For an interesting discussion of the big strokes, you might want to listen to the June 25, 2008 episode of Fresh Air.
Neurological researcher Jill Bolte Taylor suffered a stroke 12 years ago. While a stroke is often devastating and sometimes fatal, Taylor was able to make a complete recovery after becoming her own experimental subject.
Her new book, My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey, recounts her experience.
Taylor is a Harvard-trained neuroanatomist. She was named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World for 2008.
She is currently affiliated with the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis.