So the two years since my stroke have been the best two years of my life. Each one
better than the last. The end of this last year was even better than I could have ever dreamed. I emcee’d a culinary stage at an event called Live On Green in Pasadena where I was able to film a live episode of my podcast The NeuroNerds. That alone would have made a great close to my year. I interviewed two world class chefs and talked about brain healthy foods, stroke and recovery in front of a live audience.
Once I wrapped up the interview, I went right back into emcee mode for the last culinary event of the day. At the end of each 
event we did a raffle for tickets to the GRAMMY Museum at L.A. Live. There was a crowd of maybe 20 people and the winner was a mother and daughter. They were so excited and happy.
Once I finished with the raffle and thanked the chefs and crowd, I did a little mingling with the people. I was chatting about my podcast with a few people and how I was a stroke survivor. I spotted the woman who had won the tickets and her eyes lit up with excitement and, almost in a panic, she pointed passionately to her daughter and said she had had a stroke too! 
I looked at her daughter, a beautiful young Filipino woman, and smiled as we walked towards each other. I introduced myself and asked about her stroke. I had mine at 39 while she had hers at 3 years old. I struggled so much with so many different things during my recovery as an adult. I could only imagine the isolation and confusion she must’ve experienced during her recovery at such a young age.
We sat down at the foot of the stage and as the convention center emptied, we talked. We talked about recovery and family. We talked about life and culture. We talked and talked. The joy I saw in her eyes matched the joy I felt in my heart. We became family instantly.
All of us survivors are part of an exclusive club. I can’t really explain it, but we survivors understand each other. There is something so comforting about talking to someone who truly understands what you’re going through. I have had that feeling with several survivors I have had the pleasure of meeting in person over the last year.
Every time I meet a new survivor, it is a special and unique moment. Meeting Andrea was not only special and unique, it was meant to be. Andrea and her mom didn’t have plans to come to Live On Green that day, but they had stumbled upon it while going for a walk. They weren’t even going to check out the culinary stage if it had not been for the raffle. They won the GRAMMY Museum tickets, but we both won new extended family that day. It was really the best way to close out an amazing 2018. It was also the beginning of a beautiful new year. I look forward to Andrea and I getting to know one another better and continuing to share our stories to help heal ourselves as well as others.
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