An Incredible Journey of Determination and Recovery

In Relentless, Ted W. Baxter describes his remarkable recovery from a massive stroke. He’s walking again. He’s talking again. He moves through life almost as easily as he did before the stroke, only now, his life is better. He’s learned that having a successful career is maybe not the most important thing. He’s learned to appreciate life more and that he wants to help people, and that’s what he does. He gives back.

Ted W. Baxter’s award-winning book, Relentless: How a Massive Stroke Changed My Life for the Better, follows his remarkable recovery from a massive stroke.

In 2005, Ted W. Baxter was at the top of his game. He was a successful, globe-trotting businessman with a resume that would impress the best of the best. In peak physical condition, Ted worked out nearly every day of the week. And then, on April 21, 2005, all that came to an end. He had a massive ischemic stroke. Doctors feared he wouldn’t make it, or if he did make it, he would be in a vegetative state in a hospital bed for the rest of his life.

But miraculously, that’s not what happened . . .

Today Ted W. Baxter is walking again. He’s talking again. He moves through life almost as easily as he did before the stroke, only now—his life is better. He’s learned that having a successful career is maybe not the most important thing. He’s learned to appreciate life more and that he wants to help people, and that’s what he does. He gives back. Ted founded Speech Recovery Pathways to support the ongoing need for adults with stroke or brain injury to have regular access to meaningful communication practice and opportunities to reintegrate into the community.

An incredible journey of determination and recovery, Relentless is a much-needed resource for stroke survivors, people who have aphasia, caregivers, and their loved ones, but it is also an inspiring and motivating read for anyone who is facing struggles in their own life.

Every year, approximately 800,000 people in the United States suffer a stroke. That’s one person every 40 seconds.

One of the major manifestations of stroke is the difficulty communicating with speech called aphasia, which affects over one million Americans.

In 2018, Ted founded Speech Recovery Pathways, a non-profit whose mission is to support the ongoing need for adults with stroke or brain injury to have regular access to meaningful communication practice and opportunities to reintegrate into the community; to provide ongoing communication practice, build confidence and get survivors connected.

“We believe communication is a human right, and healing is a journey. Communication means community, and no person should have to journey alone.” —Ted W. Baxter

Ted is committed to supporting organizations that assist with the prevention of and recovery from stroke and aphasia. If you’d like to get involved, please consider donating your time or dollars to Speech Recovery Pathways or these organizations.