Most people think that stroke victims end up looking like Frankenstein with a horrible facial expression and erratic movements.

But, that is not the way it has to be. Today, it is possible for some stroke victims to make a full recovery. Gerry Purdy knows this because his wife, Alicia — a healthy, beautiful and smart person — suffered a stroke on August 23, 2011 and was able to return to her vivacious self.

Our Stroke of Luck portrays the life they had together. Gerry and Alicia had dated in high school and got back together for their 45th high school reunion. Life was good. And then — Bam! — without warning Alicia suffered a stroke.

Find out how Alicia’s neurosurgeon was able to remove the clot from her brain that caused the stroke. Experience the tense ups and downs of that night—one moment seeming as though she might be paralyzed on her left side for the rest of her life and then the next seeing a flash of hope.

Gerry and Alicia were lucky that the radiologist was able to identify the clot in her brain and lucky to get her transferred to the Marcus Stroke Center at Grady Hospital in Atlanta. They were lucky that Dr. Nogueira was able to extract the clot from Alicia’s brain. And, finally, they were lucky that she was able to make a full recovery. Truly, this was their stroke of luck.

J. Gerry Purdy