Debra Meyerson, PhD with 2023 American Stroke Association Survivor Hero Award
“I’m honored to win this award and want to share it with all the people who have supported me in my recovery,” shared Debra Meyerson. “I only hope the work we’re doing can make recovery easier, more complete, and more rewarding for all stroke survivors in the future.”
PORTOLA VALLEY, Calif. (PRWEB)
May 03, 2023
Debra Meyerson, PhD was named the American Stroke Association’s (ASA) 2023 Stroke Survivor Hero in recognition of her efforts to use her experience as a stroke survivor to bring awareness, education, and inspiration to people across the country. More than 800,000 people across the US have a stroke every year, leaving many with permanently changed lives and Debra has worked tirelessly to bring awareness to stroke and its impact on one’s identity. “I’m honored to win this award and want to share it with all the people who have supported me in my recovery,” shared Debra. “I only hope the work we’re doing can make recovery easier, more complete, and more rewarding for all stroke survivors in the future.”
In 2010, Debra was a healthy, fit mother of three, working as a professor at Stanford University, when she suffered a severe stroke that changed her life forever. The once-active 53-year-old was left unable to work, speak, or be physically active in the ways she once was. Despite years of intensive therapy, she was left with disabilities, including aphasia, a communication disorder that makes it hard for her to speak the thoughts that are clear in her head, which forced her from her job at Stanford. Meyerson refused to let these disabilities stop her from living her life to the fullest and with help from her husband Steve Zuckerman, son Danny Zuckerman, and others, wrote Identity Theft: Rediscovering Ourselves After Stroke, an inspiring look at the emotional journey of stroke recovery. The book includes not only Debra’s story but also those of more than 55 survivors, family members, and healthcare providers she interviewed and her insights as a social scientist who has studied identity for years.
Concurrent with the launch of Identity Theft, Debra and Steve co-founded the nonprofit Stroke Onward to ensure stroke survivors and their supporters have the resources needed to support the emotional journey of stroke recovery. Stroke Onward is organizing its efforts through a three-pronged strategy: raising awareness, creating and sharing resources, and driving institutional change. Current projects include developing and sharing resources to support survivors and their loved ones with the steps to rebuild a rewarding life, one filled with meaning, purpose, and pleasure. Stroke Onward is also partnering with academic institutions to integrate its content into healthcare provider degree program curriculum and evaluating barriers and opportunities to bring more mental health professionals into the stroke system of care.
The American Stroke Association’s annual Stroke Hero Awards honor stroke survivors, health care professionals, and carepartners who want to build more resilient communities. The Association, the world’s leading voluntary organization focused on heart and brain health and research for all, celebrates these heroes during American Stroke Month this May and advocates for stroke survivors year-round. Winners were selected by a nationwide panel of volunteer judges from the American Stroke Association, with the exception of the Voters’ Choice Award, which was selected via online votes.
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