When Contessa “Tess” Siders watched her 80-year-old grandmother recover from a stroke, she never dreamed it would happen to her. But just a few weeks later, on Sept. 25, 2014, Tess was at home with her husband, Aaron, when she exhibited classic stroke signs and collapsed. Aaron watched his 33-year-old wife struggle to speak as he quickly dialed 911. Tess was stabilized at St. Luke’s Regional Medical Center in Sioux City, Iowa, before her admission to Madonna.
The stroke ravaged the right side of Tess’s body, restricting her mobility and speech. Tess’s radiant smile and positivity remained intact and fueled her daily, intense therapies. Giving up wasn’t an option for the determined young woman. Aaron and a legion of family and friends offered their continual support.
Tess created mini-steps toward major goals. Those first tentative steps empowered her toward milestones, like walking from her room to the therapy gym. The turning point in her recovery was confronting her stroke. “Just because you’ve been knocked down, doesn’t mean you can’t rebound from it,” said Tess.
Communication was one of the toughest obstacles for the outgoing Iowan. “Doctors couldn’t pinpoint why I had an ischemic stroke,” said Tess, who struggled with aphasia, a communication disorder caused by damage to her brain. Tess worked through the frustration of fumbling for words and understanding written and spoken language. Hours of repetitive therapy helped refine her speech and thought-process.
“Tess is a truly inspirational woman,” said Kasia Richardson, speech-language pathologist. “She never let her post-stroke deficits stand in her way of recovery.”
Within six weeks, Tess regained movement in her arm, passed her driving evaluation and swapped her wheelchair for a cane. On Nov. 21, 2014, Tess met her final goal to walkout the front doors of Madonna.
Tess volunteers at a local hospital and continues to progress in outpatient therapy. Aaron and Tess helped create a stroke advocacy group in their community to assist stroke survivors and their loved ones. The young couple is the sympathetic voice of experience for people recently impacted by stroke.
Tess remains a fighter and pushes herself every day. She enjoys walks with Aaron, riding horses, boating and hopes to return to riding her motorcycle. If anyone notices she can’t do something, Tess responds emphatically, “I can’t do it … YET!” She won’t let the stroke limit her hopes and dreams. Tess lives by her creed: Don’t Mess with Tess!
Contessa Siders – 2016 GOAL Award
