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Dawn
Monday, May 2, 2011
Dawn A.
Healthcare Professional and Family Member of Survivors
I am a face of stroke by chance and by choice. By chance, I
have two non-modifiable stroke risk factors; I am African American and have a strong family history of
stroke. My grandmother died from a stroke, my uncle has been bedridden and severely aphasic for more than
10 years after a stroke and last year my grandfather experienced a stroke resulting in left-sided
weakness. By choice, I have focused my nursing career on stroke. As a registered nurse and nurse
practitioner, I have cared for patients with stroke in hospital and home care settings. I have also interacted with
stroke survivors and their family members as a research coordinator of funded studies assessing family
caregivers of stroke survivors. It was during an interview with a research participant that I finalized my
decision to seek a doctoral degree in nursing. While interviewing the mother of a young male stroke
survivor, I was stunned to find out that she was also caring for her husband who had experienced a stroke
just three months prior to their son's stroke. Three years later, I continue to draw on the inspiration
from that family and my own as I pursue my PhD in nursing at the University of Alabama, Birmingham. My
research focus is stroke prevention in African Americans, particularly young adults and those with a family
history of stroke. By choice, I am a passionate advocate for stroke awareness, prevention, and
research and hope to help others reduce their chances of stroke.
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