Voters’ Choice Hero:
Kathleen O’Leary

Kathleen O’Leary had been a vegetarian for decades and led an active life when she suffered a massive stroke at 57. The physician and mom of two had climbed the highest mountain in Ireland with her family just two months before her stroke, which was caused by a congenital PFO, or hole in her heart.

Kathleen says she felt totally unprepared for her return home after her stroke as she and her family faced significant physical and emotional challenges. These hurdles were compounded by the Covid-19 pandemic, which limited available therapies and kept her at home. Yes, as a physician she’d treated many stroke survivors, but she had no understanding of the difficult road they had to travel. She made up her mind to change this.

After she couldn’t find a local support group she created one so survivors in Buffalo, New York have a place to go for information and support. She also pointed out to her colleagues that they weren’t preparing patients for life after a stroke. She pushed through depression and serious physical challenges to champion the formation of a task force of medical, mental health and social services professionals to help stroke survivors find a new normal.

Now Kathleen talks about her experience as a survivor and a physician. Her medical career, she explains, was over, and the stroke changed her whole family’s lives and plans. She needed assistance and walked with a cane. But Kathleen joined a gym boxing program intended for patients with Parkinson’s disease. She became the "beta test" for using these therapies for stroke patients.

Recently, Kathleen returned to work in a limited capacity, part-time. The physical effort of getting to work is a huge effort, but she is determined to succeed.