Ministry leader, Dianna Hobbs, reveals aphasia diagnosis, says she was 'shocked and saddened'
Bible teacher and ministry leader, Dianna Hobbs, reveals that she was diagnosed with aphasia in 2019 after sustaining a traumatic brain injury.
By Amy Bertinelli // Health // EEW Magazine Online
When the news hit that actor Bruce Willis was retiring because of aphasia, fans flocked to Google to research the disease and learned that it causes communication challenges as a result of brain degeneration.
Dianna Hobbs, founder of Empowering Everyday Women, a nonprofit organization, revealed that she was diagnosed with aphasia in 2019 after sustaining a brain injury—something her husband, Kenya Hobbs, reminded her of after reading Willis’s story.
“I had forgotten what the condition was called, since I was diagnosed with so many different conditions and had trouble keeping up with them all,” wrote Hobbs, 45, in a new post on her Daily Cup of Inspiration blog Friday.
“But I’m so glad Kenya sparked my memory and that Bruce Willis’s diagnosis is making the public aware of what aphasia is, because living with this condition is not easy,” she added.
Hobbs, who explained that “strokes are the leading cause of aphasia,” wrote that she was diagnosed after “a rare allergic reaction to an antibiotic called Bactrim caused me to have a mini stroke and multiple, violent seizures—almost thirty—spanning a four-day period.”
The Buffalo, NY native continued, “I emerged with a brain injury that led to Global Aphasia which disrupts four language functions: speaking, reading, writing, and comprehending what others are saying. One of the most embarrassing aspects of aphasia was my new tendency to say swear words, particularly in moments of frustration or over-stimulation.”
Though she said her “medical team explained that this is a normal, albeit embarrassing, occurrence for aphasia sufferers, the commonality of it didn’t make it any easier for me. I had a tough time dealing with the shame. I often condemned myself for not being stronger and better able to control my tongue.”
The God Did It author known for her faith teaching and belief in miraculous healing was facing a test of her own faith after aphasia robbed her of her once fluent communication.
“I was no doubt shocked and saddened,” Hobbs said, “but my family was incredibly understanding and supportive. Despite them showing me unconditional love and compassion, the fact that I could not do anything to reverse my aphasia diagnosis was devastating to me.”
According to Hobbs, her cognitive behavioral therapist talked her through “numerous tearful sessions during which I grieved over losing my mastery of language. It all just felt so overwhelming.”
But, on Tuesday, something changed Hobbs said. She spontaneously recovered language she’d lost in 2019 during personal prayer and devotion time—something she called “mind-blowing.”
“Specialists say, for aphasia patients experiencing symptoms for longer than two or three months after a stroke, and especially after a year, a complete recovery is not likely,” Hobbs said. “Because almost three years had passed for me, and I remained unable to recover my language fully (on top of sustaining a traumatic brain injury that caused irreversible damage), my whole team kept telling me, ‘Dianna, you have to accept your new normal.”
The Bible teacher and podcaster said, still, “there are personality changes and differences in post-mini stroke Dianna,” but the miraculous recovery of her language has helped her immensely.
During the divine encounter in her bedroom, Hobbs told her readers, “I remember hearing the voice of God audibly declare over me, ‘Woman, thou art loosed.’”
After she heard the voice, Hobbs said, “His word manifested. Something shifted, literally. You see, in 2019, during my medical crisis, my tongue and vocal cords shifted, impairing my speech. But the Master has made me whole.”
Hobbs said she shared the inspiring experience “to encourage your heart and strengthen your faith.”
Despite the challenges we all must face, she focuses on the power of Christ, the one who is able to do anything.
Read the full post here.
