Carol
Sunday, August 28, 2011
By: Krista T

Survivor

Our mother checked herself into the ER on three separate occasions within a 72-hour period.  Initially diagnosed with an "aggressive virus," medical teams eventually detected her stroke, rushing her by ambulance to a larger hospital in a different state. After weeks of stabilizing, she was admitted to their rehab center where her painstaking efforts began for a two-month period.  

She worked an exhaustive eight hours a day, re-learning basic human skills and regaining daily muscle memory activities. Yes, she is lucky to be alive and yes, her "can-do" attitude played an incredible role in her recovery.  She's studied every nuance of stroke, visited Mayo for preventative care, traveled to China to receive eastern treatment and through it, has become a support-peer to fellow patients and a local figurehead taking head-on a medical trauma, which has little championing. 

Separating our mother from national advocacy is simply the small community where she resides. Her stories are inspirational, her recovery is commendable, her support to others is unwavering, and her personal crusade to help bring a comfortable understanding to this often misunderstood internal injury is relentless. She volunteers her time to impart knowledge, offers physical and emotional support, and relays her personal hope  both with survivors and caregivers.

In the subsequent four years, she has resurrected her design business and rejoined boards within her community. Her experiences are similar to others, but her path is like no other. Her story is truly inspirational.