World Stroke Day

Happy (?) World Stroke Day y’all! If you are interested in some stroke facts, you’ve come to the right place! (Statistics are from The Great Now What website)

15 MILLION PEOPLE SUFFER A STROKE EACH YEAR WORLDWIDE.

STROKE IS THE #4 KILLER AND THE #1 CAUSE OF LONG-TERM DISABILITY IN THE USA.
THERE ARE OVER 7 MILLION STROKE SURVIVORS IN THE USA.
STROKE KILLS 2X AS MANY WOMEN AS BREAST CANCER EACH YEAR, YET BREAST CANCER RECEIVES 2.5X THE AMOUNT OF RESEARCH FUNDING.

ONLY 10% OF STROKE SURVIVORS MAKE A FULL RECOVERY.
STROKES IN YOUNG PEOPLE ARE ON THE RISE – 1 OUT OF 3 THREE STROKES EACH YEAR OCCUR BETWEEN INFANCY AND MIDDLE AGE.
THOUGHTS OF SUICIDE ARE HIGHER IN STROKE SURVIVORS AS COMPARED TO THOSE WITH HEART ATTACK, DIABETES, OR CANCER.

The Great Now What

…And my good friend Maggie, is launching their crowdfunding campaign today! Filming has begun, but funding is still needed for more things that you need in order to make an awesome, riveting, “that-changed-my-life” kind of film.

Personally I am very excited for this incredible documentary because:

Maggie is my brain twin (which is what I like to say because we have the same rare diagnoses: CCM and HOD!) and I’ll be rooting for her until the cows come home…which is always because I don’t own any, plus, I hear they’re bad apartment pets…
I want to see someone like me on the big screen! (Seeing someone who is struggling or has faced many similar challenges to you is so validating and representation matters!)
It will be good. (Don’t believe me? Scroll down and take a look at their video!)

ABOUT

From the website:

A massive stroke has left Maggie (35) in a body that is partially paralyzed. From neck down, her left side is mostly dead weight and feels like dozens of ironclad sand bags. From neck up, the right side of her face is frozen and nerve pain feels like hundreds of tiny needles. Her bouncy eyes make the world jump up and down while she constantly fights against double vision. Her mind is sharp and her dreams are big.
For most, this is a living nightmare. But Maggie is rehearsing lines and preparing herself to perform in front of an audience for the first time since her stroke in 2014. Creative expression gives her meaning. Purpose. She's not the same person she was just three years ago, traveling the world producing and performing in improv, plays, and films. She's not the woman who gracefully dangled from a rope in a trapeze performance project to the poetry of William Blake. Maggie has gone from an engaged working actress on the brink of success to a permanently disabled woman living alone. She no longer feels the comfort of her past and she can’t see the light of her future. She's in the black abyss of the complete unknown. Today, she seeks an answer that is universal to the current times.
Everything has fallen apart. Now what? Maggie’s now what is the greatest now what of our time.

VIDEO & More

Check out this page for the teaser trailer

Check out this page for another video and crowdfunding

Stay updated on this project

From the website:

Our fundraising campaign will be launched on #WorldStrokeDay October 29th, 2018!

The Great Now What was selected as a "Featured Project" with the Denver Film Society. If you or anyone you know would like to make a tax-deductible contribution (and help us make this film a reality!) please click here.

Follow us on Facebook for daily posts about the film, and relevant articles, podcasts, and pictures on disability, stroke, chronic pain, facial paralysis, cavernomas, and more!

Final Thoughts

The advocacy and artistry with this film will open some eyes, validate others’ experiences, and give art a platform so often lost in medical land. AND I AM HERE FOR IT. Make sure to give them a follow on facebook and visit their crowdfunding page!

XOXO,

eLo

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P.P.S. Wanting support & upliftment from other fun invisible & chronic illness/disability peeps who truly get it? Join our closed invisible/chronic illness Facebook group here