Thanks to donor support and a sharp-eyed neighbor, Carolyn Dunahay is with us today. She suffered a stroke while gardening and received lifesaving care at the Mercy Health — St. Rita’s Neuroscience and Rehabilitation Center that donors support with their gifts. Today, she is fully recovered and grateful to have her independence back.

“My neighbor found me lying in the field behind my house. She called the rescue squad. I didn’t remember anything until the next day,” Carolyn says.

What Carolyn doesn’t remember is the state-of-the-art, non-invasive surgery she had to remove a blood clot in her brain. With stroke, every second counts. Carolyn’s surgeon removed her clot before it could do permanent damage. That’s why having the neuroscience center, supported by donors, is so important to the region.

“People need to move quickly in the event that they think they have had a stroke,” says Carolyn. “That’s the biggest thing I’ve learned through all this.”

After her surgery, Carolyn completed 16 days of intensive in-patient therapy, followed by outpatient therapy once she was discharged from St. Rita’s.

Today, she says there is no evidence of the stroke beyond a bit of left-side weakness evident only to her. Therapy even included preparation for the driving test necessary to restore her license and her independence. She passed with flying colors.

“It was hard for me to believe that I’d had a stroke because I’ve always been very active,” she says. “It can happen to anyone. I want to encourage others to move as fast as they can if they think they are having a stroke.”