Catherine Allard

I survived two strokes before age 35 and spent four decades mastering what neuroplasticity really means. I served in communications at Justice Canada, volunteer with Bruyère Health promoting stroke rehab and research, and work with the Heart and Stroke Foundation to close the dangerous knowledge gap in women’s health awareness.

My story has been featured in the Ottawa Citizen, Ottawa Life Magazine, Sage Magazine (reaching 117,000 federal retirees), Ottawa City Woman and Neighbours of Chapel Hill.

Dr. Hillel Finestone, a leading expert in stroke rehabilitation, has asked me to write the foreword to his upcoming handbook on stroke rehabilitation.

At 69, I still kayak, snowshoe, and advocate for stroke survivors, proving that recovery isn’t about returning to who you were, but discovering who you can become.