Nichol Castro quoted in Buffalo News article on Kim Pegula's expressive aphasia
Kim Pegula, president and co-owner of the Bills and Sabres, experienced a cardiac arrest in June 2022. Her daughter, Jessica Pegula, recently shared news that Kim is currently dealing with expressive aphasia. Dr. Nichol Castro provided context for what is expressive aphasia, how it could come about in Kim's case, and the prognosis for recovery.
Dr. Nichol Castro provided context for what is expressive aphasia, how it could come about in Kim's case, and the prognosis for recovery.
Aphasia is a language disorder that impacts a person's ability to communicate. They may have trouble speaking, understanding, reading, or writing. The most common cause of aphasia is stroke, but other causes are also possible. This includes traumatic brain injury and tumors. In Kim Pegula's case, based on what information has been shared, her aphasia may be due to loss of oxygen to her brain (hypoxia) as a result of her cardiac arrest.
Speech-language therapy can help individuals regain their language and communciation abilities. Improvement is possible! Just like you exercise your body to get stronger, people with aphasia will exercise their brain with therapy tasks.
Read the full Buffalo News article for more on Kim Pegula's case.
Learn more about Aphasia
Check out the National Aphasia Association website to learn more about the different types and causes of aphasia. They also have great resources for those who have aphasia and their communciation partners!