Covidien is sponsoring the Retreat & Refresh Stroke Camp (Stroke Camp), a three-day retreat for stroke survivors, caregivers and family members dedicated to helping these often forgotten victims of stroke relax and heal. Stroke Camp will be held Jan. 23-25, 2015 in La Jolla, California, and is offered to 15 couples with support from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD).

Stroke Camp, founded by stroke survivor and caregiver couple John and Marylee Nunley, is held multiple times throughout the year at different locations across the U.S. In addition to the California retreat weekend, Covidien will sponsor Stroke Camp inaugural retreats this year in Massachusetts, Minnesota and Florida. At Stroke Camp, through the support of volunteers, stroke patients and their caregivers are provided an opportunity to relax and enjoy recreational activities.

While stroke risk increases with age, strokes can occur at any age. In 2009, 34 percent of people hospitalized for stroke were younger than 65 years.1 Metropolitan Opera singer, Eric Jordan, who suffered a stroke at age 41 nearly ending his career, will keynote the Stroke Camp, sharing his post-stroke journey.

“I lost the ability to speak,” said Eric. “The support of my wife allowed me to sing again. I’m grateful to pay it forward by working with stroke patients and medical teams to help recover speech through song.”

“Stroke rehabilitation is a marathon,” said Dr. Alexander A. Khalessi, Director of Endovascular Neurosurgery and Surgical Director of Neurocritical Care at UCSD. “Advanced stroke care means supporting patients and their family caregivers through their physical and cognitive recovery. Stroke Camp provides these patients support and encouragement, a welcome rest for their caregivers, and the opportunity to bond with other stroke survivors.”

There are nearly seven million stroke survivors in the U.S.2 Stroke is a leading cause of serious long-term disability, requiring a significant change in lifestyle for both patients and caregivers.3 Stroke survivors adjust to varying degrees of paralysis, difficulty speaking or slurred speech, memory loss, fatigue and personality or mood changes.4

“We are hopeful of a future that minimizes the impact of stroke on patients, and their families,” said Brett Wall, president, Neurovascular, Covidien. “While we continue to work relentlessly on treatments to eliminate the burden of stroke on patients and caregivers, we are pleased to support the therapeutic benefits of Stroke Camp.”

The grant for the Retreat & Refresh Stroke Camp is funded by COVIDIEN CARES, the company’s global giving and community outreach program.

About Covidien

Covidien is a global health care leader that understands the challenges faced by providers and their patients and works to address them with innovative medical technology solutions and patient care products. Inspired by patients and caregivers, Covidien’s team of dedicated professionals is privileged to help save and improve lives around the world. With more than 39,000 employees, Covidien operates in 150-plus countries and had 2014 revenue of $10.7 billion. To learn more about our business visit www.covidien.com or follow us on Twitter.

About Retreat & Refresh Stroke Camp™

Founded in 2004, Retreat & Refresh Stroke Camp™ (RRSC) offers weekend retreats for stroke survivors and their caregivers. RRSC became a non-profit organization in 2007 and has since developed a national network of camps. The National Stroke Association awarded RRSC the Raising Awareness in Stroke Excellence (RAISE) Group Award in October 2013. In addition to the multitude of camps, RRSC has created and distributed an educational DVD titled "You've had a Stroke, Now What?". RRSC is dedicated to providing community stroke education through Strike Out Stroke baseball events, MEGABrain exhibits, community chimes choirs, and fifth grade education. For more information, visit www.strokecamp.org or call 309-688-5450.

1 Hall MJ, Levant S, DeFrances CJ. Hospitalization for stroke in U.S. hospitals, 1989–2009[PDF-322K]. NCHS data brief, No. 95. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics; 2012.

2 http://www.stroke.org/understand-stroke/what-stroke/stroke-facts

3 http://www.cdc.gov/stroke/facts.htm

4 http://www.strokeassociation.org/idc/groups/stroke-public/@wcm/@hcm/documents/downloadable/ucm_309716.pdf