Whitney Sica, Age 37

“I did it just now! thumbs up with my right hand!” -Whitney Sica, Mom and Stroke Warrior

Mom and Stroke Warrior

On Saint Patrick’s Day, 2023, at 8:15 AM in the morning, Whitney Sica suddenly froze. She was 37 years old and having a stroke.

A wife, and mother to a one and six year old, this stroke would ironically save her life. Doctors discovered a rare heart tumor that less than 1% of the population had and was far larger than normal. She had brain surgery, open heart surgery, and another emergency open heart surgery. She made it through, but her doctor told her she would never be able to move her right hand again.

You feel a force in Whitney before she speaks. She isn’t here to be defined as just a stroke survivor. She is a warrior, bravely doing the impossible. She pushed through plateaus after her stroke and kept reaching for more.

When she came to NeuroAnimation, she wasn’t looking for small wins. She wanted the next leap. Her goal was specific: to bring her hand to normal and especially to voluntarily extend her thumb.

She worked tirelessly with our coaches, with focus and determination. During her 3 weeks with us, she ran for the first time. And after returning home, she shared that she voluntarily extended her thumb. It was a pivotal moment.

At NeuroAnimation, we see miraculous new movement. These are breakthroughs that represent a shift from no voluntary control to the first spark of it, in those who have had a stroke even years ago. On the Fugl-Meyer Assessment, that change from a 0 to a 1is profound. It’s not refinement; it’s emergence.

Today, Whitney’s thumb extension is just as important, but it isn’t where her recovery ends. She is running, she plays paddle ball again, she swims and plays with her children, and she can make a fabulous ponytail with two hands working in tandem to the new whispers from her brain that says, I’m here. I can still grow and you can heal. Stories like Whitney’s bring tears not because of the struggle alone, but because of the triumph: the quiet, profound triumph of human potential.

Our incredible coaching team witnesses these sparks every day. In each one, we see the extraordinary courage, spirit, and heart of our clients. In their bravery, they heal all of us, reminding society what’s possible when belief meets the power of the brain.