Survivor Hero:
Debra Meyerson

Portola Valley, California
“I’m honored to win this award and want to share it with all the people who have supported me in my recovery. I only hope the work we’re doing can make recovery easier, more complete and more rewarding for all stroke survivors in the future.” – Debra Meyerson

Debra Meyerson was a tenured professor at Stanford University, a happily married mother of three and fiercely independent when a severe stroke in 2010 nearly killed her.

She was left with a paralyzed right side and no speech, and she had to rely on others for almost every need.

Meyerson and her husband, Steve Zuckerman, devoted the next three years to her recovery. She relearned how to walk (with a slight limp), speak (with great difficulty due to aphasia), drive and take care of herself.

But she couldn’t return to teaching, mostly because of her speech, which felt like a second trauma.

Faced with an identity crisis, she began a journey of self-discovery that culminated in her 2019 book, “Identify Theft: Rediscovering Ourselves After Stroke.” In it, Meyerson shares her story and that of dozens of other survivors, family, friends, colleagues, therapists and doctors. It provides a valuable look at the broad possibilities for successfully navigating the challenging physical recovery and equally difficult emotional journey toward rebuilding one’s identity and a rewarding life after a trauma.

Meyerson’s book revealed that the medical support system needs to offer survivors and their supporters more resources and guidance to address the emotional impact of stroke. To help fill this critical gap, Meyerson and Zuckerman founded the nonprofit Stroke Onward.

To bring attention to their cause, Meyerson and Zuckerman completed a 100-day, 4,548-mile bike trip across the U.S. in 2022. Along the way, they held 16 community events where they connected with more than 1,000 stroke survivors and advocates.

In addition to her work with Stroke Onward, Meyerson serves on the board of the Pacific Stroke Association, Bay Area Outreach & Recreation Program and Boston University Sargent School Constituent Advisory Board.

She and Zuckerman also write and speak widely on stroke, including in collaborations with the American Stroke Association, Aphasia Access and the National Aphasia Association.

In “Identity Theft,” Meyerson wrote that “our trauma can be an opportunity for sensemaking and can inspire us to be more deliberate in choosing how to live a fulfilled life.”

She has seized that opportunity — encouraging countless stroke survivors along the way.