Having woken with a headache that morning, Petra Foxworth took aspirin and went about her work as a cashier as best she could, despite the pain.  It would have been her day off but, luckily, Petra had agreed to switch shifts at the grocery store where she worked; otherwise, she would have been home, alone.

When the pain in her head became so excruciating that she had to fight back tears, Petra headed for the break room to rest; but she never quite made it there.  “I passed out in front of the meat department,” she recalls.  When she regained consciousness, her manager insisted she go to the hospital.  A short time later, Petra was diagnosed with a cerebral aneurysm and prescribed surgery which, unfortunately, resulted in a post-operative stroke.  However, within a year, Petra was fully recovered and looking for a new start.  So she moved to Atlanta and spent the next two years working as a massage therapist.  Her life was back on track, until another fateful day in August 2005. 

“I’ll never forget; I was riding on the MARTA when it started,” she says gripping her chest, just as she did that day.  A fellow passenger took action, upon seeing the pain and fear in her face, and called the conductor to stop the train at the next station.  The paramedics quickly arrived and took Petra to the hospital.  This time, a cardiac catheter test revealed the blockage to her heart and induced another stroke.  “Oh, I’m not sorry I did the test,” she declares.  “I would have suffered a heart attack or a stroke anyway, at least I was in the hospital.”

But, unlike the post-operative stroke years earlier, her second stroke was more severe and left her entire right side paralyzed.  Unable to speak coherently or coordinate her movement, Petra stayed in the hospital for ten days until a representative from a rehabilitation facility in northeast Georgia told her about their program.  “I wish everyone who has had a stroke could go to Roosevelt Warm Springs.  It was excellent, and everyone is so nice,” she smiles.  The facility provided physical, occupational, speech and cognitive therapies to Petra; and a few weeks later she was on her way back to Savannah to live with her son. 

Yet, despite the progress she made in the rehabilitation program, Petra was reliant on others for help with everyday tasks, and she longed to take back control of her life.  One day, she proved to herself that she could, after struggling back and forth to a convenience store a few blocks from her home.  The seemingly simple trip was, for Petra, like climbing a mountain.  But, it gave her the confidence she needed to keep pushing herself, and so she did.

In the more than four years since her last stroke, Petra has taken back her life and now lives independently.  And she attributes her success in part to Savannah Speech and Hearing Center, a United Way supported organization that offers comprehensive services to those with speech, hearing or language problems.  A friend introduced Petra to the Center’s stroke survivor support group, which she has been attending faithfully for nearly two years.  In addition to the games, discussions and exercises the weekly support group enjoys, Petra has discovered kindred spirits and forged lasting friendships. “We are a big, happy family,” she beams.  And her friend, Jessica, who also attends the meetings, couldn’t agree more, “It gets you out of the house, which is very important.”

An avid crocheter since her elementary school days, Petra recently found another outlet for her creativity when she and fellow members of the support group participated in the 15th Annual “I Have Marks to Make” exhibition at the Telfair Museum’s Jepson Center for the Arts.  The art exhibition, which was on display throughout December 2009, includes works created by members of the community with disabilities and promotes art as a therapeutic technique.

Students from Armstrong Atlantic State University came to assist members of the support group with their projects. “They brought magazines and art books, and we just started cutting out pictures,” says Petra.  An admitted horse-lover, her collage embraces an earthy, equine theme, while also suggesting elements of air, water and even the celestial.  And though Petra wasn’t thinking of a particular concept, her ability to let the images come together cohesively and speak for themselves earned her the distinct honor of having her piece to be selected as the cover art for this year’s exhibition.

Inspired now to actively pursue her art, Petra looks forward to exploring other mediums and the possibilities that may bring.  One thing is certain, with the support from her friends at Savannah Speech and Hearing Center, her success in any endeavor is a sure bet.

For more information about Savannah Speech and Hearing Center, call 912.355.4601.