A prayer in progress: Relearning language after stroke

Jack O’Steen, known to many as Papa Jack, walks into TriStar Summit Medical Center’s outpatient therapy with a smile, greeting everyone with enthusiasm.  Linda, his wife of almost six decades, describes him as the man who could cook anything, make people laugh and never met a stranger. But after a stroke four years ago, the words he once shared so freely became difficult to say.

Jack lives with aphasia and apraxia, conditions that affect his ability to form words and coordinate the movements needed for speech.

“His mind is sharp as a tack,” Linda says. “He just can’t get the words out. One of the things I missed the most is just talking to him, and him answering me.”

Even so, one thing has never changed.

“He’s never lost his sense of humor,” she says. “And that I have been so thankful for.”

Faith became even more central in Jack’s life after the stroke. He prays in the morning, at night and before every meal, often taking his time. Then one Sunday, something unexpected happened.

“Somebody came to me and said, ‘Jack’s gonna say the prayer when we go back upstairs,’” Linda recalls. “I didn’t know if I believed it. But sure enough, he did.”

Even though the words were hard to understand, the moment itself was unmistakable.

“We didn’t know what he was saying,” Linda says. “But the Lord did, and that was all that counted.”

That moment sparked an idea: what if Jack could lead a prayer again — this time with preparation and support? The church offered to display the words on a screen so members could follow along as he spoke.

At TriStar Summit, speech therapist Kenna has been working alongside Jack for years, helping him rebuild communication step by step.

“Aphasia is not a cognitive deficit,” she explains. “It’s a linguistic deficit. He knows what he wants to say. He just can’t get it to come out the way he wants.”

Together, they began building Jack’s prayer, one line at a time. Kenna gave him choices, allowing him to select the words he wanted to say.

“I’d ask, ‘Would you rather say ‘Dear God,’ or ‘Our Heavenly Father?’” she remembers. “And he pointed to that one he wanted.”

Because Jack processes visual information more easily, seeing the words helps him connect to them. Kenna also added pauses in the script, giving him time to slow down and speak more clearly.

For Jack, every word takes focus and effort. But his determination stands out.

“He works so hard,” Kenna says. “He’s got a lot of determination.”

For Kenna, moments like this are why she became a speech therapist. “I love everything about my job,” she says. “It is the most meaningful, fulfilling thing.”

And when Jack finally delivers his prayer at church, Kenna already plans to be there.

For Linda, this prayer represents more than a moment at church. It’s the possibility of reconnecting through language again.  With each practiced line, each new word written, Jack is finding his way back to the words that matter most.