On October 11, 2024, my life changed in an instant. An ischemic stroke didn’t just affect my health; it felt like it trapped me inside my own body. For a long time, I was fighting just to regain the basics—to swallow, to walk, to feel like myself again.

I’ve always known I was fortunate but surviving this has taught me a level of gratitude I never knew existed. Today, I don’t take a single drive to work or a single step for granted. I am finally feeling the "me" I thought I’d lost. I’m participating in this walk not just to cross a finish line, but to celebrate the fact that I can.