Oct. 8, 2019.
11:30 a.m.

A moment that changed our lives.

Caroline exhibited all the obvious signs: Loss of vision, balance and speech, shaky arms and legs which eventually went numb, and facial drooping. Travis knew the signs of a stroke, but never thought his wife, in her 20’s, could be having one. However, he knew something was wrong, so within minutes he called 9-1-1.

Within an hour, Caroline was diagnosed with an acute ischemic stroke, meaning a blood clot had lodged into an artery in her brain, cutting off the oxygen supply to a portion of the right side of her brain. After a few minutes, blood was able to push past the clot.

Hours later, Caroline was transferred from Norwood Hospital to the neuro-ICU at Boston Medical Center. She spent a week in the hospital and six more weeks at home recovering. During that time, she experienced severe headaches, constant exhaustion, and fear something like this would happen again.

Luckily, we had a strong team surrounding us: family, friends, and top-notch care offered at both Norwood Hospital and Boston Medical Center.

Dr. Hugo Aparicio at Boston Medical is the neurologist Caroline has worked with throughout this entire process. As he points out, research suggests stroke incidence is on the rise in younger people.

“I think that’s a misconception that stroke only happens to older folks,” he said. “With public health campaigns and public health education about this, it’s really important to realize that stroke strikes anybody — whether you’re male or female, no matter what your age is, no matter what your other underlying risk factors are.”

To this day, we live without a definite answer as to what caused Caroline’s stroke. Dr. Aparicio has several suspicions but he is still looking into the exact cause.

We are forever grateful for the support we have received throughout this unexpected journey, and we are anxious to pay it forward. We’re back running for Tedy’s Team to raise money and awareness. 

This year the money raised by the organization helped open the Tedy’s Team Center of Excellence in Stroke Recovery in Boston, which provides rehabilitative care, free of charge, to stroke survivors who are no longer eligible for insurance covered therapy services. That continued access to care can be life-changing for stroke survivors.

Running became a huge part of Caroline's recovery after her stroke. Now, we're hoping that running for Tedy's Team can continue to help others in their time of need.

With your help, we can continue to make a difference for so many, helping survivors recover and continuing to fund more research.

Thank you in advance for your support!

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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 the Official Charity Program of the TCS NYC Marathon for 2023.

New York Road Runners has 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.