Tessa David was a professional cheerleader and dancer for the Indianapolis Colts. Then one day everything changed.
“Everything went dizzy on me,” David recalled. “My arm, I couldn’t feel it.” At only 28 years old, she had experienced a stroke that would injure 60 percent of her brain.
Her friends, family, and teammates were left in shock.
“It was definitely hard to see her because it’s one of those things you don’t expect, that someone your age and someone that you’re so close to will experience something like that,” said Erin B., her former teammate.
The stroke left David paralyzed on the left side of her body. For more information, please read this article on how to detect the warning signs of a stroke.
“Sixty percent of my brain was injured,” David said. “I can’t read, I can’t do numbers, math has no meaning to me.”
But after months of therapy, it's hard not to see the incredible strides she has made as a huge victory.
“We’ve shown her videos of her right after her stroke to just show her you used to be able to, you couldn’t move, you couldn’t stand and now look at what you’re doing,” Bell said. “She suffered a very severe stroke, so it’s almost a miracle.”
David believes it was with the help of fans, family, and friends that she was able to improve so much.
“If anybody can overcome this, it’s Tessa,” Colts Cheerleader Lauren M., said. “I teared up just telling her how much of an inspiration she is."
See her incredible road to recovery below, and SHARE to show your support for this brave young woman!
Support For Tessa from Justin Burns on Vimeo.
