Founders

Hong Ru, owner and founder of Wohaula LLC (aka Strokefocus)

“When my husband suffered a major stroke 3 months before turning 41, I looked everywhere for information to help us find a path to wellness until I finally I found the work of Alison Bonds Shapiro who has been teaching recovery skills to stroke survivors and their loved ones since 2005.    Inspired by the work of Alison and other stroke survivors who are working to improve stroke care via peer to peer coaching, I began Wohaula, which means I have survived.”

Wohaula’s mission is to allow survivors, families, caregivers, healthcare professionals and volunteers to easily exchange quality information. Together, we will overcome the challenges!

To make the name easier for survivors and caregivers to remember, in April 2017, we changed the name of our site from Wohaula to Strokefocus.

Hong and her husband Daniel Gu and 2 kids. The picture was taken right before Christmas 2011. In Sept 2012, Daniel suffered a brain stem stroke which totally disrupted his career and family life. 

Alison Bonds Shapiro, M.B.A.

Alison works with rehabilitation patients, rehabilitation service providers, and caregivers.  Surviving and thriving after having experienced two devastating brain stem strokes herself, she is a stroke recovery and mindfulness teacher.

She has taught and coached thousands of stroke survivors, their loved ones and care providers. In 2009 she co-produced the DVD What Now? Sharing Brain Recovery Lessons. This video is used across the world to help survivors and family members reframe their ideas of recovery, build hope and begin to understand what may be possible for them.

Alison’s published art and illustration include: Just for Today, The Adventures of Tigy and Elly, and the phoenix image for Mind Matters Research.  Her published writing includes the book Healing into Possibility: The Transformational Lessons of a Stroke, and various articles and blogs. Find more information about Alison’s work at: Healing Into Possibility.

Rita Martin, LAC

Rita is a licensed acupuncturist and a Certified Acutonics Practitioner. Acutonics is a form of treatment based on the principles of acupuncture that uses sound rather than needles to stimulate acupuncture points. It is non-invasive, not painful and superbly effective.

Rita is also a stroke survivor. In 1996 on a trip to Tibet, Rita suffered two strokes within the same afternoon. The strokes resulted in very serious injuries to her brain and, unable to speak or move her right side, she was given a bleak prognosis. But those who gave her that prognosis did not know Rita. Born out of her deep understanding of healing, Rita’s capacity to persist in the face of great difficulty and heal and reclaim her life is more than remarkable. Western medical practitioners shake their heads in wonder at what she has done and continues to do.

Rita did not speak a word for a year and a half after her injury. Today Rita is a superb teacher as well as a healer. Her sense of fun and adventure lifts hearts. Her ever-growing knowledge of integrative medicine includes not only Acutonics, but also massage, oriental movement practices like Qi Gong, herbal medicine, and diet. Through her skills and training she provides those who are injured or ill with many ways to help themselves.

Kelly Campbell

Kelly Campbell, MS, is a stroke survivor and educator.

She is on the board of directors for the Brain Injury Association of Georgia (BIAG), is a BIAG support group leader, is a Support Group Steering Committee member, and the current committee chair.

Kelly currently leads Unlimited Possibilities Support Group, one of the largest stroke, aneurysm and TBI support groups in Georgia. In addition, Kelly is a former elected official as well as a three-term legislative assistant in both the Georgia House and Senate.

Unlimited Possibilities is one the largest and most energetic support groups on the East Coast. A strong leader with her hearts and minds devoted to the stroke and TBI community, Kelly plays a very big role in helping local hospitals re-engineer the process to improve stroke and TBI care.

George Scola

George Scola is a stroke survivor.

Many years ago, stroke disrupted his thriving career in finance. Undeterred, he started the Stroke Survivors Foundation to champion the cause for stroke survivors. He now also serves on the board of the World Stroke Organization.

George has long held the vision that post-discharge support is crucial to stroke survivors and better stroke care. George is now leading the implementation of Post Discharge Stroke Support (PDSS) inside South Africa and beyond. Like other PDSS programs, it is powered by Strokefocus.

Ad Adams Ebenezer 

On March 16th, 2012, Ad Adams Ebenezer formed the Stroke Association Support Network- Ghana (SASNET- Ghana), with 3 of his colleagues. SASNET-Ghana is a non-profit and non-government organization with a mission to advocate, inform, and educate the public on stroke prevention, caregivers support, and post-discharge stroke support (PDSS).

To accomplish this mission, Adams has built a team of dedicated volunteers across Ghana. He is crucial in creating the CLASP Program, a great model of community support for stroke survivors. In Jan 2020, Adams led the launch of Post Discharge Stroke Support In Ghana, powered by the Strokefocus platform, the first such program in the world. SASNET – Ghana with its leadership team collaborates closely with Strokefocus.

Bill Hrncir

Bill Hrncir has been married for 36 years to Deedee and has two wonderful children and a brand new grandbaby.  He owns and manages businesses in Laredo.  He has always been into physical fitness.

His stroke recovery has taken perseverance and dedication.  After his stroke, he attended Laredo Medical Center for speech, physical, and occupational therapy.  He later found several resources in Austin to aid in his recoveries like St. David’s Hospital, Texas Neuro Rehab,  Center, and Austin Speech Labs.

Upon returning to Laredo, Bill began occupational and physical therapy at Ruthe B. Cowl Rehabilitation Center, all the while continuing his weight-bearing and rigorous running regiment with his personal trainers.

In September of 2012, he co-founded Laredo Stroke Support Group. They bring in informative speakers, share healthy snacks & practice exercise tips. They also provide art, music, gardening, tennis & yoga classes, as well as trike & bike riding.

They have joined forces with Austin Speech Labs, through Skype, and provide therapy in Laredo at the UT Health Science Center. Now Laredo stroke survivors can have affordable speech therapy.

Bill hopes to turn stroke victims into survivors by telling his inspiring story of ongoing recovery. Additionally, Bill leads a campaign to make stem cell therapy available to every stroke and TBI survivor.