On October 12th, 2016 I suffered a large stroke while sitting in my office.  I had no clue what was happening to me until I got to the hospital.  Fortunately for me I was rushed to a hospital that had stroke specialists.  They knew I had a stroke before they conducted their first test.  I say I was fortunate because I have heard several stories where a patient that had had a stroke was mis-diagnosed and was just sent home.

When I first started treatment I couldn't walk without assistance and my speech was slow and slurred.  I had physical, occupational and speech therapy every day and I worked very hard in those sessions.  I started out in a wheel chair, progressed to a walker and then a cane and then to walking on my own.  As part of my therapy I read Tedy Bruschi's book "Never Give Up" out loud in my room.  After about a month in the hospital I was discharged and continued out-patient therapy for several more months.  They never did find the reason why a young reasonably healthy man had a stroke.

 My recovery didn't end when my formal therapy sessions ended.  I'm a software engineer.  I don't have to be able to walk or even talk well to do my job but I do have to use my brain to solve very complex problems.  My recovery wasn't easy but I steadily progressed.  When I tried to get back to work I hit what seemed to be an insurmountable wall for the first time.  The first thing I realized is that I couldn't type anymore.  My fingers moved but when I looked up to see what I typed most of it was garbage.  Relearning how to type was my first self-imposed therapy session.  I was working from home so I tried to get back into the swing of things by taking on some low-hanging fruit type stuff that I would ordinarily be able to do without much thought.  Even the easy things proved to be immensely complex and confusing to me.  I was worried that I would not be able to return to work.  "Never Give Up" became my mantra.  I had a wife and 3 kids that depend on me and I was determined to get through this.

My formal therapy sessions were mostly therapy for my body to help get my body back to doing the things it used to be able to do.  I treated getting back to work like therapy for my brain and improving my problem solving capabilities.  Every day was hard but I pushed through it and over time things started slowly coming back to me and my persistence paid off. 

Not long after going back to work full-time I joined Tedy's Team to run the Falmouth Road Race in August of 2017!  My walks turned into jogs and I ran the race 10 months after suffering the stroke.  I continued to run and fund-raise with Tedy's Team ever since and I ran the Boston Marathon in April of 2019 as well as several other races with Tedy's Team and on my own over the last couple of years.

Please consider making a donation to help Tedy's Team continue their mission.

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The mission of Tedy's Team® is to raise awareness for stroke and heart disease while supporting survivors on their journey, giving them a means for a comeback!

Tedy's Team® was originally founded in 2005, when Tedy Bruschi, former linebacker for the New England Patriots suffered a stroke shortly after winning his 3rd Super Bowl and just days after returning from his first Pro Bowl. to learn more about who we are, please see our website, www.tedysteam.org.

We are honored to be part of runDisney Disneyland® race weekend! Back for the first time since 2017! 

All of the events we participate in have allowed us to utilize their platform to elevate the awareness of the warning signs of stroke, which are best remembered by using the acronym BE FAST, which stands for: 

• Balance Difficulties
• Eyesight Changes
• Face Drooping
• Arm Weakness
• Speech Difficulties - and if you notice any of those warning signs, it's...
• TIME TO CALL 9-1-1.

Should you ever have any questions about your donation, please reach out to Elizabeth@TedysTeam.org.

Donations to Tedy's Team are non-refundable and fully tax deductible.

For more information on what we do, visit www.tedysteam.org