Lani RoyStutter was a word I feared since I could remember, not only because I would block on the first “T” but because it was a word that I let define my every action. It decided whether I would raise my hand in class, join in on pick-up volleyball at lunch, or order through a drive-thru window.
Greg, front row, second from right, celebrating his sister's wedding
at St. Martins, Ottawa in 1974
It is interesting how certain events and situations can illicit powerful memories — memories that remind me of the ways stuttering can significantly compromise a person's quality of life.
Allison, left, with her son and mother
Leah Thomas
When I hear the word “stutter”, many thoughts and feelings go through my head. This has been a word I have heard all throughout my childhood and is a word which I believed defined who I was. From the first moment around the age of 8, little did I know I would be entering a journey full of challenges, hardships, and strength.
I’m Michelle Weinshtein and I am a person who stutters. But I am also many other things — a 20-year-old young woman, a sister to 3 brothers, a daughter, friend, and student.
Of the approximately one percent of the world adult population who stutters, among them is Dave Taylor, former captain — and later general manager — of the Los Angeles Kings. He worked his way from the nickel mines of Levack, Ontario, to forge an illustrious 17-year playing career before embarking on a successful career as an NHL executive.