An Armstrong Creek woman is being recognised for her passion and dedication to return to the performing arts after surviving two strokes.
Erin Pocervina was named a finalist for the creative award in the Stroke Foundation’s National Stroke Awards for her determination to recover from a stroke in 2021.
The 39-year-old vision-impaired performer and singer said she was surprised to be a finalist for the award and loved showing the community what she is capable of.
“It was quite a surprise, and I was very in shock because when I got the e-mail, I thought it was junk so, I showed mum and she rang the number, and it was the real thing,” she said.
“Performing is my life, and I’ve seen myself as not a person who has a disability, but as a person who has a different ability… I’m a person who has a different ability to do what she loves.
“You can do this, and you can get through this, just try your hardest and if you can’t do it, improvise. Make it your own and try to push through those boundaries.”
Mum Lynda Pocervina said her daughter suffered her first stroke in 2007, which presented itself as a “standard” stroke, and her second one in 2021, which was more unusual.
“With her first stroke, she went to bed and was fine but then got up and was having trouble with her mouth. She was dribbling and trying to swallow and then their face drooped,” she said.
“During the second one, we were trying to get her out of bed thinking she was having an asthma attack and needed to sit up but then she fell and then she fell again and then had a massive seizure.”
