Hello everyone! Welcome to Stroke Awareness Vermont!! I’ve been working on this for the last several months, and I can’t believe it’s finally here!
On October 21st, 2018, my family’s lives changed forever when my step-father, Trent, had a stroke. That day, he remembers feeling unbalanced, unable to walk straight, and feeling numbness in parts of his body. Despite exhibiting very clear warning signs of a stroke, he misidentified the signs. Trent did not get medical help for over 24 hours. He was in the hospital for three days and was in acute rehab for a month. In March 2019, Trent had a second major stroke resulting in three more months of rehab, with his mobility permanently impacted. After three years of recovery, in March 2022, we were all shocked when he had a third major stroke. Knowing the acronym BE FAST was instrumental in identifying this third stroke; it was my mother that recognized the signs and advocated for Trent to get proper medical attention.
I started advocating for Stroke Awareness in 2021, when I created my Community Service Initiative as a delegate competing for the title of Miss Vermont. In the last two years, I have been fortunate to connect with dozens of stroke survivors and hear their stories. To magnify their life experiences, we partnered with the University of Vermont Medical Center to publish a book of stories and resources for stroke survivors and their families. The outcomes of all strokes are different, which can cause recovery to be very isolating. The primary goal of this book is to provide comfort and inspiration for stroke survivors and their caregivers as they are adjusting to their new normal. When Trent had his first stroke back in 2018, our family discovered that there were very few resources designed to provide both information and comfort, so we set out to create a resource that our family needed. If you’re interested in reading these stories, you can download a PDF of the booklet on this website under the “Stroke Stories” tab. It is my hope to utilize this website as an online resource to continue amplifying the stories of stroke survivors, and making their experiences known.
When our booklet was published I started looking forward, thinking about what’s next. This is where Stroke Awareness Vermont was born. I wanted to create a place where Vermonters can access stories, resources, information, and so much more about Stroke Awareness. I am so excited to finally launch this website, and spread information and awareness across the state and beyond.
We are launching this website today, October 29th, because it is World Stroke Day. Most people have heard of a stroke, but don’t understand what they are and don’t know how to identify the signs. By launching this website on World Stroke Day, we are hoping to make resources more accessible and widely available to the general public, not just survivors and their families. Thank you for following along as we work to spread awareness across Vermont!
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