Ian Mackaness is thankful for the help he received after suffering a stroke two years ago, KOB reported.
“I’m able to walk today," Mackaness told the station. "I’m truly grateful for that, you know."
While some die from strokes, many survive, and receiving support afterward is critical.
“Even today, I can’t believe that I started out in a horizontal bed for such a long time and in a wheelchair," Mackaness said.
He wasn’t sure if he’d ever make it out of that bed, as a stroke left him in and out of a coma for weeks and in different hospitals for more than 100 days. Now two years later, he's able to walk.
Although memory of the stroke and the recovery after it is all a blur to him, it's very vivid to his wife, Stefanie Lopez. “We just opened up the door and he was just there having a stroke," Lopez told the station. "His eyes had rolled into the back of his head. He was kinda making a gargling sound, almost like a snoring sound with his breathing."
It hasn’t been an easy journey for Lopez, as she has done everything from watching her husband recover from a stroke all the way to becoming his caregiver. One of the hardest things with that was finding support and resources for him.
“I couldn’t find anything for myself," Lopez said. "The only benefit that I had was that I was already receiving some therapy, so I was able to get in with my therapist, but it was something that I had to seek out."
Lopez and Mackaness have now chosen to begin their own support group, Hope in Crisis, at the North Domingo Baca Multigenerational Center, KOB reported.
The group is meant for anyone impacted by a stroke – survivors and caretakers alike.
“We want people to really get out their feelings and get some support," said Lopez. "There’s a stroke community now because you need a community to get through something like this. We are not meant to do this alone.”
This group is for both support, as well as giving people much-needed hope, Mackaness said.
“It doesn’t come easy, it takes a lot of hard work and energy to get yourself to a middle ground," he said.
The group will begin meeting June 20 and meet every Tuesday at 6 p.m. More information is available at https://www.cabq.gov/seniors/senior-multigenerational-centers/north-domingo-baca-multigenerational-center.