Malvern resident Natanya Sortland was 40 years old when she had a stroke in 2014. Adding to that a year later, she suffered a traumatic brain injury at home when a roof fell on her head. Despite being left with ongoing troubles and symptoms, including blindness, she never gave up, writes Matteo Iadonisi for 6ABC.

“I was told I wasn’t going to make it for about a week or so,” said Sortland about the days after her stroke.

Sortland did physical therapy and tried to find hope again. She was left in a wheelchair and struggled to remember what life was like before her stroke. It was as if she had to restart everything all over.

Then she found the Mind Your Brain Foundation in Paoli, which helped her regain a sense of security and strength in herself.

“I found resources that didn’t let any of those things stop me,” she said.

The Mind Your Brain Foundation gave her resources such as scholarships, a personal trainer, and a way to dance again. She recently visited the Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital where she was once getting around in a wheelchair. Not only did she walk along their property again, she started to dance once more.

“My greatest joy is that I learned to dance again without falling over,” she joked.

Sortland now works as an outreach coordinator for the Mind Your Brain Foundation, giving her the chance to give back to those who need help as she once did.

Read more about Natanya Sortland’s battle with her brain and her journey to success at 6ABC.

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