Twenty-five years ago, Gloria Minor was going about her daily routine when she suddenly suffered a stroke. She was working at a major hotel chain in the area and had an especially stressful day on the job. Despite the stressful environment, Minor explains, "I just love hotels, still to this day." Through this experience she developed a relentless spirit and refused to give up on her recovery.

Minor had been warned of her high blood pressure by a doctor, but wasn’t assigned any medication, so she did not heed the warning. The morning of her stroke, she recalls, was particularly stressful. “I came directly home because it was such a stressful day… and I had the worst headache I ever had in my entire life,” she explains. Soon after, she lost her balance and fell. She managed to call 911, and was taken to the hospital.

Minor was in a coma for three weeks. The doctors suggested that she transfer to NRH in 1987. “NRH, for me, was a very great experience.” Minor went through daily physical therapy exercises, which she found to be extremely helpful, despite the strength it took. She was a patient for one year after her stroke and says that the support she received from her husband and the staff at NRH is unmatched to anything she has ever experienced.

Minor regularly comes back to NRH to speak with stroke victims about her story. “Many of them couldn’t believe that I had a stroke because of the way I appeared,” she said. Minor suffered no paralysis after the stroke, and suffers only some balance issues. She worked for sometime after her stay at NRH, but retired in 2002. Now, Minor has a new desire. “I would like to do some volunteer work, which I’ve done as part of my recuperation.” Minor says that she is now thankful for the stroke. The support and care she received was so inspirational, it was a great time of learning for her. She plans to volunteer at NRH and discuss her success story with patients to give them hope.