Hi, I’m Tiera Richardson!
I suffered a bilateral cerebellum stroke and I AM NOT YOUR AVERAGE SURVIVOR. I ignite the flame in resilient Stroke/ TBI survivors and help them transition from merely surviving to thriving.
My journey to recovery has not been easy but with the love and support of my husband, son, family, friends, doctors, nurses and therapists, I am stronger and thriving. I would say that it’s an absolute miracle that I don’t look like what I’ve been through. I would attribute some of that to my extraordinary support system. I am so grateful to have had them in my life and I will be indebted to them forever!
Having a stroke was something I would not have anticipated happening to me. I was a healthy wife and a new mom serving in the United States Air Force. But that is the uniqueness about a stroke. This “invisible” disability is often overlooked especially if one doesn’t present the typical deformities or ailments. In my case neither my symptoms nor age met the criteria for stroke victim. It is reported, in the United States about 795,000 people each year are struck by this silent disease.
This statistic became all to real for me in June 2018 just minutes after handing my son over to my husband.
It became painful to watch my condition chip away at my once “normal” life. I was 30 years old with an 8-month-old son when I had my strokes. This stripped away the sacred bond of me breastfeeding due to all of the medications that I had to take. I had to retire from the Air Force, I could no longer work alongside my husband who was running several of our family businesses. He was now running the business without me plus serving as my caregiver. This truly tested our marital vowels (through sickness & health) after only 2 years of marriage. I must admit that was very hard to accept. Being physically, mentally and emotionally drained became my reality. My greatest pain came when I thought of my son. I wondered, will I be able to chase him around at home or at the park? Will I be able to protect him and keep him safe? The time and energy I would have taken to teach him was now consumed with relearning basic fundamentals. These questions along with so many others empowered me to start Strokes 2 Life Initiative. S2Life gave me the opportunity to help others navigate these questions and provide other services that I needed to recover.
OUr Mission Statement
Our Vision
About Our Organization
Outlook after survival is key!
The burden of stroke lies in the high mortality but the vast results in up to 50% of survivors being chronically disabled. Stroke is a pandemic of immense public health importance with severe economic and social consequences.
Strokes 2 Life works to reduce the impact and likelihood of strokes in higher risk communities. We know that 80% of strokes are preventable, with the right educational and financial tools in communities.
Our goal is help people learn how to prevent and lessen the impact of strokes. If you’d like to participate in one of our community educational programs, please contact us using this form.
S2L is here to preserve, enhance and change the trajectory of all lives. While some strokes are preventable, others are not. Unfortunately recovery after a stroke/ TBI (traumatic brain injury) effects everyone involved. We are here to uplift all caregivers, spouses and family members along the way. The S2L family’s goal is to position everyone to go from merely surviving to thriving. If you want to get connected, join our next monthly Surviving 2 Thriving Round Table Talk.
Global Reach is My Goal
- US 795,000 people suffer from stroke
- Canada in 2000 stroke accounted for 7% of deaths- 15,409 Canadians,
- Europe average 650,000 strokes deaths each year
- Worldwide: 15 million people suffer stroke worldwide each year. Of these, 5 million die and another 5 million are permanently disabled.
- Strokes death rates are higher for African American than for whites, even at a younger age.
Would you like to help out?
We always appreciate donations or volunteers.