Day 13 of MnCAN’s 30 Days of Life with Aphasia — Meet Michaela!Â
Michaela is one of the newest members of our MnCAN family. She and her brother, Mario, found MnCAN at the end of 2025 and joined us for our Holiday Coffee, Cocoa & Cookie event, where they quickly connected with many new friends and became part of our welcoming community.
One thing Michaela wants people to know is that it is possible to have both aphasia and apraxia of speech, and having both can make communication even more challenging.
Aphasia affects a person’s ability to understand, speak, read, and/or write language. Apraxia of speech is a motor speech disorder that affects the brain’s ability to plan and coordinate the movements needed for speech. A person with apraxia knows what they want to say, but their brain has difficulty sending the correct messages to the muscles needed to produce words clearly and consistently.
When aphasia and apraxia occur together, communication can be especially frustrating because a person may be working through both language challenges and speech production difficulties at the same time. Despite these challenges, individuals continue to find ways to connect, communicate, and share their thoughts, personalities, and experiences.
We are so grateful that Michaela and Mario found their way to MnCAN, and we are honored to celebrate Michaela today. Thank you for helping us raise awareness and understanding about aphasia, apraxia, and the many different communication journeys that exist within our community. 💙
#AphasiaAwarenessMonth #LifeWithAphasia #ApraxiaAwareness #MnCAN #CommunicationMatters #AphasiaAwareness #StrongerTogether
Check out our fundraiser for June Aphasia Awareness Month to donate! https://givebutter.com/mncan-june-aphasia-awareness-month-2026?blm_aid=80575489
