Eric Jordan, a young bass, suffered a debilitating stroke in 2012 that rendered him speechless.
New Haven's Long Wharf Theater and Yale University have teamed up for a symposium on stroke that combines medicine, history, and the arts.
According to the World Health Organization, 15 million people worldwide suffer a stroke each year.
Saturday's symposium at Long Wharf Theater, called "Stroke -- History, Healthcare, Humanity" explores the affliction through the lenses of historians, doctors, and artists, including opera singer Eric Jordan.
The young bass suffered a debilitating stroke in 2012 that rendered him speechless.
Jordan not only managed to regain his speech, he revived his opera career. He credits singing to his son for his fast recovery.
"I'd sing A, B, C, D, E, F, Q, and he'd say: no, no, do it again; and I'd say okay," Jordan said. "Also Puff the Magic Dragon. So these little tunes were part of my recovery."
The symposium concludes Saturday night with a performance of the new play "The Second Mrs. Wilson" by Joe DiPietro. The play tells the story of President Woodrow Wilson's second wife Edith, who took over many of the duties of state when her husband suffered a severe stroke in 1919.
The symposium begins Saturday at 4:00 pm at New Haven's Long Wharf Theater, and is part of Long Wharf Theater's Global Health and the Arts Initiative, and Yale School of Public Health's centennial celebration.
