Press Room

Youtube video cover of a biking group on the ocean
3 Minute Video of
Stroke Across America Highlights
Youtube video cover of a married couple bike riding
MIT Alumni Feature of
Stroke Across America

More than 800,000 people in the United States — 13.7 million worldwide — experience a stroke every year.

After a medical trauma like stroke, survival is job one. Job two is working to regain as many and as much of former capabilities as possible.

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Final Celebration at Boston University

But there is another less visible and sometimes even more challenging aspect of recovery - the emotional journey to rebuild identities and rewarding lives.

Leading a fulfilling and rewarding life after stroke is possible, even in the face of disabilities.

Stroke Across America was not just a bike ride – it was a journey to raise awareness about stroke, aphasia, and the need to fully support the emotional journey in recovery from traumas like stroke.

The trip was organized and led by stroke survivor Debra Meyerson (Stanford professor) and her husband, Steve Zuckerman (nonprofit executive), co-founders of the nonprofit Stroke Onward. They were joined by two other survivors, Whitney Hardy and Michael Obel-Omia, and more than 100 others who joined for a day, a week, or more. Over 100 days and 4,548 miles the team hosted 16 community events that reinforced and advanced the foundation of Stroke Onward’s work:

There is a gap in the healthcare system. Stroke is, appropriately, treated as a critical care intervention, but there is little or no support for the chronic condition of life with disabilities that is the ongoing reality for most survivors.

Survivors and their families are desperate for more resources to help them navigate the emotional journey to rebuild their identities and rewarding lives.

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A man being assisted while he gives a speech to a crowd
A group of bikers for a charity

Press kit

Download web-ready photos, bike route map, video highlights, stroke awareness social images, and logos.

Press Release November 17, 2022 | Press Release August 11, 2022 | Press Release July 25, 2022 

Schedule an interview

Zoom Requests/Ride Questions
Flannery O’Neil
Executive Director
Stroke Onward
P: 602-317-8095
E: flannery@strokeonward.org

Media Coverage Highlights

For a full list of media stories and interviews go here.

10/19/22 – See Why This Stroke Survivor Biked 4,500 Miles Across the US – MIT Alumni

9/1/22 – Pedaling for stroke awareness, cross-country riders from Portola Valley reach East Coast – The Almanac

8/29/22 – “Stroking Across America:” One Survivor’s Journey – MGH Institute of Health Professions

8/27/22 – Truckee woman biking across America for brain injury awareness makes it to Boston – KCRA

8/21/22 – Vermont Conversation: Stroke survivors bike across America to raise awareness and hope – Vermont Conversations

8/5/22 – Cross-country bike trip to raise awareness about strokes stops in Detroit – The Detroit News

8/5/22 – Deb Meyerson, stroke survivor and ex-Stanford professor, bikes across America bringing lessons and hope – The Buffalo News

7/22/22 – Barrington cyclist, educator and stroke survivor is riding across the country, to show the world he can – Boston Globe

5/18/22 – Recovering from stroke, ex-Stanford professor launches cross-country bike ride – The Mercury News After a stroke in 2010, at age 53, Debra Meyerson has learned to accept that she can no longer work, speak or be physically active in the ways she once was, but that hasn’t stopped her from moving forward.

5/14/22 – Truckee woman set to cycle across the country after traumatic brain injury – KCRA Whitney Hardy’s goal is to raise awareness for traumatic brain injury survivors while testing physical, cognitive and emotional limits.

5/14/22 – Ladera couple’s cross-country bike trip focuses on stroke and aphasia awareness – The Almanac Meyerson has aphasia and speaks haltingly, searching for the right words to express herself, yet in an interview she says in a clear voice, “Eleven years since my stroke, I’m still doing therapy and still getting better.”

5/11/22 – Debra Meyerson and Steve Zuckerman to participate in Stroke Across America – InMenlo

3/18/22 – Barrington man goes the distance to raise awareness about stroke  – WJAR, NBC 10 News “Everything I have, intellect, every idea, I have in my mind. But trying to speak is very difficult,” said Obel-Omia who is finding his words, but he works hard.”

Additional resources

If you are interested in writing about our work, we would love to help.  A lot of background information lives throughout this site, but you might find these pages particularly helpful:

If you are looking for more general background and data on stroke and recovery to support a piece focused on Stroke Onward and our mission, you might want to consult the following resources which we have found to be very helpful.