38 | AUGUST 4 • 2022 

D

ebra Meyerson, a Metro Detroit 
native, was a Stanford University 
professor and a healthy, athletic 
mother of three when her life was turned 
upside down in 2010 by a severe stroke that 
nearly killed her.
The stroke left Meyerson paralyzed on 
her right side and with no speech at all. 
Suddenly, her roles as a professor, mother 
and wife were seemingly impossible to fulfill.
Instead of giving up, Meyerson, now 65, 
fully committed to a long and tedious recov-
ery process. She learned how to walk with a 
limp and had limited speech that came with 
great effort. Still, Meyerson could once again 
drive, travel and take care of herself.
The problem, however, is that aphasia, or 
the loss of ability to understand or express 
speech caused by brain damage (such as 

from a stroke) meant that working in aca-
demia was no longer feasible. “That was a 
huge blow as so much of her life — and her 
identity — was tied to that work,
” explains 
her husband, Steve Zuckerman, 62.
Meyerson and Zuckerman weren’t ready 
to give up, though. To help raise aware-
ness for strokes and stroke recovery, they 
launched Stroke Onward in 2019 as a pro-
fessional activity that would help them and 
the thousands of people they could reach 
through it.
Now, Meyerson, a stroke survivor, and 
Zuckerman, her care partner, devote their 
time to helping others navigate strokes and 
stroke aftermath. They help people around 
the country rebuild their identities and lead 
rewarding lives, regardless of any limitations. 
Meyerson also authored the book Identity 

Theft: Rediscovering Ourselves After Stroke 
(Andrews McMeel Publishing) to share her 
inspirational journey with others.

BIKING ACROSS THE COUNTRY
Currently, Meyerson and Zuckerman are in 
the middle of a 100-day tandem bike ride 
across the country to generate support for 
stroke survivors. They began on the west 
coast in Astoria, Ore., and plan to finish on 
the east coast in Boston, Mass.
On Aug. 5, Meyerson and Zuckerman 
will be riding through Michigan and will 
be guest speakers at an event being held at 
Detroit Axe-The Yard in Corktown, where 
stroke survivors will share their stories. The 
event will include games, food and more.
“I think it’s safe to say that if Debra had 
not had a stroke, we would not be doing 
this,
” Zuckerman says.
While the pair, who now live in Portola 
Valley, Calif., have a mutual interest in 
cycling and often rode through Ann Arbor 
with their kids when they lived in Michigan, 
“100 days is definitely pushing the envelope 
for us,
” Zuckerman says.
Previously, they’ve done shorter rides that 
lasted up to three weeks. The current ride, 
however, is a new challenge that they’re con-
fident will bring stroke awareness nation-
wide.
“
Astoria is a classic starting point for 
cross-country rides, with several routes 
west that are beautiful and good for biking,
” 
Zuckerman says. 
Zuckerman and Meyerson are riding in 
tandem and are joined by a close friend who 
had a traumatic brain injury, a second stroke 
survivor and two summer interns from 
Washington University in St. Louis.
“They are supporting our work to orga-
nize both online and in-person events 
and creating content for social media and 
other communication efforts,
” Zuckerman 
explains of the interns. “
Around their work, 
each is generally riding every other day.
”
Zuckerman says the group created their 
own custom route built around routes gen-
erated by Adventure Cycling Association, a 
nonprofit that focuses on travel by bicycle, 
and around places they believed would offer 
beautiful riding. Along the way, they stop 
at larger cities like Detroit to hold events to 
support the mission of their work.
Over the 100-day trip, they alternate 
between sleeping in an RV
, tents and motels. 
“We made a conscious decision that we had 
to create a fixed schedule to be able to orga-

HEALTH

During a stop-by in Detroit on Aug. 5, a couple 
will share their story at a Corktown event.

Coast-to-Coast 
Bike Ride for Stroke 
Awareness

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Steve Zuckerman 
and Debra 
Meyerson

