March 3, 1993, was a day much like any other for long-time Berkeley resident and working mother Lynnda Tabor. She went to lunch with a friend, called her mother in the evening and, at 7:00 p.m., Lynnda laid down to take a quick nap.

Doris Tabor, Lynnda’s mother, remembers their phone conversation well -- particularly the part about Lynnda and her friend having gotten into a minor fender-bender, after which Lynnda had temporarily lost her ability to speak. Lynnda’s friend had joked that the accident "had scared Lynnda speechless." This worried Doris, since Lynnda had already suffered a minor stroke in 1991. "So at 9:00 p.m., I called and left a message," recalled Doris. "When she didn’t respond, I thought to myself, ‘Something’s not right.’"

Within minutes, paramedics responding to Doris Tabor’s 911 call had arrived in Lynnda’s bedroom where they found her wedged between the bed and her dresser, reaching for the phone. Lynnda had suffered a major stroke, which left her with right-side paralysis and an inability to speak. After a six-month hospital stay, Lynnda returned home to live with her mother and aunt. She received one-on-one speech and language therapy in her home until her insurance coverage ran out. That’s when she heard about the Aphasia Center.

Lynnda started attending conversation groups at the center twice a week. Since then, says Doris, "her self-confidence and whole attitude has blossomed. She has benefited tremendously."

At the center, Lynnda finds much-needed supportive social contact, which often dwindles dramatically after a stroke. Stroke survivors with aphasia often find it difficult to return to their circle of friends because of their communication impairments. Now Lynnda writes, draws, gestures and uses her Franklin Speller to type messages to friends, family and conversation partners.

When asked about what she likes best about coming to the center, Lynnda types "always smile." After working for 28 years in transportation -- as a Bart station agent, a meter maid and flight attendant -- Lynnda has become the unofficial graphic designer for her conversation partners. She listens to others tell of their hobbies and interests and, using a self-taught design program, Lynnda designs individualized graphics to suit the different personalities in the group. One graphic, for example, features an image of former president Ronald Reagan -- a logo for Betsy, who is a "loyal Republican." For Don, a vacationer at heart, Lynnda designed a humorous graphic of a man stumbling along with suitcases in tow. After regaining some of her confidence and having taken a liking to computers, Lynnda enrolled in a computer class at Laney College in Oakland.

Lynnda, 50, is not new to adversity. In 1990, a year before her first stroke, she had to have her left leg amputated as a result of complications from blood clots. All this, says Doris, has not dampened her daughter’s spirits. "She’s been through a hundred things and come out of every one of them." When asked about her favorite activities, Lynnda types "talk." She is living proof that aphasia doesn’t have to mean an end to communication and that there is more than one way to "talk."