MEET TARA
“Because I need to relearn everything,” Tara says, “I now appreciate all the small things so much more.” She adds that we must never take things for granted, since everything can change in a moment, as it did for her five years ago when she was 24 years old.
Tara was walking around Lake Loveland with her husband when she suffered an ischemic stroke, one of the two major types of stroke. She was hospitalized for four months. She began attending programs at Rocky Mountain Stroke Center two months later. She continues attending and being one of the “old hands” for newer stroke survivors. She remembers how afraid and hopeless she felt then. The friends she met helped turn all that around. Now she is in school studying to be a certified medical administrative assistant.
Tara has also completed two 5K races for the benefit of raising awareness about stroke. She finished last in the first walk, but felt a deep sense of accomplishment and commitment to herself and others who push through the many challenges of living with stroke. Life does keep changing, she says. Last year she improved her time by over an hour.
Much to her delight, Tara sees improvements almost daily. She drives now, making every day a new day of discovery as she tests and overcomes her limits. It is a good thing, too, since she lives in Longmont. “Getting to Littleton regularly means a lot to me, so between my own increasing ability to drive and my great husband, I have the chance frequently to participate with others and help those who may get discouraged, especially in those early days of coping with the newness of stroke.”
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