Support Sunny's Road to Recovery After a Devastating Stroke

Dear friends, family, supporters,

On the morning of November 30th, 2023, our lives were turned upside down. During an important client presentation at work, Sunny Kwok suffered a severe hemorrhagic stroke. Thankfully, a vigilant colleague recognized the signs early, and Sunny was rushed to the hospital. Despite the quick response, the stroke has left him with significant challenges. Sunny lost mobility on the right side of his body—his dominant side. He can't move his right arm or leg and struggles to speak or swallow.

This devastating event happened just three weeks before our planned trip to visit Sunny's family in Asia, where we were looking forward to celebrating his birthday together. Instead of a joyful family reunion, we were faced with a long and uncertain road to recovery.

Stroke recovery is a grueling process. Full recovery can take up to 3-5 years, and it may be 1-2 years before Sunny can even consider returning to work. To add to our difficulties, Sunny lost his job while still hospitalized, just when we needed his health insurance the most. As his wife, I had to put my career on hold to full-time care for him.

Timeline of Care and Why Every Second Matters

Sunny was admitted to the Neuro ICU at Bellevue Hospital, where we faced the scariest 8 days of our lives. Once he was stable, he was transferred to the acute stroke unit, and later to NYU Langone Rusk Rehab Center to begin intensive rehabilitation. At Rusk, Sunny received daily Neurotherapy including physical, occupational, and speech, dedicating 5-6 hours each day to help rewire his neural pathways and relearn basic skills — how to move his arms and legs, swallow, speak his name, communicate, and care for himself. We're incredibly grateful for the medical and therapy teams that cared for Sunny, helped him along the way, and set him up to begin a successful recovery.

The first 12 months after a stroke are crucial for maximizing recovery, as the brain is most adaptable during this time, forming new neural connections and relearning lost skills. The majority of functional recovery typically occurs within this period, including improvements in mobility, speech, cognitive abilities, and daily activities. Intensive rehabilitation during these early months is essential, as progress tends to slow after the first year.

Before this devastating event, Sunny was an active, creative soul with a deep love for his work, movies, travel, and Star Wars. Knowing the survival rate for hemorrhagic stroke is only around 26.7%, makes us even more grateful that Sunny is still with us today. We celebrated seven months since Sunny came home, and he continues to work incredibly hard in his outpatient therapies at Rusk. He’s making steady progress in regaining his strength, stability, and becoming more self-sufficient. However, we still have a long road ahead.

Sunny’s acute physical and occupational therapy program is coming to an end, and he is set to be discharged soon. Unfortunately, his recovery is still in the early stages, and to continue his therapy, we will need to seek private care and pay out-of-pocket. We need your help to ensure that Sunny continues receiving the care he needs to regain his full independence.

The donations we collect on Sunny’s behalf will go towards:

Your support, whether through donations or by sharing Sunny’s story, will make a world of difference in his recovery journey. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your kindness, generosity, and encouragement during this challenging time.

With all our love and gratitude,

Miao