Sandra Rosellini Ochoa from World Stroke Organization
SSO member, Asociación Nacional Contra el Infarto Cerebral, A.C. (ANCIC), talks
about her experience of stroke and setting up an organisation.
I was inspired to get involved in stroke support because I had a massive stroke. Stroke
support in Mexico is very weak, with very little
information. As a stroke survivor I realized that no one was talking about
stroke, so my husband and I started a fund to see if we could get enough money
to start an association. It took us many years of personal savings and investigation
before we could begin the association.
The
outcome today is that we have an association legally recognized by the Mexican
Government as a nonprofit association that benefits all Mexicans. We sustain
our project ANCIC through our personal financial commitment as it is so
important for our fellow Mexicans. Stroke
survivors and their families have been very grateful for the information we can
provide at their moment of crisis, as well as preventive written material and
our website. As a stroke survivor I know that you do not necessarily understand
the gravity of what you just experienced and your family is devastated.
We
first approached doctors, and what we found is they have no money, so we went
to the medical associations, and they have no money. We went to the government
and they have no money. The way forward was an alliance with the National Stroke
Association in the USA. There we found a support through a joint alliance because
they had very little material in Spanish. We chose 16 pieces of their
information to translate, taking in the consideration which themes were the
most relevant in Mexico. We presented our written material to the Instituto Nacional de
Neurología y Neurocirugía in Mexico, which approved the
translation.
Later
on we approached Fundación Carlos Slim de la Salud, as they did not have
information about stroke, so now we also have an alliance with them. Now that we
have published materials for doctors, survivors, medical community and their
families, they have all been very grateful and we hope that turns into future
donations to keep our work up to date.
My
husband, my five daughters and my friends have helped in my recovery. They
did not understand what a stroke was and their fear kept some of them from
investigating how to reduce their possibility of a stroke. During my time in hospital
a member of my family was with me every single day. All of my friends were told
to write letters, cards and send pictures so I could remember my past life. I
received flowers gifts and calls, I was never forgotten and I have still have all
those cards and letters from 22 years ago. They
kept me focussed on starting an association.
