a
Advocate
An Active Lifestyle to Combat Neurological Disorders Stroke victim Karin Linner shares about life after a stroke
More than 600 neurological disorders exist each year in the United States. Globally, 10.8% of all deaths per year are caused by strokes. In the United States, strokes are the number three leading cause of death. Outdoor Mindset—a non profit aiming to unite and inspire people affected by neurological challenges through a common passion for the outdoors—works to educate people on neurological disorders and to give support to survivors. Their mission is founded on the fact that social connections positively influence health and that being active outdoors helps people recover from and prevent these disorders. This year, Karin Linner is teaming up with Outdoor Mindset to create a documentary of her forthcoming bike journey from Boulder, Colorado, to New York City. She hopes to inspire, learn, and educate along the way about the stroke she had two and a half years ago. Her aim is to promote the benefits of a healthy lifestyle, inside and out. We interviewed Karin to get the full scoop on the documentary and to learn how she came back from a life-threatening illness.
karin is all smiles at ironman Zurich.
44
WAM • SUMMER | 2012
We asked Karin to shed more light on the cycling documentary, set to begin in late April. “I decided to start a Documentary Film Project and educate others about stroke. What do we know about it? Who are the faces of stroke? What do leading professionals have to say? How do we recognize stroke and what measures should we take? To what extent can we prevent it from happening?” The documentary will follow her cross-country ride, during which she’ll ask Americans what they know about stroke and also talk to stroke survivors and family members.
Karin hopes to learn about recent trends in stroke from medical professionals she interviews along the way, and discover what, if anything, women can do to prevent stroke. “Hopefully I’ll convince some of the people I meet to join me in making pedal strokes for the cause!” Karin also wants to spread the message that having a stroke, or life-threatening illness, is not the end of the road. She works at the Colorado Athletic Club five days a week and also runs a massage therapy business out of her home. An extremely active woman, Karin’s bike is her only form of transportation; she doesn’t own a car. “I typically get groceries on my ride home, put them in my backpack, and go home to work on clients. I also just started climbing and, sometimes, I go to the climbing gym. Overall, my days are pretty active back and forth.” Even with her busy lifestyle, she makes time to train for her upcoming bike ride for the documentary. But, the question lingers as to how she got the strength and courage to get back on her bike after all she’s been through. According to the National Stroke Association website, “Recovery from stroke is a lifelong process. For many people, recovery begins with formal rehabilitation, which can restore indepen-dence by improving physical, mental and emotional functions.” Karin says, “Recovering from my stroke was just about reclaiming myself. I had my stroke and I was in the hospital and I regained my physical abilities—like my motor skills—quite quickly. At first, I couldn’t speak at all, was extremely tired, and had no energy. The problem was that I still thought I was going to do triathlons.” Before Karin’s stroke, she was training for an Ironman. When the doctors said that she could never get back to that level of training and racing, that what she had been doing was just too risky, Karin thought of it differently. “From then on, it wasn’t even about whether I could physically do it; it was about the risks involved for my vascular system. Racing was a huge part of my life, so I was devastated.” Determined to not give up, she went back to her original neurologist. “Although I couldn’t actually ‘speak’, the doctor really listened and
womensadventuremagazine.com
patrick selvage
A
t age 34, healthy triathlete and cyclist, Karin Linner, suffered a severe stroke. Karin was close to losing her life but, through sheer determination to not give up, she is alive to tell her story today. “I kept saying, ‘Don’t die’ in my head. I was so scared,” says Karin. After completely losing her ability to speak and communicate, she has since recovered and is now back to training for triathlons. She’s also working to educate Americans about stroke prevention, recognition, and the importance of early action.
By Jill C. Wigand