Inspirational Stories

While it can easily be argued that the metaphor “hit like a ton of bricks” may be a little old and over worked, it is nevertheless, an apt description of the way strokes can suddenly and powerfully devastate a life. And, if it is accurate to say that most stroke survivors felt like they were hit by a ton of bricks when the stroke came crashing down on them, then Tonia Medrick must have felt as if she had been ...

Strokes are not known for their subtleties. Nevertheless, on November 26, 2017 J. Neal Isaac got a subtle hint that his life was about to change in a devastating and dramatic way. He was on a routine drive when he noticed that his right foot did not have the same sensitivity as his left. He thought that perhaps the seat had moved. Later, he experienced another subtle hint when he had a bit of trouble stepping into the shower. Neal wrote ...

A red herring is a literary device that is sometimes used to draw an audience’s attention from the real plot by creating a distracting clue or event. Red herrings are fun and interesting when used in theater. A red herring applied to critical health issues is a much more dangerous situation. At 38 years old Brooke Allen was a vibrant and successful business woman. Her 18 years of service and dedication at Macy’s Department Store saw her work her way ...

Nine years ago Missi Hedrick went to bed and fell asleep in one world and awoke the next day in an entirely different world. Before February 15, 2011 the world Missi knew was pretty normal for a 41 year old single mom with 3 kids. There was her work at the medical research firm where she was a documentation specialist. Her days were filled with writing protocols, research logs and essays, with an occasional business trip to L.A. Then there ...

Interview by John Lummis “Dad, I can’t understand you.” John Lummis was at work having a phone conversation with his son when he began having trouble moving his left arm and leg. Initially the arm numbness led him to think he was experiencing the first signs of a heart attack. But when he began having trouble with his speech he knew it was a stroke. Eleven years as a volunteer firefighter had taught him to think critically in emergency situations. ...