As a two-time stroke survivor and peer mentor for stroke survivors at two Atrium Health in-patient rehab units, I have both experienced and borne witness to the profound effects stroke has on patients and families.
Simply surviving a stroke isn't the hardest part. It's much harder to redefine oneself and learn how to live again after surviving. Sixeen years after my first stroke and five years after my second, I'm still working on finding a version of myself has a sense of purpose and fulfillment in my current post-stroke life. I rebuilt myself after my first stroke at age 26 - that stroke was a catalyst for going to grad school, which allowed me to then enjoy a brief career teaching remedial English at the community college level while also working as managing editor of a nationally-published magazine and also becoming a patient advocate who traveled extensively to speak about my experiences and diagnosis with the rare disease fibromuscular dysplasia for 11 challenging and rewarding years. Other people called it resilient - I just called it stubborn.
I suffered a second stroke at age 39 in 2019, during surgery to treat my fourth brain aneurysm. Without my youth to assist me, my second go around as a survivor has been harder. I never would have called myself a support group person—the very idea seemed too warm and fuzzy for me, but about two years ago, tired of being bored and lonely, I drug stubborn ol' me to a stroke support group at Atrium's Pineville, N.C. hospital. To my great surprise I, like some kind of medical goldilocks found a group of people who were kind without being paternalistic, honest without being total downers, empathetic without being fake and in short they just "got it." Me and my left arm that doesn’t work and my awkward gait and my not terribly expressive face and my occasional aphasia and inability to remember anyone's first name after only meeting them once all fit in! The group’s companionship has been an enormous gift.
We can’t stop strokes and heart attacks from happening, but we can help simply by showing up for one another — to that end I’m not seeking to raise some vast amount of money rather I’m hoping to make connections raise awareness and support and see just where putting one foot in front of the other will lead me next. How will you help me reach these goals?
