For a stroke survivor, the rehabilitation goal is to be as independent and productive as possible and family members play a key role in their loved one's recovery.

Stroke club leader Dianna Highsmith says "Recovery is not limited to the first week, the first six months, the first year. We have had people who have started walking 2 years later. There are things that can be done."

Stroke club member Lucy Callahan says "Seven years, I am talking a little bit better, words are coming. I am so stubborn."

Dianna says that these stroke club members are living proof that continued recovery is possible and this club gives them the opportunity to do it together. "It gives them a chance to exercise, it gives them a chance to see other stroke survivors and to realize that this has happened too, that they're possibly not the person that has had the worst stroke in the world."

John Biffar says that after spending just a few minutes with the members of the stroke club, what I walked away knowing that education is vital, and knowing the signs of a stroke can save your life.

Dianna also says "Confused speech, sudden headaches, sudden inability to use one side of the body, sudden numbness in an arm or a leg. You need to call 911 and tell them that you might be having a stroke."

A stroke can happen to anyone at anytime. How a stroke affects a patient depends on where the stroke occurs in the brain. This club helps stroke survivors along the long road to recovery.

The stroke club is for stroke survivors and their caregivers, it's free to join, and you just need your doctor's permission to participate. For more information you can call 239-768-8645.