A Special Broadcast From Strangers

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Henry and Jane
Henry Evans was a healthy 40 year-old father of four when he suffered a stem-brain stroke, caused by an unknown congenital defect, and woke up with “locked-in” syndrome, only able to blink, otherwise completely paralyzed and mute. These days, still mute but able to move his head and one finger, he can communicate and accomplish remarkable things, thanks in part to some creative inventions of his own, and to his wife Jane. Together they demonstrate that a sense of humor may be the last thing to go when much else is lost.

Check out Henry’s Robots for Humanity project.

The Evanses: Henry and Jane with their four children,
still laughing even as the family is visiting the oldest son,
Stephen, who was injured as a medic in Iraq
(no joke, but thankfully he is fully recovered).

Henry and Jane on their wedding day.

One of Henry’s tech collaborations with the company, Fighting Walrus, has resulted in his flying a drone with his head so he can survey the beautiful landscape outside his house.

Wanna see Jane who’s 5’2” transfer Henry who is 6’4” from his bed to his wheelchair?

Henry and Jane use a plexiglass letter-board to communicate, and they’ve gotten so good they can read from the letter-board even when they put down the actual board and do “virtual board.”

Falling Slowly
Strangers, at its core, is about the beauty and the struggle of human connection and what happens in those moments when we get closer to someone else, or further removed from ourselves. Often that change is subtle and slow, but sometimes it is sudden and monumental. Here is Lyena Strelkoff. Check out Lyena’s blog.