Shauna Hicks: Journey to Stroke Recovery

Shauna Hicks had been athletic all her life.  She went to college on a basketball scholarship.  She was once named Miss Atlanta Bodybuilder. Every day after work, Shauna would go to her son Sebastian’s school and work out – running up and down the stairs and around the track.  After 25 years as an administrative assistant, an acquaintance recognized her drive and determination and asked if she wanted to work at their gym.

At the age of 48, Shauna Hicks got her dream job as a Cross-Fit trainer. Then Shauna had a massive stroke.

She was driving to the gym when she hit the car in front of her.  That driver got out to see if she was injured and recognized that she was having a stroke.  Shauna doesn’t remember being rushed to the hospital.  She doesn’t remember the surgery after where they found three clots, or how her head had swollen up to the size of a basketball.  She doesn’t remember her family being told she wouldn’t survive the night.

It was Shauna’s level of athleticism that may have saved her life. She spent months in hospitals and rehabilitation facilities working to regain her strength and mobility. When she moved to Jacksonville with her sister two years ago, she found Brooks. The Brooks Neuro Recovery Center helped fuel her passion for physical training. Shauna works out 7 days a week, at home and at Brooks, and is slowly but surely recovering.

Throughout this process Shauna has celebrated many accomplishments. But she is most proud of Sebastian, who is attending Mercer University on a football scholarship. Having seen his mother’s recovery first hand, he decided to change his career goals from pediatrician to physical therapist.

May is National Stroke Awareness Month. To learn more about our comprehensive stroke recovery services, please visit our Stroke Page.