1 in 100,000 – Interview with Orlena Skek, Moyamoya Stroke Survivor & Author of Emerging From The Smoke.
In Episode 33 of the Know Stroke Podcast, we were joined by Orlena Skek.
Orlena Shek is a former in-house software technology licensing attorney. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and two young children. After experiencing major hemorrhagic stroke in late 2011 due to a rare congenital condition called Moyamoya Disease, she put her law career on hold to focus on her rehab and her family.
The numbers that she shares speak for themselves to the long and turbulent journey she went on.
- 14 ambulance rides within 5 months
- 6 week hospitalization at Stanford.
- 3.5 weeks in a medically induced coma
- 3 different acute rehab hospital stays ranging from Marin to Santa Clara County.
- Two 10 hour plus brain surgeries, a week apart.
- One thousand eight hundred paper origami cranes folded by countless co-workers, neighbors, and friends. Some of whom are on the call here tonight.
- More than a 100 nights spent hospitalized, away from home.
- 2 children:1st born pre-Stroke, 2nd born post-Stroke.
- 1 trip to Las Vegas by myself for a Bachelorette party.
Orlena shares with us today that journey and what led her to authoring a book titled “Emerging from the smoke, a collection of warrior voices”
This book is a beautiful collection of short poems from 30+ stroke survivors.
You can learn more about Orleana’s story, and purchase here book here: https://www.storiesofstroke.com/orlena-shek/
