Actors who had strokes at musical productions 2 years apart are now married

Shortly after Job Ethan Christenson left the stage after singing and dancing in a national Broadway production of "Billy Elliot," he was chatting with two audience members in the theater's lobby when he collapsed into their arms.

Two years later, Jason Vance Campbell delivered a line that didn't make sense during a matinee performance of the musical "Life Could Be a Dream." Then he slumped onto the stage.

两人都患有不明原因的中风. Both were in their 30s.

几年前，一个共同的朋友兼准媒人介绍他们认识, 作为演员，这么早就中风了, they'd have a lot in common. 事实上，他们的感情如此深厚，以至于去年结婚了.

"Jason and I share a trauma bond," said Christenson, 这是非常有力和深刻的，也很难. 就像任何关系一样，这是一个相互给予和学习的过程. 但我们觉得我们是一辈子的朋友. We call ourselves 'holy soul mates.'"

克里斯滕森的旅程始于2012年圣诞节后的第三天.

While performing in Baltimore, he danced and sang in his "Billy Elliott" coal miner's uniform. Then, for the final number, he donned a white tutu along with the rest of the cast. After the show, he joined his fellow actors in the lobby to collect donations for an AIDS-related nonprofit.

His vision blurred. 他看见一层白色的薄膜，一层雾气，注意到自己的身体在倾斜. 他投入了一对停下来捐款的男女的怀抱.

They helped him to a nearby couch. Christenson was conscious. His company manager rushed over to help and said, "Oh my goodness, your face is drooping."

克里斯滕森知道，脸下垂是中风的征兆, and he knew then, at 38, that he was having one.

At the hospital, 医生告诉他是出血性中风, 或者是血管破裂，血流进大脑. 他的右侧身体不能活动，也不能说话.

"I went from dancing on stage to being in a wheelchair within seconds," he said.

克里斯滕森在巴尔的摩接受了一个月的声音和职业治疗. 他恢复了说话和走路的能力. 尽管如此，他还是害怕说话，努力组织自己的思想. 他的右眼部分永久失明, 他的右手不能使用，走路时明显跛行.

With his family history – his mother died from a stroke in her 50s and his brother died at 51 – his doctors wanted to monitor him closely, so he also got a heart monitor. 克里斯滕森想要找回他的艺术生活. 他在学校报名学习剧本创作. 此后，他将自己的经历写成了一部戏剧和电影.

He's also earned a masters in social work and recently started working as a therapist-in-training with local families.

与此同时，坎贝尔患了一种由血栓引起的不同类型的中风. He was 20 minutes into a performance in Richmond, Virginia, when he blacked out on stage. Someone called 911. Thanks to the immediate response, 他及时赶到医院接受了抗凝血药物治疗. But he'd already experienced significant damage to a part of his brain responsible for language.

He spent three weeks in stroke rehab, supported by his parents, 他当时的搭档和密友. 在这段线上电子游戏飞禽走兽里，他终于意识到自己34岁时中风了.

"But I'm not old," he told a friend.

Doctors told Campbell he'd be permanently disabled, never able to walk or work again.

He went home dealing with aphasia, 说话和理解有困难, and apraxia, 脑部损伤导致运动困难. He struggled to speak clearly. He became depressed. 医生和他的亲人担心他的精神健康. 家人和朋友日夜陪伴着他.

Then he learned about a center in Florida that specialized in caring for people with aphasia. 这个为期六周的项目不在保险范围内，她的家人帮她支付了费用. It included intensive speech therapy.

坎贝尔恢复了说出自己名字的能力. 一个特别的障碍是回忆起“十月”这个词."

“我一直说‘11月之前’，”他说. Then came the day he said, "October."

而坎贝尔继续在语言方面取得进步, 他有时很难找到他想要的词语. 他再也不能像中风前那样表达自己了.

克服了这么多困难后，他想再工作. He applied for an usher job at a New York movie theater but was turned down. Still, he keeps pushing himself. 他开始在公众面前讲述他的故事. He also hosts virtual church services for a Virginia church and enjoys going to the Museum of Modern Art.

In 2017, Campbell was in Florida. Christenson was living in New York. 一个共同的朋友分享了他们独特的故事，并做了介绍.

两人通过视频通话建立了联系——起初是每周一次，后来几乎是每天一次.

In April 2020 – early in the pandemic, and with the two still not having met in person – Campbell told Christenson he liked him. In June, they became a couple. 7月，他们终于在弗吉尼亚州见面了.

"We COVID tested. 我们做了整个演讲，”克里斯滕森说.

在接下来的8个月里，他们轮流前往弗吉尼亚和纽约. Campbell moved in with Christenson, and in January 2022 they had a virtual wedding hosted from their New York living room. 来自世界各地的朋友和家人都在收看. 一位在苏格兰的朋友在仪式上演唱.

“这真的很完美，”克里斯滕森说. Several months after the wedding, the couple adopted a playful white Havanese. They named the dog JC so that both men and their pup all have the same initials.

这些天，这对夫妇试着活在当下. They focus on the positive, what they're accomplishing and support and inspire each other. 他们已经学会了手语，所以坎贝尔可以更好地交流.

Still, daily life as stroke survivors is challenging, especially in New York.

克里斯滕森说:“每个人的行动都非常迅速. "If you don't move fast enough, or talk fast enough, you're often pushed aside. 这是你需要处理和区分的事情."

Still, together and through their art, they're finding moments of joy and strength. 在坎贝尔的帮助下，克里斯滕森正在东村导演一部戏剧. 两人最近还写了一部关于坎贝尔中风经历的剧本.

“我们正努力让故事继续下去，”克里斯滕森说. “你必须记住你已经走了多远, how much you've achieved, not to get swallowed by the moments of frustration or discouragement that surround a stroke. Art is a big part of that."

Stories From the Heart chronicles the inspiring journeys of heart disease and stroke survivors, caregivers and advocates.