a short time.

In early fall, time was running out on the number of therapy sessions that insurance would cover. Then, the limit was hit in September. Mariah shared this news with their community and asked for any support they could provide — whether it be financial or just saying a prayer. Through a Facebook fundraiser, they were able to raise $15,355 for additional therapy sessions. The donations carried them through the end of 2020 and into 2021. However, even in the new year, the Windt family would continue to be tested.

Like many who have suffered a stroke, Jeff had a seizure. In February of 2021, Mariah was awakened when Jeff was having the seizure and called 911 for an ambulance.

Mariah explained, “Because of the damage in Jeff’s brain from the stroke, the cells that send electrical signals to the nerves in his body can have a sudden burst of electrical activity, which can cause the signals to the nerves to be disrupted, causing a seizure.”

A Year Makes All The Difference

One year to the day, on June 19, 2021, Mariah posted on Facebook:

“Hello Everyone!
Today marks a year since Jeff had his stroke that would completely alter our lives as we knew it.

I miss our life before his stroke on so many levels.
I miss staying up with him after the kids go to bed at night talking about this, that, and the other.
I miss watching him play catch with Jonah.
I miss him carrying Jude on his shoulders.
I miss watching him read books.
I miss him getting ready for church on Sunday’s and heading off to do what he was born to do in preaching God’s word.

I am also grateful for the Lord’s blessings he has bestowed on us.
I am grateful that Jeff and I can still communicate with each other even if it’s not in the way we used to.
I am grateful that he can watch Jonah and Elijah play catch together.
I am grateful for the close bond that Jeff and Jude have made through Jeff being at home during the day.
I am grateful that there is an app on his phone that he can use to have things read back to him in a way that he can understand.
I am grateful that Jeff is able to go to church on Sundays, walk into the Lord’s house, be comforted by the congregation he once preached to, and sit under the preaching of God’s word.”

A Beacon of Hope: U-M Aphasia Program

As they adjusted to the new reality a year out, Mariah began looking for aphasia therapy programs for Jeff.

“One night I looked up University Aphasia Programs,” she said. “When this aphasia program at U of M was the first one that popped up, I fell out of my chair!“

Jeff grew up in Bay City, Michigan, and has been a lifelong fan of the University of Michigan (U-M), especially the football program. His connection with U-M football stretched back to grade school. In 1986, Jim Harbaugh was a quarterback for U-M, and Jeff enjoyed following Harbaugh’s game statistics. He had no idea that this passion would lead to a personal encouraging message from Harbaugh someday.

Jeff has been a vocal U-M fan ever since, even after moving to South Carolina, and not meeting many other fans. His love of the university was widely shared with friends and family, especially since Jeff has a habit of only wearing U-M gear everywhere.

When Jeff exited inpatient therapy at their local rehab center in Greenville, Mariah received a phone call. The secretary asked them to come back, as there was a letter from the University of Michigan there addressed to Jeff.

When Mariah picked it up and opened it, she realized it was a personal card, written and signed by Jim Harbaugh, sent to Jeff.

Understanding the significance this would hold for her husband, Mariah planned a special event for Jeff to open the card. The card brought tears to Jeff’s eyes. It’s still one of his most prized possessions. However, the family had no idea how Jim had learned of Jeff, his situation, and his completing aphasia therapy in South Carolina. And it would remain a mystery for a while longer.

Chapter 3: Heading Home to Michigan
After Mariah discovered the U-M aphasia Program, she learned that the program is unique and that people from all over the world come to work on their aphasia recovery. She learned that “there’s nothing like it anywhere,” and that people come from across the world to take advantage of the specialized, intensive approach.

“After looking at all of the data outcomes and reading personal testimonials from individuals that have Jeff’s same degree of aphasia, I realized that there is no way he would walk out of this program without having made some sort of improvement,” she said. “Any improvement at all, no matter how small, is going to improve his quality of life. It seemed too good to be true though. The logistics of it all made it seem like an impossibility.“

Mariah shared her discovery with Rick Phillips, the senior pastor of their church and a good friend of Jeff’s, who also happens to be a U-M graduate. However, she was worried about the cost and logistics of caring for their children while they were away. Rick was adamant that Jeff should go, and that “God would take care of the way to get us there,” Mariah recalled.

Their good friend Melton Duncan started a GoFundMe to help raise money for Jeff and Mariah to attend the U-M Aphasia Program (UMAP). Within just three weeks, they had raised enough money to cover the costs for the intensive, comprehensive aphasia program, travel, etc.

They attended in November 2021. The in-person session had Jeff working on speech and communication therapy daily from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with experienced speech-language pathologists who knew aphasia and how to approach his specific situation.

On November 8, Mariah shared this update via Facebook:

“Jeff had assessments done where a series of tests were used to evaluate where he is at in regards to Verbal and Written Expression, Naming/Word Finding, Sentence Formulation, and Auditory and Reading Comprehension.

He was then given a treatment plan based on those results. His treatment plan is very personalized in that they tailor it to his specific needs and personal goals.

Some goals:

• Being able to say the boys’ names.??
• Reading (without assistance from an app to read it back to him).
• Formulating a prayer. (As I have stated in previous [Facebook] posts, aphasia affects his word-finding ability whether or not he is trying to say, write, type, or even formulate a coherent thought in his own mind).
• Writing a complete sentence.

It was clearly evident that we were in the right place for Jeff’s treatment from the first day here at UMAP. To say that the therapists are amazing is an understatement. Each and every one of them has so much compassion for Jeff and shows a drive and enthusiasm to do anything they can to help him improve.

Thank you all for the prayers and contributions that have allowed Jeff to take advantage of this wonderful program.”

Hard Work and Homework

Jeff completed one session of the intensive, individual program at the U-M Aphasia Program, and he and Mariah returned home in late November.

On November 23, Mariah shared this update on Facebook: 

“While we’re so thankful to be home, Jeff and I left Ann Arbor with heavy hearts having to say goodbye to the very special group of therapists that worked with Jeff the 3 weeks we were there. Each of them went above and beyond any expectations that we might have had and I attribute Jeff’s improvements to their expertise and encouragement.

I also can’t forget to mention Jeff’s hard work and determination. His therapists would commend him for his positive attitude and perseverance. A lot of times when he couldn’t do something he would just laugh as if to say “What are you gonna do?”

Chapter 4: Mystery Solved!

Read More