Hi, I’m Rosanna Radding.  Thank you for visiting the One Hand Can website. I had a stroke when I was 43 years old, which, admittedly, was more than 20 years ago. Since then I have been and continue to be on a post-stroke journey full of frustration, learning, relearning, sharing and, of course, many triumphs large and small.  I credit my successes to my in born “can do it” attitude, perseverance and the supportive people in my life, especially my partner, Carol, who has been with me every step of the way.  You might wonder sharing what?  Well, since 2013 I have shared with other survivors all I have learned about cooking with one hand.  I have been sharing via “One Hand Can Cook!”, a demonstration I developed and present to stroke support groups all over Northern and Central California.  I have met many wonderful and exceptional people who, in one way or another are familiar with life post-stroke.  Through my adventures as a “motivational cook” my notion that cooking is a great rehab activity and is very important has been affirmed over and over again.  In fact, to quote one gentleman I met through my website:

“Unexpectedly the cutting board has greatly improved my multi-tasking & planning abilities which were pretty much non-existant previously now I can plan meals, grocery shopping lists, keep a watchful eye on the cooktop & oven.  It really is amazing what a simple cutting board can do. It has inspired me to do so much more than just meal prep. It has taken me to a new level of independence. I am surprized how much it has woken up parts of my cognitive function previously unused.”

Although Tim is specifically talking about a cutting board, he is using it to cook with one hand.  The cutting board my friend is talking about is the One Hand CanDo Cutting Board 2.0 which I designed, have manufactured and sell at onehandcanSHOP.com.  You can learn more about the CanDo Cutting Board 2.0, watch my how-to, hand-on videos using the board and other one hand usable tools right here at onehandcan.com and on Instagram @onehandcan2.  Just go to the top of the page and choose a topic or open the Instagram app and search for onehandcan2.

Regardless of whether I am making art, designing and fabricating jewelry, cooking for family and friends, grocery shopping or doing minor repairs around the house one aspect remains unchanged from one activity to the next even 20 some odd years post stroke.  I need to figure out how to do things in ways that functionally accommodate my special circumstances.  When one is suddenly faced with the previously unknown difficulty of plugging an electrical cord into an extension cord with the use of only one hand, it becomes eminently apparent that life has changed in ways one might never have imaged.

Your stories and comments are important, too!  Share your triumphs and frustrations via my contact page.  My hope is that onehandcan.com becomes a site where we can all become people helping other people help themselves.             

Following my stroke I have the use of only my right hand and arm. My left hand and arm were rendered, for all intent and purpose, useless. Nonetheless, there were/are two passions in my life I was unwilling to let go by the wayside.  They are making art and cooking.  Both became frustratingly problematic post-stroke even on the most basic level.  How do I do any normally two-handed activity with one-hand?  Daily life became an ongoing collection of challenges that begged to be either solved or left to someone else to do for me.  My stubbornly independent streak disallowed anything less than giving whatever it was/is my best shot.

There is no denying it.  I work more slowly now with lots of functional adaptations and do-overs, but I am entertaining and cooking for friends and family because I love to do it.  I am creating art because that is what I do. I am still an artist.  The stroke did not change that.

For me the bottom line is I have chosen to live my life re-abled rather than disabled as an artist and not unlike any other human being.  After all, each of us, disabled or not, has our own particular set of limitations and obstacles to live with or move beyond.

Thanks again for visiting onehandcan.com. Join the Living Re-abled conversation and check back soon and often. This website will always be a work in progress.

I am delighted to have the pleasure your company on this journey.