Paul Lea, who suffers from dementia due to a stroke he had 10 years ago, had to learn how to basically live life again, and has become an advocate helping others forge their own path as they live with dementia.
There’s no cure yet for dementia, but science may be getting closer

Ten years ago, Paul Lea suffered from a massive stroke that affected a quarter of his brain and drastically altered his life. “My daughter had to teach me how to live again,” Lea said, from relearning how to make an egg salad sandwich, to how to play Solitaire.

The stroke harmed his memory, Lea said, leading to symptoms of dementia. “I can remember things
years ago, decades ago,” but his short-term memory suffered. He also began experiencing stigma: when looking for directions, he was once ridiculed by a stranger for asking twice, as he’d immediately forgotten which way to go.

What followed was a significant period of loneliness, but a growing desire to get better. Lea then  Bele, a Toronto-based advocate for people with dementia, who helped put him in touch with
resources and networks where Lea was able to meet others with similar struggles. He became an
advocate himself, and has lent his expertise and experience to patient advisory committees at CAMH, as well as Baycrest Hospital and Age Well, a Canadian network dedicated to advancing research on the health effects of aging.