Alyssa with expenses for a Speech program

Hi, my name is Dawn. I’m helping my daughter Alyssa raise money for lodging, food and transportation while attending the UCF Intensive Aphasia program in Orlando, Florida, for six weeks at the end of August.

Alyssa was trying to find a way to fundraise instead of just asking for the money, so she came up with a great idea! For every donation, we will enter you into a drawing for one of Alyssa’s first paintings with her new venture, “Stroke of Art,” selling original artwork on Etsy & vendor shows. The winner will be chosen before she leaves at the end of August, date TBD.

All the money collected will go towards the UCF Aphasia therapy program costs (as previously mentioned) in Orlando and future speech therapy costs if anything is left over. Thank you all so much for considering a donation.

Read on to learn more about Alyssa's full story.

Alyssa was attending college online and working as an au pair in Ireland. Right after her 20th Birthday, she suffered a massive stroke for unknown reasons. Because of Alyssa’s age, doctors assumed she was having an overdose. Although she had clear signs of a stroke, she was treated as if she were an overdose patient when time was most critical. When Alyssa was admitted, she couldn’t walk, talk, breathe or eat on her own; she had pneumonia and a collapsed lung, and If that wasn’t enough, her brain started to swell, requiring a craniotomy.

The following 2 1/2 months, Alyssa spent in the hospital re-learning how to do everything over again

Alyssa's stroke left her with two things.

The first is Aphasia. Aphasia is a complex language and communication disorder affecting the production or comprehension of speech and the ability to read or write. Around a third of people who have a stroke will experience Aphasia. Aphasia doesn't affect intellegence, just the ability to communicate. How amazingly frustrating!

The best thing that can be done for someone with Aphasia is constant repetition.

Intensive therapy programs like this one are proven to help people with Aphasia with daily, long repetitive days in a Six-week timeframe.

Alyssa wants to advocate for young stroke survivors and educate people, including the medical field and people with Aphasia. She knows she can make more of an impact with the ability to talk fluently and plans to make a difference.

The second thing the stroke left her with was a creative spark that was never there before. Alyssa has decided to open an Etsy store called “Stroke of Art,” which is still in the planning stages to help cover the speech therapy costs, which are unfortunately no longer covered by insurance. We hope you enjoy her artwork and are proud that it brings awareness to Aphasia.

Please feel free to ask questions.

Fun fact- Alyssa just had a docuseries done about her story of living with Aphasia from the company Lingraphica called “Their words.” Check it out!

https://vimeo.com/709324091