Quakertown boy named stroke hero award recipient

Michael Keeble, a resilient 3-year-old boy from Quakertown, has been named this year’s “Voters’ Choice Hero” by the American Stroke Association.
The organization, a division of the American Heart Association, is honoring stroke survivors, health care professionals and family caregivers in May for American Stroke Month.
Michael was expected to have a normal delivery on April 30, 2018, but began having seizures following delivery, which sent him to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia where he was kept for more than a week in the intensive care unit. Michael suffered from a stroke that has left lasting effects, but it does not stop him from leading an independent life. Although he will likely continue to struggle to use his right hand, he has undergone various therapies to improve his motor skills and can walk and eat on his own. He is also involved in activities such as swim lessons and music class, and loves to play outside, shovel snow and take walks.
Michael’s perseverance has inspired his mother and father, Jennifer and Brett Keeble, to raise awareness and funding efforts related to perinatal stroke, which usually happens to a baby between the middle of pregnancy and 28 days after birth.

This time last year, even the pandemic did not slow down the Keeble’s efforts — Brett ran 100 miles to bring awareness to pediatric stroke. The couple has also raised money and volunteered at the Children’s Hospital stroke camp and continued to hold their annual toy drive at the hospital.
Winners of the Stroke Hero Awards were selected by a panel of volunteer judges from the American Stroke Association, with the exception Michael, whose award was selected via online votes.
His mother, Jennifer, told the American Stroke Association, “I tell Michael that I am proud of him every day. This honor shows him that he has a support system behind him that he inspires,” and clearly, it was easy for voters to recognize Michael’s ability to overcome obstacles while maintaining a radiant, infectious smile.

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