“I was sent home that day with directions to get a massage. I was told, ‘You’re going to be fine.’ The next morning, my left carotid artery burst into my brain. I’d had a massive stroke. I was mute. I now have brain damage, cognitive and word finding issues, hearing loss and the right side of my body is numb. I had to learn how to speak, read, write and rewire my brain to do simple, everyday tasks.
“From day one, the law firm circled up to help me. I’m here today because of so much love, support, kindness and generosity. The partners, wives and staff brought me meals, took me to medical appointments, visited me, took me for walks and held my job for eight months—hoping I could return. I couldn’t.
“I needed intense speech therapy but my insurance only covered 12 visits. Those were already used upon my release from the hospital,” she says. “Pat Emery [senior partner at the firm] was the first to help. He paid out of his pocket to get me into speech therapy immediately after I left the ICU and did so for several months. Dick Abbey [senior partner] then went to the other partners for support to help me, and it was a unanimous decision. Mike Green [partner] stood by me and made sure I was getting any additional help I needed. They’re my true ‘Hidden Heroes.’ Bart Weitzenberg, Brenden Kunkle, David Berry, Mitch Greenberg, and Lewis Warren, too. I went through two and a half years of therapy. They paid for it all. I’m so very grateful to them!”
“She’d been an employee for a long time,” says Emery of the incident. “We were saddened by her stroke. But we were in a position to help, and so we did.”
Today, Birkedal speaks on behalf of stroke survivors through the American Heart/Stroke Association to bring awareness, education and knowledge, especially to women, about recognizing the risk factors and symptoms of a stroke. “Because we’re women, we often take care of others but don’t necessarily do so for ourselves when we feel something’s wrong. I’ll do anything I can to empower women to be their own advocates and raise awareness.”
