Around 500 strokes will be experienced by infants and children in Australia each year. While the numbers are small, the impact can be devastating and life-long for families. At 33 weeks pregnant Dee fell to her knees in an appointment, with a sharp pain down one side of her body, she would later find out this was her unborn baby experiencing a stroke in utero, this would go undiagnosed for months after Emma was born,

After seeing 3 different GPs voicing her concerns that Emma was unable to use the right side of her body, she would finally get a diagnosis for her almost 1-year-old.
While Dee should have been enjoying getting to know her precious little bub like other first-time mums, she was dealing with a barrage of doctors, test results and life-changing news. She felt anxious, overwhelmed and isolated.

While navigating through Emma's diagnosis, Dee has co-founded "Little Stroke Warriors". Since the group launched, it has grown from a small support network into a government advocacy organisation. 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. Their end goal is to make sure parents don’t leave the hospital scratching their heads in confusion and turning to Dr Google in desperation for answers like they did.

While Dee does not want praise and admiration for doing what, in her opinion, every parent would do in this situation, I can't help but be inspired and in awe of her love for her daughter Emma and her passion and dedication to advocate for those living with a disability. Access, Inclusion, Visibility and basic human rights are what she is striving for and I know you will leave this episode with a new perspective on this topic.

LINKS & RESOURCES:
Dee's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dee_banks15/
Jess Rutherfords Episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3IhPHWTtdGLsR6oKlhuVdG?si=03c1598028a047b3
Stroke Foundation: https://strokefoundation.org.au/how-you-can-help/ways-to-donate/our-current-appeals/childhood-stroke
Newsgroup Article: https://timesnewsgroup.com.au/ballarat/news/dee-banks/
Little Stroke Warriors: https://www.facebook.com/littlestrokewarriorsaustralia
 
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