BILLINGS — The Rehabilitation Hospital of Montana is launching a new stroke community support group, giving survivors in Billings a place to connect with others who understand their journey.
The group aims to bring stroke survivors together, offer support, and show them they are not alone in their recovery.
Watch the full story below of the support group:
The Rehabilitation Hospital of Montana CEO Jonda Johnson says recovery doesn't stop when patients go home.
"You can come back and and meet with like people and really have that that community of people who understand what you're going through and maybe can help you," Johnson said.
The hospital also supports the families of stroke survivors.
"We also help their families kind of learn how to care for them afterwards, so that they're successful and going home and getting back into the community," Johnson said.
For stroke survivor Jessica Cotton, the journey began on Aug. 26.
"I don't remember much, actually, of that whole night," Cotton said.
Cotton, a nurse, was with a friend one evening when she thought she was having a migraine. Being a nurse, she knew it was much worse than a migraine.
Her condition rapidly worsened.
"About 5 a.m., I said, 'Please call the ambulance. I think I'm having a stroke.' Because at that point, I could no longer move my right side, top or bottom," Cotton said.
At the Rehabilitation Hospital of Montana, Cotton began relearning skills many people take for granted.
"They got me up and walking within days. They've been training to do better walking because when you have a stroke, your brain forgets to do things the right way," Cotton said.
But recovery didn't end when she left the hospital.
"I didn't walk out of here and have just my life back. You know, I have a long time. I still have a long recovery, a lot of work to do," Cotton said.
Cotton says she wants the chance to connect with others who have lived through the same experience.
"I want to have the opportunity to talk to other stroke survivors who have been able to say, 'Yeah, I used to put my garbage in the wrong place and, you know, it got better when I did X, Y, and Z,'" Cotton said.
While support from friends, family, and medical teams has been of value, Cotton says there's something unique about talking with someone who has walked the same path.
"I've been the encourager and I've been the person who gets to share those things with their family. And at the same time, now I'm the person receiving those things. And it's helpful, but having those things from somebody who's lived it is a different story," Cotton said.
