American Heart Association logoAmerican Stroke Association

Stroke Hero Awards

Honoring individuals and groups in the stroke community who have shown resilience and outstanding progress.

 
Learn more about each of the 2024 Stroke Hero Awards winners below.

Elyse Newland, 2022 Stroke Hero Caregiver Award Recipient
The Stroke Hero Awards are awarded in six categories to those who educate, inspire and raise awareness about stroke locally or nationally. 

Learn more about our previous Stroke Hero Award recipients
Stroke is the No. 5 killer and a leading cause of disability in the U.S.

Award Categories 

Nominations were accepted in the first five categories, and public vote determined the Voters’ Choice Hero.

Caregiver Hero

Loretta Sharp Gray is posing with her arm around her life partner, Paul Smith.

2024 Winner:
Loretta Sharp Gray

Honors an individual who has cared for a stroke survivor and used their experience to educate, inspire and bring awareness about stroke. This award is for a personal caregiver, not a provider acting in a professional capacity.

Equity Hero

Dr. Kimon Bekelis is smiling next to a digital image in a medical room.

2024 Winner:
Kimon Bekelis, MD

Honors an individual who promotes the goal of health equity in their work with those at risk for stroke, stroke survivors and stroke caregivers, to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to be as healthy as possible.

Group Heroes

A group photo of Centre for Neuro Skills representatives are posing in front of their booth at an outdoor event.

2024 Winner:
Centre for Neuro Skills

Honors a group committed to educating, inspiring and bringing awareness about stroke. This can include stroke support groups, stroke teams, families, private associations, medical facilities and more.

Pediatric Hero

A smiling Reegan Lueken is standing in the driveway of her home.

2024 Winner:
Reegan Lueken

Honors an individual younger than 18 who has survived a stroke and overcome significant hurdles and whose family has used its experience to educate, inspire and bring awareness to stroke.

Survivor Hero

A headshot of Craig Northcutt smiling in an outdoor setting.

2024 Winner:
Craig Northcutt

Honors an individual who has survived a stroke and used their experience to educate, inspire and bring awareness about stroke.

Voters’ Choice Hero

Rick Hoeg is smiling and posing with his hand out in an outdoor setting.

2024 Winner:
Rick Hoeg

Honors an individual or group making an outstanding effort to educate, inspire and bring awareness about stroke on a local or national level. Judges selected the finalists from the nominations received in the other five categories.

Awards Timeline

Date(s) Activity
Oct. 3 – Dec. 4, 2023 Nominations accepted
Dec. 2023 – Jan. 2024 Nominations judged
Early Feb. 2024 Voters’ Choice Hero candidates determined
March 6 – 20, 2024 Voters’ Choice Hero voting
May 1, 2024 Winners announced

FAQ, Rules, Judging Criteria and More

Support That Empowers

Recovery becomes so much more manageable when you have the right kind of emotional support. Our online community of patients, survivors and caregivers is here to keep you going no matter the obstacles. We’ve been there, and we won’t let you go it alone.
Find encouragement