New Beginnings Stroke Recovery is a group new to both the KTW Christmas Cheer Fund and Kamloops in general, having been created last year after peeling away from the larger Stroke Recovery Association.
New Beginnings president Lorna Friess said she wanted to take the group in a slightly different direction.
“We wanted to have a different sort of group that was more focused on the people of the group and what their needs were,” she explained.
And, as someone whose own stroke occurred in her 40s, she was hoping to create a group that would be more inviting to younger stroke survivors, pointing out there are group members in their 40s and 50s, as well as those more elderly.
Prior to COVID-19 restrictions, the group would meet three times a month for mostly social interactions, such as picnics, with a focus on support and positive experiences.
Though physical-distancing requirements have made that more difficult, Friess is hoping some of the money raised via the KTW Christmas Cheer Fund can help.
“I have been trying to look at different venues to find a bigger space so we can have meetings still, so we can be separated further apart,” she said.
“Unfortunately, it’s been a difficult time for us.”
The group has managed to stay in contact through telephone calls, which Friess said has helped members from becoming too isolated, something she thinks can strike anyone this year, not only stroke survivors.
As the head of a fairly new organization, Friess is hoping to be able to put some of the KTW Christmas Cheer Fund money toward increasing the number of people working with the group, including those in speech therapy and physiotherapy.
She would also like to see group members start an outreach program to connect with stroke survivors while they’re still hospitalized, to help walk them through the process of recovery and take the first steps in rehabilitation.
As it stands now, Friess said, many people are leaving the hospital after a stroke without knowing where to turn for help.
“We have the process that we need in lots of places, but the talking isn’t happening, the communication lines aren’t there,” she said.
“We just have to open that up.”
Those interested in connecting with New Beginnings Stroke Recovery are encouraged to reach out to Friess by email at lornafriess@gmail.com.
Donations to the KTW Christmas Cheer Fund can be made directly at the KTW office at 1365B Dalhousie Dr., which is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Donations can also be made online at kamloopsthisweek.com/cheer, thanks to a partnership with the United Way Thompson Nicola Cariboo, which will also administer tax receipts to all donors.
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