A mother who is spending her first few weeks of motherhood at a rehab hospital, a daughter who can no longer help care for her aging parents, a wife who can't work to support her family, a niece who can't swallow her favorite foods, a grandmother who can't tell joyous stories….these are the women, the survivors of stroke due to preeclampsia, heart disease, hypertension, and other medical complications. These are your neighbors, your friends, your loved ones whose lives have drastically changed and can't do the activities they love. These are the women I fight for and so many other stroke survivors as a Woman of Impact Nominee.
Over 795,000 individuals will have a stroke annually, but women suffer strokes at a higher rate than men. The debilitating deficits impact not only them, but everyone close to them. Routines are fractured, emotions are fragile, stability is a foreign concept, but everyday we can provide hope. Hope for a future with less stroke, hope for increased availability of treatments and intervention, hope for better post-stroke rehab, and hope that one day their loved ones will be able to prevent more.
Every day I treat survivors of stroke like these with each story unique, each person incredible, and each searching for the small piece of hope to remind them they are capable, they are strong, and they can survive this. I want to reduce stroke risk, continue to improve care across the continuum, and allow those survivors to thrive in their new world.
Join me on this journey to fight for better care and reduce the risk of stroke for your loved ones and those you yet to cross paths with. Be the beacon of hope and light for our stroke survivors.