Katherine Wolf’s life has included some surprising turns but one thing is clear: she knows what motivates her and how to push through adversity. A mom of two, she has survived multiple strokes and the rehabilitation process needed to continue not only surviving but thriving as a wife, mother and speech language pathologist, a major career shift.

February is Heart Health Awareness Month, an observance dedicated to raising awareness of cardiovascular health, including stroke and heart attack.

Katherine’s first stroke happened in 2018 when she was 24, only seven weeks after giving birth to her son, Everett, in Fort Worth, Texas. Although Katherine experienced pre-eclampsia that led to months of bedrest during her pregnancy, the stroke came as a shock that confused even her medical team at first.

“My son was in the NICU [neonatal intensive care unit] for three weeks and we were excited to come home. Four weeks later, my arm went numb. My shoulder was locked and initially, doctors thought it might be a problem related to insulin. They didn’t recognize it as a stroke,” said Katherine. “I couldn’t raise my arm past my clavicle area.”

By the time Katherine returned from getting an x-ray, of which she has no recollection, she could barely walk. The treating physician sent her home with the hope a good night of sleep would help. She woke up screaming in pain a few hours later. Katherine’s husband, Steven, rushed her to the hospital, where staff agreed her symptoms pointed to a stroke but it wasn’t showing up in related imaging. She went by ambulance to Dallas to access better imaging machines.

Katherine’s diagnosis is Moyamoya Disease, a condition that causes brain vessels to become smaller and stenose, becoming so narrow that blood cannot flow through, causing an ischemic stroke. The pre-eclampsia, with its characteristic high blood pressure, actually saved her life because it kept the blood vessels from getting too small, thereby preventing a hemorrhagic stroke.

“I couldn’t walk, talk, read or write but I had the best possible motivation to work through the issues one day at a time, literally one step at a time, and relearn everything,” she said, recalling how much she worked to gain life skills that would allow her to care for herself and her son. “I started reading my baby’s board books. Then, I moved on to children’s books and chapter books.”

Intensive therapies filled her life, which even included practicing holding her son by working up from a five-pound weighted blanket to a 10-pound weighted blanket and eventually having her baby as part of certain sessions to ensure she would be able to carry and care for him.

“The time from being unable to do those things to being functional again was about a year and a half,” said Katherine. “I was in and out of the hospital for about 100 days.”

Certain deficits continue for Katherine, such as mild aphasia, or loss of language, in certain situations, mild information processing issues and mild multitasking issues.

When Katherine’s neuropsychologist told her she could not return to a career in teaching, she listened to the many professionals in her life who suggested she would be an excellent speech language pathologist. After regaining basic life skills, Katherine decided to pursue a new and unexpected path in life. She completed her bachelor of science degree in communication disorders and deaf education at Utah State University and master of science degree in medical speech language pathology at the Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions.

Over the past four years, Katherine has since had two brain surgeries and nine more strokes, including one the day after her second child, daughter Rebekah was born in 2019.

“The grief of motherhood or the lack of it hadn't set in yet,” said Katherine. “I felt very afraid the day after my daughter was born because I knew all of the things that would come with it. Through it all, I had to learn to advocate for myself and take breaks. I also had to learn to allow myself to know that every day I have to fight for myself and my kids and my family.”

Katherine is originally from Georgia and Steven was actually born in Bakersfield before his family moved to northern California. The couple, who met in Texas, agreed to move closer to family to raise their children, now ages 3 and 5, who live in Orange County. Through field connections, Katherine was offered a job at Encompass Health Inpatient Rehabilitation Hospital. Her husband teaches English at Ridgeview High School. The move was complete just this past August, making their dreams of family connections come true.

Life has changed so much for Katherine over the past few years but she continues to learn from every experience. April will mark the fifth anniversary of her first stroke and she plans to celebrate it as a survivor.

“Looking back, having a stroke while being a new mom was the best reason to heal. I had something to fight for. I encourage all my patients to find their something to fight for. I always ask my patients ‘What is your goal of what you want to be able to do when you leave this hospital?’ That’s what will make the difference in their recovery.”

Q. What do you wish the general public better understood about health conditions like the stroke you experienced?

A. I wish the general public didn't assume people who struggle with heart and stroke eat fried food all the time or are unhealthy people.

Heart attacks and strokes don't discriminate. Yes, heart health is a big part of it but a stroke can happen to anyone.

Q. Motherhood can be a lonely and isolating phase of life, especially when children are young.  What advice do you have for respite and renewal for moms?

A. It's okay not to be okay and it is also important not to listen to the world and social media about what kind of mom we should be. They don't know us. They don't know our stories and all that we're going through postpartum, whether or not that includes depression. Finally, seek out community. Research has proven community changes people.