Depression sucks, and it lies. It's a life threatening condition that affects a lot of stroke survivors and can block their recoveries. In 2010, business owner Keith Taylor survived a stroke. A rare genetic condition meant that the arteries and veins in his body don't always connect the way they're supposed. It's called Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT). One day, that flawed connection leaked and began killing brain cell. Keith began his journey through the stroke care system of the time, into the depths of depression, leaving the business he planned his life around  and to the life he lives today helping stroke survivors in Central Oregon and around the world live their best lives. He shares his journey in today's episode. If you don't see the audio player below, visit http://Strokecast.com/MSN/Keith   Click here for a machine-generated transcript Who is Keith Taylor? Keith Taylor runs Strength After Stroke Keith Taylor is a deeply passionate, and dedicated leader in the stroke community. He is dedicated to helping stroke survivors regain their own power and strength to live a full and productive life. While owning and being the sales manager of a large manufacturing business in Oregon, he had a stroke at the age of 48. After looking for, and not finding, anyone to help with the depression and lack of confidence after his stroke, he decided to create that for other stroke survivors. He is President of the Board of Directors with Stroke Awareness Oregon and is the owner of Strength after Stroke; a company dedicated to providing resources for stroke survivors to re-ignite their desires and regain their confidence. What is HHT? HHT stands for Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia. That tells most of us…absolutely nothing. The condition impacts the way the blood vessels in our body connect. When the circulatory system works properly, blood flows from the heart under high pressure through the arteries to deliver oxygen and nutrients to the organs throughout the body. One big artery (the aorta) comes off the heart and splits into smaller and smaller arteries that carry blood to the kidneys, the toes, the brain, and every other part. The arteries are built to withstand the blood pressure. Veins take blood from the organs and bring it back to the heart. Along the way, the deliver carbon dioxide to the lungs and waste material to the kidneys, liver, and other disposal sites. The blood is no longer under such high pressure at this point. In between, there are capillaries. These are the tiny, thin blood vessels that allow oxygen and nutrients to pass from the blood to the organs and for carbon dioxide to pass back. Arteries branch smaller and smaller and thinner and thinner to become this huge network of capillaries, which the consolidate and get bigger and bigger until they become veins. Meanwhile, that branching down and consolidating up reduces the pressure on the blood in the system In a patient with HHT, those capillaries don't always form where they are supposed to. Instead, the arteries will connect directly to the veins. These malformations are weak spots since the veins may not be able to handle the pressure of the blood coming into them. These AVMs, or arterial-venous malformations can then rupture or leak resulting in a hemorrhagic stroke. You can learn more about HHT at the CDC's website here: https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/hht/index.html#:~:text=HHT%20is%20a%20disorder%20in,present%20between%20arteries%20and%20veins. HHT is not the only cause of AVMs but it is an important one. Nosebleeds Nosebleeds are an important signal that something may be wrong. Frequent or regular nosebleeds are something to discuss with your doctor. Nosebleeds are a common indicator of HHT. Someone who has HHT will need to keep on top of their monitoring to reduce the chances of a dangerous stroke or othe