Stroke Maven

Stroke Maven living life step-by-step. My goal is to help connect people/resources/options.

05/31/2026

As Stroke Awareness Month comes to a close, here's one thing I hope people remember: Stroke is a medical emergency. Every minute matters.

Know the signs. Remember BE FAST:
🧠 **B**alance – sudden loss of balance or coordination
👀 **E**yes – sudden vision changes
🙂 **F**ace – facial drooping or uneven smile
💪 **A**rms – arm weakness or numbness
🗣️ **S**peech – slurred speech or difficulty speaking
⏰ **T**ime – call emergency services immediately

Stroke can happen at any age. It can happen to someone who looks healthy. It can happen to someone you love.

Every year, millions of people around the world experience a stroke, and hundreds of thousands of Americans will have one this year. Behind every statistic is a person, a family, and a life changed in an instant.

Stroke Awareness Month may be ending, but awareness can't end with it.

Keep learning. Keep sharing. Keep advocating.

You never know whose life that knowledge might save.

One of the biggest things that changes after a stroke or brain injury is your sense of worth. You compare yourself to wh...
05/29/2026

One of the biggest things that changes after a stroke or brain injury is your sense of worth. You compare yourself to who you used to be, and it becomes easy to believe you’re no longer productive, capable, or enough.

What helped me most in recovery actually came from a conversation with a neurologist in the ICU. He explained neuroplasticity to me — that my brain would create new neural pathways, that it could rewire and learn new ways to do things I couldn’t do in that moment.

I remember asking over and over:
“So eventually the signals will find their way through the damaged part?”

And each time, the answer was no.

Nothing was happening in that area anymore. My brain wasn’t going to heal through the damage. It was going to rewire around it.

I remember being confused: “What the heck… I’ve got this chunk of dead brain I’m supposed to carry around now?”

But strangely, it became one of the most liberating moments in my recovery.

Because in that moment, I understood I was never going to be exactly who I was before the stroke. There was literally a part of my brain that had permanently changed.

It stopped me from putting energy into trying to “get back” to an old version of myself. I was lost but curious about who I might become instead.

That shift changed everything for me.

And I wish I could tell every stroke survivor that healing is not only about recovery.
Sometimes it’s also about reinvention. Help me spread the word!

Important stroke reminder: not all strokes look dramatic, and not all symptoms are obvious.There are different types of ...
05/28/2026

Important stroke reminder: not all strokes look dramatic, and not all symptoms are obvious.

There are different types of stroke. The most common—acute ischemic stroke (AIS)—happens when a clot blocks blood flow to the brain. The American Stroke Association recently released the “Top 10 Things to Know” from the 2026 AHA/ASA Acute Ischemic Stroke Guidelines—key information everyone should understand.

🧠 Time matters.
🧠 Symptoms can come and go.
🧠 Fast treatment can change outcomes.

This work is especially meaningful to me because I had the honor of contributing as an author to the patient education materials and serving on the writing committee for the guideline connected to this effort. Our goal was to help make stroke information clearer, more accessible, and more actionable for survivors, caregivers, and communities.

The more we talk about stroke, the more lives we can reach before it’s too late.

Learn more:
https://www.stroke.org/en/about-stroke/types-of-stroke/ischemic-stroke-clots/ais-top-things-to-know












Before my stroke, I believed the myth: strength equals independence.Now I know better.Strength is asking for help.It’s r...
05/27/2026

Before my stroke, I believed the myth: strength equals independence.
Now I know better.
Strength is asking for help.
It’s rest. It’s recovery.
It’s listening when your body whispers, not just when it screams.

Healing isn’t about getting “back to normal.”
It’s about redefining what thriving looks like—
and this ride is part of the version I’ve had to fight for. ❤️


🎙 Advocate Tip:If something feels wrong, speak up.Even if it’s awkward. Even if they brush you off. Even if your voice s...
05/26/2026

🎙 Advocate Tip:
If something feels wrong, speak up.
Even if it’s awkward. Even if they brush you off. Even if your voice shakes.

Being your own advocate can be the difference between being dismissed—and getting help.

Only you know your body and when something’s off.

Your voice is a powerful part of your care.
Use it.

What needs to change in stroke care is the belief that because every stroke is different, it’s impossible to provide peo...
05/25/2026

What needs to change in stroke care is the belief that because every stroke is different, it’s impossible to provide people with a clear direction for recovery. That’s both true and false.
Yes, every stroke experience is unique. But there are also common threads that so many survivors share — isolation, loss of identity, changes in confidence, grief, cognitive challenges, and the need for meaningful mental and emotional support.
Too often, stroke care focuses primarily on physical recovery while leaving survivors and caregivers to navigate the emotional and psychological impact on their own. People need more than medical stabilization; they need guidance, community, validation, and support for rebuilding their lives.

What needs to change in stroke care is the belief that because every stroke is different, it’s impossible to provide peo...
05/24/2026

What needs to change in stroke care is the belief that because every stroke is different, it’s impossible to provide people with a clear direction for recovery. That’s both true and false.

Yes, every stroke experience is unique. But there are also common threads that so many survivors share — isolation, loss of identity, changes in confidence, grief, cognitive challenges, and the need for meaningful mental and emotional support.

Too often, stroke care focuses primarily on physical recovery while leaving survivors and caregivers to navigate the emotional and psychological impact on their own. People need more than medical stabilization; they need guidance, community, validation, and support for rebuilding their lives.

I didn’t reclaim my voice all at once.It came back in fragments—a journal entry,a tearful conversation,a quiet “yes” to ...
05/23/2026

I didn’t reclaim my voice all at once.
It came back in fragments—
a journal entry,
a tearful conversation,
a quiet “yes” to share my story.

Each small act broke the silence.
Each truth spoken helped me come home to myself.

People often believe vulnerability makes you weak.
I don’t.
I see it as an act of courage.
A choice to be real when it would be easier to hide.
A way back to connection, to purpose, to power.

Now I speak so others feel less alone.
So they know their voice matters too.

That’s why I tell my story.


5 things I'd tell myself if I could go back to when I woke up in the ICU after my stroke:1️⃣ Rest is part of healing.2️⃣...
05/21/2026

5 things I'd tell myself if I could go back to when I woke up in the ICU after my stroke:
1️⃣ Rest is part of healing.
2️⃣ Recovery takes time—give yourself grace.
3️⃣ You’re not broken. You’re rebuilding.
4️⃣ Take time to celebrate the small stuff.
5️⃣ You are not alone.

Stroke doesn’t come with a handbook—but I hope these reminders can help someone who needs them.

If you’re new here or supporting a survivor, this is for you. Save it and share with someone on their recovery path.

Have you ever felt Wonky ?!?What started as a word I used during my own stroke recovery has turned into something much b...
05/21/2026

Have you ever felt Wonky ?!?

What started as a word I used during my own stroke recovery has turned into something much bigger. When I shared my connection to the word wonky, so many stroke survivors responded with: YES, I use that too....

We know something's not right, and there's no perfect word… except "wonky".

So I’m thinking about turning it into a fundraiser t-shirt—with all profits supporting the American Heart Association and stroke awareness efforts.

This is a PRE-launch because I’d love to know:
Would you wear this?
Does “feeling wonky” resonate with you or someone you love?

Sometimes the words that make us laugh a little also help us feel seen.

Address

50 Main St., Suite 155
White Plains, NY
10606

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Stroke Maven posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category