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'I just want to change the world': Teen advocates for pediatric stroke survivors

Lexi Frederick, a 16-year-old stroke survivor from Ankeny, Iowa, is one of nine finalists for the National Stroke Association's Stroke Hero Award, with the winner announced May 1.
Doctors discovered Lexi's stroke via MRI at about four months old, though she suffered it at six weeks; the early stroke left her with cerebral palsy and epilepsy, and its cause remains unknown.
Her stiff right hand and frequent seizures make everyday tasks difficult; yet she said, "Sometimes, I feel like I am not as good as others because of the limitations that I have, but I adapt, and I just be myself."
Using pageants and public speaking as her platform, Lexi raises awareness about pediatric strokes while promoting kindness and inclusion, earning local recognition for her advocacy work.
Her service dog Luna remains by her side as Lexi pursues her stated mission: "I just want to change the world, make it a better place for everyone, no matter what challenges they have.

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6-Week-Old Baby Suffered a Stroke — 16 Years Later She's Warning About the Risk of Pediatric Strokes

"I just want to change the world, make it a better place for everyone, ... no matter what challenges they have,” Lexi Frederick said Nurses on duty in the neonatal intensive care unit at Diyarbakir Gazi Yasargil Training and Research Hospital in Diyarbakir, Turkiye on May 07, 2024.Credit: Bestami Bodruk/Anadolu via GettyNEED TO KNOWLexi Frederick, 16, suffered a stroke when she was just 6 weeks old and was later diagnosed with cerebral palsy and…

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