Hi everyone,

My name is Zoie, and I am 12 years old.

This May marks two years since I lost my Grandma Heather, who was also my very best friend, after she suffered a series of strokes.

This year I dedicated my contemporary dance solo, “Dancing in the Sky,” to my grandma. Every time I dance, I think about her and how hard she fought to stay here with the people she loved most.

Before my grandma had her strokes, she was independent, hardworking, funny, and always taking care of everyone else. Then suddenly, her whole life changed overnight.

My grandma had aphasia and developed Foreign Accent Syndrome, which is so rare that since 1907 when FAS was first recorded, only 150 cases are known in the whole entire world. She had to relearn how to speak, read, write, walk, and even hold a pencil again. Watching someone you love go from doing everything on their own to having to relearn the smallest things is really heartbreaking .

But even through everything, my grandma never gave up.

She kept fighting every single day, even on the hardest days.

I know how scary and stressful a stroke can be, not just for the person going through it, but for their whole family too. People should be focused on healing, not worrying about food, bills, transportation, or how they are going to get to appointments.

I have been collecting bottles with my moms help around my community and have already raised $247 so far because I want to help people who are currently recovering from strokes and hopefully make even a small part of their journey a little easier.

This weekend is the last time I will perform my solo at competition this season, and I would really love to honour my grandma by helping other stroke survivors who are fighting just like she did.

With all of the donations, my mom and I will go to our local stroke unit and share it with the patients on the unit who are now stroke survivors. Show them that they are loved and they are not alone in their recovery . I also want to make a special basket for the amazing nurses who cared for these stroke survivors and so many other patients every day with kindness and compassion.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story about my incredible grandma. I miss her every single day, and I am so proud to dance for her this year.

If you are unable to donate, I completely understand. Even sharing my fundraiser would mean the world to me.

In loving memory of Grandma Heather

Loving you always,

-Zoie