LITTLE Stroke Warriors co-founder Dee Banks has received the Stroke Foundation President\u2019s Achievement Award.<\/p>\n
Ms Banks set up the support group for parents with children who had experienced paediatric stroke in 2017, after her now-seven-year-old daughter Emma suffered a stroke in utero, but wasn\u2019t diagnosed until she was months old.<\/p>\n
Over five years, the network has grown to include hundreds of Australian families, and Ms Banks continues to advocate for awareness of the condition, to ensure paediatric stroke patients can be promptly diagnosed and treated.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis award is significant because it recognises the important work we\u2019re doing, and puts it on the agenda,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cLittle Stroke Warriors co-founder Kylie Facer and I are receiving this on behalf of our community and telling people with lived experience that if there is an injustice, you can make a difference and you can change the system.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven though it feels like a bit of a climb, if you get the right people together, you can make a huge change. I couldn\u2019t be here without my Little Stroke Warriors community, their support and willingness to tell their stories.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since the group launched, it has grown from a small support network into a government advocacy organisation.<\/p>\n
Little Stroke Warriors received $4 million from the Federal Government for the Australian Paediatric Acute Code Stroke project, and the group has produced the Our Family Stroke Journey booklet.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is given to parents when their child is diagnosed, helps them to navigate the path forward, and the feedback we\u2019ve received is that it\u2019s life changing,\u201d Ms Banks said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s something our family needed at the time, but we didn\u2019t have.\u201d<\/p>\n
Little Stroke Warriors\u2019 next steps are to \u201ctackle the gaps\u201d in the education system to boost inclusive education for children with disabilities, especially brain injuries.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s important educators know what disability looks like and what a child with brain injury needs so our kids can integrate into school easily,\u201d Ms Banks said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LITTLE Stroke Warriors co-founder Dee Banks has received the Stroke Foundation President\u2019s Achievement Award. Ms Banks set up the support group for parents with children who had experienced paediatric stroke in 2017, after her now-seven-year-old daughter Emma suffered a stroke in utero, but wasn\u2019t diagnosed until she was months old. Over five years, the network […]<\/p>\n