“The Luckiest Girl in the World”
I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know Jamie Coyle over the past 6+ years since learning of her stroke in our local paper when she was just 12 years old. Jamie was playing hockey when she had a stroke on the ice. Initial delays in recognizing the stroke warning signs almost cost Jamie her life.
Now 18, Jamie is on a mission to raise public awareness about pediatric stroke. Jamie Coyle is working with an established local writer Paul Lonardo and fellow URI Alum to put her story to paper. I had contacted Paul some time ago to put him in touch with Jamie. After meeting Jamie and her family, Paul was immediately interested in helping to tell her story. Jamie now needs to help pay for publishing costs and is making this public appeal to anyone who is interesting in pediatric stroke and would like to help her in this undertaking. Jamie’s family and I only hope that you will be able to share this message and donation link with other stroke awareness advocates, or post Jamie’s message on the wall of your Facebook page. Your efforts would be very much appreciated. I posted a message to Jamie on her donation page and am copying the note here:
Jamie,
Thanks for being fearless in your efforts to spread stroke awareness. In addition to being the “Luckiest Girl in the World” you know you are also my favorite young Bright Mind in the fight against stroke! I am working on a plan now to help you boost awareness and $ for this cause and help get this important book done. Here’s just one example why we need more awareness:
Perhaps you didn’t know-Stroke Kills more than twice as many American women each and every year as breast cancer. I provide this stat to show there are great efforts and very successful national support and awareness partnerships (i.e.”Go Pink“) around other deserving health awareness missions yet little support is currently available for stroke, especially for the young faces of stroke. Your book needs to get done to let people hear your story because as you know:
- Kids can, and are at alarming rates, having strokes
- Women can have and are having stroke too! Stroke is not just a disease of “old age”.
- Survivors, especially the young, face great obstacles overcoming strokes as do their families.
- Better education in the schools is paramount to address awareness,prevention and prevent bullying.
I would argue that learning about health and the brain is more important to a young person than many of the lessons we are currently trying to teach (and are currently missing from) the “Common Core” . Never Give Up Jamie, your efforts will pay off but it does take a team so all please help Jamie here and I will do my best too! Promise,-DP Dansereau
The information and video on Jamie’s GoFund Me page does a great job giving more of Jamie’s background and mission to spread stroke awareness. In addition, her mom passed along another interview Jamie just completed with a local health blogger here at Grateful Thankful Blessed. Over the years on my Know-Stroke Blog I have covered Jamie’s progress as well and she and her mom have always been there for me whenever I have asked them to pitch in and help spread stroke awareness as part of my Bright Minds Kids Stroke Awareness Campaign.
Here are links to several of those past stories following Jamie Coyle’s Stroke Recovery:
Please Help Young Stroke Survivor Jamie Coyle
Hockey Tribute to Jamie Coyle Big Success
Cumberland Mom Makes Plea to Valley Breeze
What you Need to Know about Stroke (You can learn from a 15 year old survivor)
Post by David Dansereau,MSPT-Know-Stroke.org
