News & Events

Teen writes stroke guide for families

By Rachel Kalbfleisch
Reprinted with permission of the Canadian Stroke Network.

Like many 14-year-olds, Mackenzie Shaheen knew little about stroke when on April 9, 2007, her father was suddenly paralyzed on the left side of his body. Neither she nor her family understood the changes this massive stroke would bring. Two years later, now a grade 11 student at Elmwood School in Ottawa, 16-year-old Mackenzie has written a 54-page family stroke guide that draws from her experience with her father to help other families whose loved ones have suffered a stroke.

Guidance for the Family after a Stroke brings together a wide range of information Mackenzie feels people should be aware of when caring for a stroke patient. Organized chronologically to follow the journey from stroke to recovery, it provides guidance on important stroke topics like medication and rehabilitation, and also touches on themes like financial matters and transportation.

“I wanted to include things that were really useful for people, like describing all of the stages,” she said. “I wanted to create a book that would fully help people.”

Mackenzie started working on the guide in January 2008 as her final personal project for the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme, which is offered at her high school. The form, topic and process of completion of this project are left up to the student under the supervision of a teacher. Mackenzie jumped at the opportunity to help other people dealing with stroke.

“I learned a lot,” she said, explaining she had one year to complete the project and spent most of last summer in the library doing research. “I find it’s a really interesting topic. It’s something I’ll study in university, so it’s nice that I learned so much.”

Mackenzie hopes to one day study biopharmaceutical sciences and to get her PhD. She says she would like to eventually work in stroke research.

For now, she will focus on the math and science courses she’s taking in school this year and continue to help care for her father at home with her mother and 11-year-old sister. She also volunteers at her father’s rehabilitation class twice a week and says he has come a long way.

“It’s definitely a challenge when someone in your family has a stroke,” said MacKenzie. “But you can always turn everything into a positive experience.” Mackenzie presented her guide book to Dr. Antoine Hakim, CSN Scientific Director and CEO, who called it a "remarkable effort.” Guidance for the Family after a Stroke is now posted on the CSN website.