FIRST PERSON/OPINION: Via e-mail: Hello from Minnesota! I apologize for not updating sooner, as this is long overdue. Time has really flown by, it is hard for me to believe that nearly seven months ago, my life changed forever. Since my stroke, my recovery has gone really well and I’ve made a lot of progress. It’s not as quick as I’d like, but it’s coming along. From learning to walk again in parallel bars to taking strides without a cane and riding my scooter have all been some of my grand victories. Recently, I had been working on running and couldn’t quite break 500 feet, so I set a lofty goal of a mile and ran two instead! I continue to set many goals. While in the hospital after my stroke, I set a lofty goal of riding by August. I’m confident it is going to happen, maybe even sooner, and hoping my first ride may be on a Yamaha WR250X and my R6 later on! I still have a long way to go and no doctor will say whether or not I will fully recovery, but I plan to prove to them all that I will be 100% again. God gave me a fighting chance, which I will never forget, so I will continue to fight. I’m not sure what else the future holds for me as far as racing; not thinking too much about that for now. I’ve been pretty busy with the CRA New Rider’s School at Brainerd, Race Coaching and running my Zalusky Advanced Riding School and Trackdays. I really enjoy giving back to the sport I love. Everything happens for a reason and God had bigger plans for me. I’ve found my other calling! I’ve recently started a young adult stroke support group and I’m a peer visitor at the hospital for recent stroke survivors. I’m also passionate about spreading awareness of strokes and sharing my story so that hopefully people will know the signs of a stroke and that strokes can happen to anyone, at any age, at any time. Although I wouldn’t wish a stroke on anyone, it continues to bless me in many ways. I have really learned so much about myself and how precious life is. I have learned to appreciate things so much more and never try to take anything for granted and not sweat the small stuff. Whether it is a quiet moment sitting with my husband or just writing my name, I cherish everything. I am so thankful for all the support I received from my husband, family, friends, fellow racers, fans and everyone for their support. I’ve been truly blessed and will be forever thankful. If you want to learn more about my recovery, visit my ~http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/jessicazalusky~. To learn more about strokes, visit ~http://www.stroke.org~. If you can take anything from this, know that strokes can happen to anyone and don’t take anything for granted, because life is too short! I plan to be at Road America, June 6-7, and look forward to seeing fans, friends and racers. Jessica Zalusky