ST. LOUIS — Chances are you've taken a bike ride this summer. Now, meet the couple who has been on their bike every day since May 18.
Debra Meyerson and Steven Zuckerman are a wife and husband team riding tandem across the country on a bike ride called Stroke Across America.
Their amazing ride began in Oregon 62 days ago, and they've now made it to Missouri.
On Wednesday, July 20, they'll make a stop and celebrate with local stroke survivors at the Sons of Rest Pavilion in Tower Grove Park.
The public is invited to the celebration from 6 to 8 p.m.
Devastating brain attack
Debra Meyerson was a healthy, fit, working mother of three when she had a major stroke in 2010.
She was working as a professor at Stanford University when it changed her life forever.
At just 53, Debra was unable to work, speak, or be physically active in the ways she once was.
She still struggles with aphasia, a language disorder that affects a person's ability to communicate.
But Debra refuses to let her disabilities stop her from living life to the fullest.
Now halfway through their 4,300-mile cycling journey across the United States, she and her husband are inspiring thousands as they raise awareness about the complex challenges of recovering from a stroke.
Stroke allies on the road
Debra and Steven are joined by two other survivors, Michael Obel-Omia and Whitney Hardy.
Obel-Omia is an educator who suffered a stroke in 2016.
He also experiences aphasia and uses poetry as a way to communicate. He’s even published a book titled Finding My Words: Aphasia Poetry.
Also on the trip is Whitney Hardy who was hit by a car in Boston, Massachusetts, while running after work and suffered life-threatening traumatic brain injuries.
All four plan to complete their amazing bike journey when they ride into Boston on Aug. 26.
Facts about stroke
According to the Stroke Across America website, over 800,000 people in the United States suffer from a stroke each year, resulting in the No. 1 cause of adult-onset disability.
Survivors can spend years working to improve their post-stroke physical capabilities.
Yet there are gaps in the stroke system of care when it comes to enhancing and supporting survivors’ emotional health and the process of rebuilding identities and rewarding lives.
Stroke Across America invites everyone to Join the Journey in person or online by following daily video stories on Instagram, attending an event, or riding virtually with the team.
For more information, please visit strokeacrossamerica.org.