People can have a stroke at any age. Mairead Hickok suffered one at three days old.
Mairead Hickok, 8, of Lowell, a third-grader at Pyne Arts School in Lowell, relaxes at home with her parents Maghan and David Hickok. THE SUN/Julia Malakie
That’s the message that her parents, Maghan and Dave Hickok, delivered at the 2016 Boston Heart & Stroke Ball on April 30, where they served as the event’s Open Your Heart & Mind speakers.
The Lowell Sun sat down with the Hickok family on the night before Mairead’s big moment in the spotlight and talked to them about what they’re doing to raise awareness of pediatric stroke.
“Part of the mission of the Boston Heart and Stroke Ball is to raise awareness of the idea that stroke can affect people of any age,” Maghan Hickok told the newspaper. “A lot of people think that stroke is just old people.”
Click here to read the rest of the story and watch a video featuring Mairead.