Taylor, with Senator Michael O’Pake and mom, Emilie.

Stroke affects people of all ages. Sometimes we forget that some of our smallest and most vulnerable people are impacted by stroke. Taylor Heath is no exception to this fact. Taylor had a massive stroke at birth that damaged 97% of the left side of his brain, leaving very difficult news for a new mother and father to sort through.

Now 11 years old, Taylor has cognitive and developmental delays in addition to limited use of his right hand and a peripheral field cut. But despite all of this, Taylor keeps pushing on, always with a smile and charm above most others. His mother describes him as "positive, outgoing, popular, and a true blessing." Taylor decided to take his experience to the halls of the capitol, both in Washington DC and Harrisburg, PA. He quickly developed a “legislative bug,” as his mom describes it and has talked one-on-one with several state and federal legislators about his experience and the importance of passing heart disease and stroke-related public policies.

On April 14, 2010, Taylor was introduced in the Senate of Pennsylvania by Senator Michael O'Pake, who sponsored a statewide resolution that designated May 1, 2010 as Childhood Stroke Awareness Day in Pennsylvania. Taylor also met with Representative Tim Seip on April 21st, who sponsored the same resolution, but in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Childhood Stroke Awareness Day is always the first Saturday in May. This is a special day when the children that have had strokes are honored and the children that passed away after having a stroke are remembered.

Both Taylor, and his mom Emilie, have been relentless advocates in the fight against Childhood Stroke and the American Heart Association is honored to have such talent and dedication behind it to help pass life-saving public policies.