Celebrate the women of stroke
By Emily Korir
Today is International Women’s Day and I wanted to take the opportunity to pay tribute to all of the wonderful women in our community who are living with the impact of stroke.
We come in many forms – mothers, grandmothers, sisters, children, carers and friends. And while stroke does not define who we are, it can bring enormous daily challenges. We all have to fight that little bit harder to live the best life we can.
My name is Emily and I had a stroke six years ago. I wanted to team with Stroke Foundation to share my story on this important day, where we celebrate our achievements, to encourage any women living with hardship as a result of stroke to never give up.
Around 26,000 strokes will be experienced by Australian women this year alone and there are almost 207,000 women living with the impact of stroke in our community.
In 2013, I became one of those women. I was a 37 year old working mum. Like so many, stroke was not something I ever expected. It was life threatening and it turned my world upside down.
Following my stroke, I spent a week on life support and when I came to I was unable to walk, talk, read or write. Nobody knew what the future held. It was devastating for me and my whole family.
I spent the next 12 long months in rehabilitation. It was physically and emotionally exhausting. The right side of my body was paralysed and I had lost my speech, but I dug deep, worked hard on my recovery and never gave up.
At times it felt like I was not making progress, but my husband Bernard and my two children were my inspiration. Moments like counting to three and typing one word on my mobile phone were major milestones.
I was determined to get my life back on track and defied the odds in many ways. Despite struggling with fatigue, I completed a Masters Degree in Business Administration.
Securing a job proved to be difficult. The minute I mentioned stroke in an interview, I felt like I became a liability for an employer, but I persisted and I did return to work. Flash forward a few years and I now own my own company. I am also pursuing my passion – a PhD, focusing on women with disabilities in developing countries and in remote Australia.
I have been given a second chance at life. I am proud of how far I have come since my stroke and I want to make a difference.
While stroke does not discriminate between the sexes, women are more at risk of having a stroke in their lifetime - one in five compared to one in six for men. Women are also more likely to die from stroke than men.
Stroke is a largely preventable disease, and on this International Women’s Day, I encourage women to be more aware of their stroke risk and how best to manage it. Let’s band together to reduce the burden of stroke. Please make sure you see your GP regularly for a health check and urge your loved ones to do the same.
And for my fellow stroke survivors, remember you are not alone. Celebrate each achievement on your recovery journey, no matter how small. It all counts.
Living with stroke can be tough, but we can all shine brightly in our own way.
#BalanceforBetter #IWD2019 #InternationalWomensDay
World Stroke Organisation celebrate the women of stroke