Stroke education group hosting 5K run, walk in Stockton today

After experiencing a stroke in 2003, Mary Nicholson established Healings In Motion, a nonprofit organization with a mission of educating the public about strokes and supporting those recovering from strokes.

Today, Healings In Motion is hosting the Brain Health to Beat Stroke 5K Run Walk and Roll at McLeoad Lake Park in Stockton to raise funds to support its mission.

Registration will kick off at 7 a.m., and will be followed by a rally at 8 a.m. The run will begin at 8:15 a.m. Following the competitive 5K run there will be a Champions Walk for stroke survivors.

The event will include several vendors with informational activities and goody bags. Walgreens will be providing water to race participants.

Healings In Motion is a patient-driven agency that serves a significant population of people who have had strokes, brain injuries and brain attacks, Nicholson said. To help prevent strokes, Healings in Motion also includes educational support to focus on the symptoms that trigger strokes.

Nicholson said being aware of the signs of stroke is the key to a successful recovery.

Nicholson says she was grieving the loss of her husband when she had her stroke in 2003. Her friend was there and was able to call the ambulance and get her to the hospital quickly. However, when she arrived at the hospital she was seated in a chair and not treated immediately, Nicholson said.

“The reality is at that time a lot of paramedics or emergency medical services personnel weren’t that trained in understanding the stroke symptoms and triage at the hospital couldn’t identify I was having a stroke,” she said.

By the time the doctors saw her, the symptoms were too far gone and her prognosis was grim. Nicholson underwent a craniotomy and fortunately doctors were able to save her life.

After her stroke, she suffered a lot of cognitive damage and faced many physical challenges. She also underwent almost five years of physical therapy and recovery. After seeing the need for more stroke education first hand, her vision to promote stroke awareness and advocate for better stroke care was born.

“I realized that my life had a new purpose to help other people in our community who also were challenged with a stroke and other brain-related illnesses,” she said

She started out by establishing the Central Valley Recovery, Awareness, Preventing Strokes Program and partnered with the Health Plan of San Joaquin. Nicholson began featuring experts on different aspects of the brain in an effort to educate the public about stroke awareness. She also offered and videotaped educational workshops and distributed the tapes to medical centers around the county so that they would have up-todate information on strokes. Nicholson also advocated that medical facilities in the area become certified stroke centers.

In 2007 she established Healings In Motion and continued those efforts.