Bonnie D.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
By: Gayle W.

Caregiver and Family

Motherly instinct is powerful. For Bonnie D., it changed her life in July 2008. Her son, Cody, was staying with friends when he suffered a severe MCA stroke... at the age of seventeen.

Between his hospital and rehab stays, it was several months before he was home continuing with outpatient rehab. As his primary caregiver, Bonnie was devoted to getting Cody the best care available. She advocated for his many needs, for stroke awareness and for caregiver support since his stroke. Through her efforts, the hospital staff now better understands the needs of a young stroke patient, and it has improved the care provided. She serves on the Family Advisory Board at our hospital and participates in stroke outreach. Also, she has visited other young stroke patients and their families to provide support. In addition, she helped create a DVD about Cody's experience that we use in outreach efforts. She provides information to schools and shares Cody's Story, personally and through the DVD. Thanks to her dedication and commitment to stroke awareness, Cody's story continues to impact survivors, caregivers, community members and medical professionals.

Bonnie is an inspiration to us in her roles as caregiver and stroke ambassador. She found a way to educate and provide support to others while juggling the challenges of her son's disability from stroke, of raising a family and of maintaining daily life. She is the new face of stroke caregiver and is, in our eyes, a Stroke Hero.