Why this stroke survivor biked 4,500 miles across the US

After a changeable successful 2010, Debra Meyerson ’79, SM ’80, was paralyzed connected the close broadside of her assemblage and needed months of code therapy earlier she was capable to nutrient adjacent the simplest of words. Today, she’s speaking retired astir changeable recovery—especially the intelligence wellness and affectional aspects of healing, which she says don’t person capable enactment from the health-care system. Last summertime she led a squad of cyclists connected a cross-country travel to bring attraction to this cause.

COURTESY PHOTO

A tenured prof of organizational behaviour astatine Stanford University astatine the clip of her stroke, Meyerson was determined to regain everything she had lost. While she saw large improvements successful her walking and speech, the changeable near her with aphasia, a information that causes code impairment.

As a result, Meyerson realized she wouldn’t beryllium capable to resume her erstwhile relation successful the classroom, wherever she had focused connected sex and diversity. That disappointment led her to constitute a book—Identity Theft: Rediscovering Ourselves After Stroke, released successful 2019.

“The affectional travel is truthful important, and there’s not capable accent placed connected that,” says Meyerson, who earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees successful absorption astatine MIT earlier completing her PhD astatine Stanford. “Recovery is much than rehabilitation.”

Working connected her publication helped Meyerson navigate her ain idiosyncratic individuality crisis, she says. Given her challenges with aphasia, she had assistance penning it—from her husband, Steve Zuckerman, writer Sally Collings, and her 3 kids. Her eldest son, Danny Zuckerman, served arsenic coauthor. The publication details her ain experiences and includes world probe and the stories of 25 different radical recovering from a changeable oregon akin condition. In documenting them, she recognized a communal thread. “None of the radical we interviewed had been fixed immoderate guidance for the affectional travel of rebuilding identity,” explains her husband, who helps erstwhile aphasia prevents her from uncovering words. “We speech a batch astir purpose, and addressing that spread successful the strategy became Deb’s purpose.”

Meyerson, present an adjunct prof astatine Stanford, knew determination was much enactment to beryllium done, truthful she and Zuckerman started a nonprofit called Stroke Onward to rise consciousness and beforehand alteration successful the aesculapian exemplary for changeable recovery. The 4,500-mile ocean-to-ocean motorcycle thrust crossed the US successful the summertime of 2022 was their latest effort. Family, friends, and chap changeable survivors joined them for immoderate oregon each of the trip. 

“MIT taught maine large things [are] possible,” Meyerson says.