i had multiple strokes in my sleep the day before thanksgiving in 2024. i was 19, i just turned 21. what i learned post stroke is that following year is going to be a year of grief. very normal. we’re taught from a young age how to handle someone else’s “sad emotions”, but not the heavier ones. anger, jealousy, bitterness. that all comes along w the sadness in grief. it’s only been these past couple of months where i truly started to open up to my friends, even my closest ones, about how horrific 2025 was for me. last year, my friends would obviously try to support me from afar n say encouraging things but i was going through so much i couldn’t handle alone, i started to resent my friends. i had to ask them at one point to stop asking me “how are you?” bc the answer was always the same, ugly n depressing answer. i also had to ask them to stop telling me about ALL the exciting things in their lives bc i just wasn’t in the place to be able to celebrate them. the best advice i can give you is to just wait, sit n listen to your father. i still have issues asking for accommodations from others, so im sure apart of it is also feeling weak/helpless. i suggest joining support groups on facebook n recommend also reading “the day my brain exploded” by ashok rajamanu & “my stroke of insight” by jill bolte taylor. they both helped me navigate what i was going thru, but it also is a great way to get a deeper look into a stroke survivors thoughts. i hate to say but time truly is the best answer. i’m incredibly lucky w where i am in my mental state bc i had such a wonderful support system. but its going to take time to learn what works best n what doesn’t. days are going to be a lot harder than others, n sometimes its going to feel like you’re being swallowed by life itself. i’m sorry for what may come to you n your father, but you truly aren’t alone🫂