07/24/2026
On a gloomy New Year’s Eve in 2024, Pam Capecci woke up unable to speak. Unbeknownst to her at the time, she’d had a stroke.
Her sister rushed her to Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital. “They whisked me away, like, right away, because they could tell I had had a stroke,” says Pam. Her care team quickly confirmed the stroke and a heart issue called atrial fibrillation, which is an irregular heartbeat or arrythmia.
After nine days of acute care, Pam was transferred to Northwestern Medicine Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital for inpatient rehabilitation. As she continued to recover, her inability to communicate due to aphasia became a primary concern. After going home, she began outpatient services to focus on rebuilding her communication skills.
Aphasia is a language disorder that affects a person’s ability to communicate, most commonly caused by stroke or traumatic brain injury. More than 2 million people in the United States are estimated to have aphasia.
“At the core of it, the person knows what they want to say, but they just have difficulty putting it into words,” says Michelle Armour, MS, CCC-SLP, founder and program manager of Northwestern Medicine Aphasia Center at Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital.
The Aphasia Center is a community-based program open to people with aphasia at any stage of recovery. “It’s such a great support. There are people with every level of aphasia. There are people that still struggle with their communication and then there are people like me, that can communicate, but we all support each other,” says Pam.
Pam entered the Aphasia Center with a clear goal of returning to work and regaining her independence. Her therapy focused on real-world scenarios tied directly to her professional responsibilities as a vice president of partner engagement for a relocation services company.
Pam returned to work within five months, but she continues to attend group sessions at the Aphasia Center for support and connection. “I will have aphasia my entire life. It comes and goes for me, especially when I'm tired,” says Pam.
“I would not be where I am today without my support — my family, my friends and the support of Marianjoy,” says Pam.
