Emily Strikes Back! (Stroke Recovery Fund)
Donation protected
This page was created in honor of our friend and colleague Emily Hoffman, who recently experienced a dissection in her carotid artery causing two strokes in the brain.
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Update:
We’ve created an instagram account with daily photos, updates and videos. Check it out and show her some love!
www.instagram.com/emilyxsmiley
We've also created a Tee Spring Store! Buy a shirt and join Emily in Striking Back!
https://teespring.com/stores/emily-strikes-back
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For those that may not know Emily Hoffman, she is a kind, generous, inspiring, indomitable woman. She is open and opinionated, and has dedicated her life to empowering others.
As a teenager she taught classes in women’s reproductive health at Planned Parenthood.
In her twenties she was a soldier in the Israeli Defense Forces, working as a military social worker ensuring that the special rights of lone soldiers were honored. There she also taught Hebrew to new immigrants serving in the Army.
Moving back to the States, Emily began studying to be a Pilates instructor, having used its system to rehabilitate from spinal surgery at age 19. She became passionate about the method as a way to help people preserve optimal alignment and physical functioning of their bodies.
“... I quickly fell in love with teaching people all the ways Contrology makes lives better. I was pursuing an MSW when I realized that just as my intention was through Social Work, I could also improve people’s quality of life through Pilates.”
At 32 she became a certified Pilates instructor and has taught fitness ever since. Forever curious, she began to incorporate various other training techniques into her repertoire, planning to one day open her own gymnasium. Recently, she began working as a personal trainer, hoping to hone and expand her holistic approach to fitness and health.
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On May 10, after working out, Emily began experiencing what she thought were the symptoms of a migraine. Years of experience managing her own migraines taught her to take meds and get some rest.
Later that night Emily’s boyfriend found her in bed presenting stroke-like symptoms. He called 911, and she was rushed in an ambulance to the Emergency Room. And then to NY Presbyterian. They discovered that she was completely paralyzed on the left side. Her brain was swelling, and she underwent a hemicraniotomy, the removal of half of her skull, to alleviate the pressure. She stayed in the Neuroscience ICU for several days before being transferred to a Step Down Unit. Early in her stay her diet was limited to puréed food and thickened fluids because she had difficulty chewing and swallowing.
Since then, Emily has made progress and was accepted into a program at Rusk Rehabilitation at NYU’s Langone Orthopedic Hospital.
At Rusk, Emily received world class care and rehabilitation. Each day she had a full schedule of intensive therapies aimed at achieving the fullest recovery possible. And she also had time to relax and recuperate while planting in the garden and playing with the kitties, puppies, and bunnies who live there.
While this has been a huge shock, Emily remains the savage we know and love. Her sharp wit and sense of humor continue to shine through as she triumphantly makes improvements every day.
But she needs our help.
Emily was only a week into a new position and had not yet become eligible for medical benefits. Expenses continue to accrue — Medical, Hospital Stay, Rehabilitation, Rent, Utilities….
Please consider contributing to Emily’s recovery fund. Let's help her and keep her feeling supported, inspired, and determined to regain her mobility.
In this moment, this is all that matters.
We appreciate any support you can provide and will update this site with more information about her recovery.







_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


~
Update:
We’ve created an instagram account with daily photos, updates and videos. Check it out and show her some love!
www.instagram.com/emilyxsmiley
We've also created a Tee Spring Store! Buy a shirt and join Emily in Striking Back!
https://teespring.com/stores/emily-strikes-back
~
For those that may not know Emily Hoffman, she is a kind, generous, inspiring, indomitable woman. She is open and opinionated, and has dedicated her life to empowering others.
As a teenager she taught classes in women’s reproductive health at Planned Parenthood.
In her twenties she was a soldier in the Israeli Defense Forces, working as a military social worker ensuring that the special rights of lone soldiers were honored. There she also taught Hebrew to new immigrants serving in the Army.
Moving back to the States, Emily began studying to be a Pilates instructor, having used its system to rehabilitate from spinal surgery at age 19. She became passionate about the method as a way to help people preserve optimal alignment and physical functioning of their bodies.
“... I quickly fell in love with teaching people all the ways Contrology makes lives better. I was pursuing an MSW when I realized that just as my intention was through Social Work, I could also improve people’s quality of life through Pilates.”
At 32 she became a certified Pilates instructor and has taught fitness ever since. Forever curious, she began to incorporate various other training techniques into her repertoire, planning to one day open her own gymnasium. Recently, she began working as a personal trainer, hoping to hone and expand her holistic approach to fitness and health.
~
On May 10, after working out, Emily began experiencing what she thought were the symptoms of a migraine. Years of experience managing her own migraines taught her to take meds and get some rest.
Later that night Emily’s boyfriend found her in bed presenting stroke-like symptoms. He called 911, and she was rushed in an ambulance to the Emergency Room. And then to NY Presbyterian. They discovered that she was completely paralyzed on the left side. Her brain was swelling, and she underwent a hemicraniotomy, the removal of half of her skull, to alleviate the pressure. She stayed in the Neuroscience ICU for several days before being transferred to a Step Down Unit. Early in her stay her diet was limited to puréed food and thickened fluids because she had difficulty chewing and swallowing.
Since then, Emily has made progress and was accepted into a program at Rusk Rehabilitation at NYU’s Langone Orthopedic Hospital.
At Rusk, Emily received world class care and rehabilitation. Each day she had a full schedule of intensive therapies aimed at achieving the fullest recovery possible. And she also had time to relax and recuperate while planting in the garden and playing with the kitties, puppies, and bunnies who live there.
While this has been a huge shock, Emily remains the savage we know and love. Her sharp wit and sense of humor continue to shine through as she triumphantly makes improvements every day.
But she needs our help.
Emily was only a week into a new position and had not yet become eligible for medical benefits. Expenses continue to accrue — Medical, Hospital Stay, Rehabilitation, Rent, Utilities….
Please consider contributing to Emily’s recovery fund. Let's help her and keep her feeling supported, inspired, and determined to regain her mobility.
In this moment, this is all that matters.
We appreciate any support you can provide and will update this site with more information about her recovery.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Organizer and beneficiary
Elizabeth Torres
Organizer
Brooklyn, NY
Matthew Gurwitz
Beneficiary