Stoke, An Insightful Look

Stroke. A stroke of a pen across the blank page creating prose that tickles the mind; a stroke of a paddle moving a boat across a crystal sea; a stroke of a tender hand warming the back of a loved one…the word has a power to it, conjuring up a sense of movement and usually used to connote positive experience.  Except when we talk about someone having a stroke.  The word is chosen for one of the major life changing traumas in people today….Stoke: blood clots or blood bursts in the brain leaving in its wake a life of adaptation, recovery and change.

Holly Dykema’s husband is a stroke survivor. The initial devastation let her experience firsthand, the challenge of creating a new way of life, and even more so, the lack of support around her to know how to make the best of things and move forward on all levels.  Finding limited resources spurred her to create them herself, and not only for herself, but for ALL stroke survivors, caregivers and anyone interested in learning more about this traumatic event.

It doesn’t always have to be a catastrophe, Holly realized.  Awareness can be the best tool, especially in the case of stroke.

Knowing signs, symptoms, prevention and action steps can greatly influence the final outcome. Even though it is in the top five leading causes of death, 80% of strokes are preventable through simple modifications and 85% are treatable.

For instance, smoking increases your risk significantly. For the ones inhaling they quadruple their risk, and for those standing around them, breathing in that second hand air the risk is doubled! This is clear cut research that can lead us to better choices. The website Holly and friends created is chock full of helpful tips, personal stories, insightful research, and direct contact information for all the questions you might have. All for you, free to view, visit www.strokefl.org and empower yourself through awareness. You are not alone, and the Stroke Association of Florida wants to be sure you know it through their outreach.

Holly will be a keynote presenter at Celebrate Wellness Fest 2012, happening March 10-11 of 2012. Check out the website at: www.celebratewellnessfest.com to mark your calendar for her time slot, and for all the other juicy presenters.

This Empowerment Guru segment is brought to you by:

*Stephen McFadden, professional filmmaker. Hire him today for your own promotional or creative project. For all the details visit: www.mcfaddencreative.com.

*This Week In Sarasota, a proud sponsor of Celebrate Wellness Fest 2012

*Kimberly Braun, M.A. (that’s me,) your hostess. As creator of Celebrate Wellness and professional meditation coach, YOUR happiness, your health, your peace and your empowerment are my passion. Check out my own website at www.kimberlybraun.com

Something you would like me to cover here? Email questions and ideas to: [email protected].