In 2020, I survived a hemorrhagic stroke. It damaged the left side of my brain, and I lost the ability to read, write and count. I was 40 years old with two children at home. My story is a reflection on the female care experience, mothering, invisible disability and a type of medical “unseeing” in an intensive stroke rehabilitation unit.

Mine is also a story of community, female entrepreneurship and new beginnings. After two lifesaving brain surgeries, my surgical wound lay bare, and left me feeling vulnerable and exposed. I needed something to cover the shaved area that would stay secure without causing pressure. “Comfort Headbands” was born when I needed it most.