Local 22-Year-Old Student Writes Memoir On Her Stroke and Recovery

After a stroke-like episode left Trent University student Jenna Dakin with no memory, she picked up the pieces of the last two decades through recovery and writing.

22-year-old masters student Jenna dakin. photo courtesy of jenna dakin.

In December 2021, Dakin suffered a neurological episode that most resembled a stroke. She became unresponsive and paralyzed on her left side.

“I had a lot of cognitive deficits from it, but one of the main things that I acquired was severe retrograde amnesia, so all my memories prior to my stroke are gone.”

Dakin says that writing her memoir, 21 Cups, has helped her to navigate her amnesia and stroke recovery process.

“It basically was like re-starting the world at 21,” she continued. “I started writing as kind of a therapy tool and then next thing I knew I had half a book written. It was so therapeutic, and then I had this beautiful thing in front of me.”

photo courtesy of jenna dakin.

In just a moment, Dakin went from an average university student to learning how to walk again.

Just a few weeks before Christmas in 2021, she came home from a dinner out when she sat down on the stairs to take her shoes off.

“I suddenly slumped over and became completely paralyzed and unresponsive on my left side,” Dakin recalls.

The next thing she remembered she was in the hospital undergoing CT scans and MRI’s, after which she was told by neurologists of her stroke-like episode.

“People say I’m crazy because I never stopped school and I just kept going, but for me that was no question. Like I didn’t know who my mom was but I was like ‘teach me psychology because I’m continuing,’” she laughed. “If I didn’t have school I don’t know what I would’ve done. It gave me a purpose, it ignited that drive for me.”

After reaching out to a publisher at One Thousand Trees who “fell in love” with her book, Dakin was able to get it published earlier in March.

She highlights the unique perspective her memoir is told through, adding a positive spin to every setback she endures.

“I always say, I can’t find the words to be able to make other people understand what its like to go through this, to lose all your memories and restart the world. There’s really no way to describe that, but I think my book is a way to potentially show people what it is like in this world for me,” Dakin said. “I think this book (offers) the chance to view the world a little differently for a minute. Not everyone is lucky enough to experience all their firsts again, but I get to re-experience my first steps, my first words and more.”

Though Dakin is currently stable in her recovery process, she notes that having another neurological episode is a “very real possibility,” though she tries to not worry about that chance.

“I had 21 years kind of robbed from me, so I don’t want to live my life worrying that I’m going to lose more years. I’ve kind of realized that life is too short and I might as well cherish what I have right now. I just want to enjoy every moment that I can and not lose anymore of my life,” she said.

21 Cups is available on Amazon.

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