The Day Everything Changed — and the Steps That Brought Me Back
From a devastating stroke at a car show to building a comprehensive recovery toolkit, this is the story of how faith, determination, and evidence-based medicine transformed my life and can transform yours too.
My Recovery Timeline
Five pivotal moments that shaped my journey from stroke to strength
Car-Show Stroke
A beautiful Saturday morning turned into a life-threatening emergency. While admiring classic cars, I suddenly couldn't speak or move my right side.
Research Marathon
As a physician, I dove deep into neuroplasticity research, stroke recovery protocols, and evidence-based rehabilitation methods.
First Unsteady Steps
Every small movement was a victory. From lifting a water bottle to taking my first assisted steps, progress came slowly but surely.
Building the Toolkit
I systematically developed exercises, nutrition plans, and tracking methods that accelerated my recovery beyond expectations.
Launching StrokeOfFaith
Realizing others needed these tools, I created this platform to share hope, practical guidance, and community support.
Car-Show Stroke
A beautiful Saturday morning turned into a life-threatening emergency. While admiring classic cars, I suddenly couldn't speak or move my right side.
Research Marathon
As a physician, I dove deep into neuroplasticity research, stroke recovery protocols, and evidence-based rehabilitation methods.
First Unsteady Steps
Every small movement was a victory. From lifting a water bottle to taking my first assisted steps, progress came slowly but surely.
Building the Toolkit
I systematically developed exercises, nutrition plans, and tracking methods that accelerated my recovery beyond expectations.
Launching StrokeOfFaith
Realizing others needed these tools, I created this platform to share hope, practical guidance, and community support.
"Passive hope wasn't enough — I needed a plan."— Dr. Todd Myers
The Full Story
Preview of My Upcoming Book
INTRO:
There once was a doctor walking around a car show in his hometown when BAM!—suddenly he had a stroke. After getting through the initial "Why me?" and "How did this happen?" questioning, the doctor asked everyone: "How can I get back to my normal life fast?" But nobody had an answer. There was a lot of talk about luck and neuroplasticity and the fact that no one had a crystal ball and could predict these things. It was all depressing and, quite frankly, not helpful at all. But the doctor kept pushing and asking more questions.
The doctor turned to research studies and talked to as many therapists and experts as he could find. It was a lot of work. He had to wade through all the internet scammers promising false hope and all the neurologists who said dumb things like "Hope for the best and prepare for the worst." (What do they teach neurologists in residency?" the doctor thought. He was an OB-GYN and knew in his heart that this stupid saying had no place in the care of patients).
So, the doctor reached out to other stroke survivors on social media and learned what worked and didn't work for them. He talked for hours with therapists, personal trainers, caregivers and any other smart person he could find. When he boiled down all these conversations, he figured out there was only one answer to the stroke problem and that was HIMSELF. He had to control the journey; there was no one there to do it for him. This journey would take time and hard work, but the doctor could find a way to plan and control the hard work and try to make it easier on him and his family.
So, while the doctor was just trying to learn to walk again and get dressed in the morning, he came up with a plan to get and stay on track. He knew that to get through stroke recovery he had to put in hard work. His new, unasked for, full-time job was just to recover. But the doctor also had other things he wanted to do, and he didn't want to be a burden to his family. That's when StrokeOfFaith, a smart phone app came into being. The doctor knew that a solid plan with great checklists would help him go through the recovery process and help his family members who wanted to be supportive but had their own stuff going on. The app provides stroke survivors with all the tools to create a plan to meet two goals: 1. To recover as much function as possible and 2. To not incur another stroke.
The doctor doesn't have a crystal ball and he doesn't just want to sit around and "hope for the best." And if you or a loved one has just had a stroke, then I'm guessing you are the same and want to find practical information on how to get back on track and back to living your best life. In the next StrokeOfFaith chapters, the doctor will outline practical steps to take so that this journey does not consume all your waking hours. You need to have fun and live well, but you also must put in hard work. By reading this book and checking out the StrokeOfFaith app, you will find the balance you need in the recovery process.
CHAPTER 1: All the stages of grief
The epiphany: no one really knows what is going on and how well you will recover
Take home: Knowledge is power
Create my own customized plan based on research and implement it in a strategic way to integrate with my current life. It's my new life journey, not a stroke journey. That's not how I want to be defined.
CHAPTER 2: What is a stroke, medical stuff here.
The take home: I don't want to have another stroke so I need to make some changes
CHAPTER 3: Intake form
Something that doctors, nurses and therapists kept saying to me over and over again was that everyone's journey is different. There are so many factors to consider, like what type of stroke you had, how old you are, and what other health issues you might be facing. Of course these are factors that you can't control. I can't magically make myself into an 18-year-old who is better able to bounce back from this stroke. I also have some other medical conditions like hypertension and hemochromatosis, a genetic blood disease. And the stroke has already happened, so I can't go back in time and change that circumstance.
However, there are other factors that the medical professionals talk about that I do have control over, like working hard in therapy, getting more exercise, connecting with support systems, finding more time to rest and eating healthy food.