Steps of Resilience: From Recovery to the Wedding Aisle It was not what she expected. Working full-time at a county hospital in Dallas and planning her wedding, Melissa Zawisza’s busy life came to a sudden halt when she experienced a cardiac arrest. She also had an anoxic brain injury. There were troubling signs. Shortly after returning from her bachelorette party, Melissa thought she had a mino...

Patient Finds New Path After Motorcycle Accident On September 19, 2022, Kevin Nicosia, a hard-working father of four, was enjoying a motorcycle ride just 1 mile from his home in Baton Rouge, Louisiana when he suddenly crashed. As he was airlifted to the local hospital, Kevin was only able to recall his wife’s name, Annette, and her phone number. Kevin suffered multiple skull fractures and a seve...

Gerald’s Journey Through Levels of Care After a Stroke Gerald Sanders enjoyed the weekend with his family when he didn’t feel right and checked into Dignity Health’s Marian Regional Medical Center on March 24, 2024. He was dehydrated, vomiting, and had elevated blood pressure. Gerald suffered a stroke early the next morning. “To get a jumpstart on my recovery, receiving acute care and transition...

From Accident to Author: A Patient’s Resilience Through Brain Injury On September 7, 2019, 22-year-old Emily Owen was walking her dog on their usual evening route through her small-town college neighborhood. With just one semester left before graduation, Emily’s life halted in an instant when she was struck by a car. Her dog, Teddy, passed away at the scene, while Emily fell into a near-coma and...

A Patent Attorney’s Triumph Over Brain Injury Jinesh Patel, a 39-year-old lawyer, had been working at his dream job as a patent attorney for a software technology company in Austin, Texas for just over a year. But on February 12, 2023, when he was at a Super Bowl party with his wife and two young children, Jinesh went into cardiac arrest. He was in a coma for weeks, and a lack of oxygen to the b...

Daughters Support Father Through Stroke Recovery This Father’s Day, Teresa (T) Shubin reflects on her father’s unexpected injury and shares gratitude for his second chance at life. “My dad is not the same dad, but he’s loving and respecting who he is now,” she says. T’s father, 74-year-old David Rechnitzer, worked full-time in the medical field, loved spending time with his grandchildren, and wa...

Swimmer Dives Back in After Stroke An avid swimmer, Andrew Chi regularly swam 2 miles in the ocean in Santa Monica, California. During a typical swim on a hot summer day in July 2023, Andrew suddenly lost feeling in his left arm. He suffered a hemorrhagic stroke, which occurs when an artery in the brain leaks blood or ruptures. After being saved in the ocean by his friends, Andrew was rushed to ...

Stroke Patient’s Positive Outlook Is Key to Success After a successful career in corporate business, consulting, and accounting, Carol Meyer retired in April 2022. She and her husband Geoff were ready to begin their year-long global travel adventure. But in early 2023, Carol had noticed irregular sleep patterns through her Fitbit sleep tracker. She was soon diagnosed with heart arrhythmia,...

Former Patient Celebrates Retirement 9 years After Stroke    Donna Oakey began her career with Antelope Valley Medical Center in 1986, starting as a billing clerk then working her way up to a management level role. On the morning of January 20, 2015, Donna was getting up to go to work when something felt a little different. Donna experienced a brain aneurysm and her friend immediately called 911...

Doctor Learns New Perspective After Stroke Former CNS patient Dr. Michael (Mike) Petersen – an Austin-based medical expert with over 20 years of health industry experience – suffered a stroke in June 2023, which has reshaped his perspective on life. Mike accepted a new position as Chief Medical Officer of Aetna CVS Health just one month prior to his stroke. As a lifelong advocate for health equi...

Former Patient Rediscovers His Passion After Injury Tom Roberts never thought he would return to a normal life after suffering a traumatic brain injury thirty years ago. In 1993, 25-year-old Tom had graduated college, married his wife, Deana, and was working as a mechanical draftsman. But on May 30, Tom fell from a horse while roping calves and hit his head. He was immediately taken to the hospi...

Young Stroke Survivor’s Journey to College  At just 17 years old, Samarth Kunhody was a Boy Scout, took advanced high school classes, and was eagerly applying for colleges to pursue a degree in Data Science. But while touring prospective colleges in Southern California in July 2022, Samarth felt the worst headache of his life. Samarth suffered a stroke and was quickly admitted to Miller’s Childr...