Exactly one month ago, I was in Africa building local, real-time private payments when I got the call: my dad in the US had a ๐ต๐ฒ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ต๐ฎ๐ด๐ถ๐ฐ ๐๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ธ๐ฒ. I flew home immediately. After 4 years & 30 countries on the road, I did not know if I would make it in time, but I promised myself that if he survived, I would stay, care for him, and build my way out of it. After a month living between the hospital and inpatient rehab, I am grateful to say he is close to mostly recovered, though full recovery will take time.
๐ง๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ ๐ป๐ถ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ. Stroke is one of the largest unmet health challenges in the world. Every year, it causes approximately 7 million deaths, making it the world's second-leading cause of death (in China #1) and one of the leading causes of long-term disability.
Stroke can upend nearly everything: thinking, speaking, movement, eating, work, and relationships. It can affect speech, swallowing, mobility, memory, mood, vision, and independence simultaneously. For the ~๐ต๐ฐ ๐บ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ, (12 million yearly new strokes), recovery is not a moment. It is a long journey of rebuilding daily life, and it remains deeply underserved by modern technology .I also learned how much of recovery happens outside the hospital. Therapy becomes homework. Paperwork becomes a second job. Progress depends on advocacy. Not everyone has someone who can be there 24/7 to coordinate care, manage insurance, catch errors, and build the custom workarounds that keep things moving.I watched the gaps firsthand: doctors unsure of stroke subtype, nurses losing context between shifts, meals not matching swallowing needs, meds going missing, and no clear โtransition homeโ toolkit. This was in one of the nicest parts of the world, but it is even more devastating in places with fewer resources, where a lack of resources directly leads to higher death rates.I am deeply grateful for my dadโs recovery. I am thankful for the ability to use software to speed up his recovery & for the clarity this has given me to continue this journey, not only for my family, but for all of your families as well.
Today, I am proud to announce the formation of
stroke.technology (
@stroke_tech): a ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐ ๐๐๐๐ฑ๐ถ๐ผ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐ฏ๐๐ถ๐น๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐น๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ด๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐. In the upcoming months, our team is constantly launching, so sign up for our waitlists. If you have a loved one impacted by stroke, I am here to help.