Shanan Ballam
My Stroke Journey
My stroke happened on January 9, 2022. These are pictures from our first trip after the stroke to Dinosaur National Monument in Utah, April 2022.
Me in my house, exercising
Video of me getting up off the floor, May 2024
Hiking up Spring Hollow Trail, Logan, Utah October 2023 with Bioness
My story appeared on KSL news, March 2024
Tape on my shoulder
We went to Joseph, Oregon for our anniversary in June 2022 to ride the tram to the top of the Wallowa Mountains. There we saw a Calypso Fairy Slipper Orchid, a flower I have been searching for all my life.
When we got to the top of the tram, I couldn't walk around because I had my rolling walker and there was too much snow.
View from the tram
Calypso Fairy Slipper Orchid
Hiking in Goblin Valley, Utah, April 2023
Hiking near Torrey, Utah,
April 2023
Josh, our Golden Retriever
Walking unassisted in my house, November 2024
Walking in the driveway unassisted, July 2025
My story was on the front page of the Herald Journal, Cache Valley's Local Newspaper, March 2024: Logan Poet Laureate Shanan Ballam Overcame Medical Crisis to Continue her Passion to Write Poetry
I was featured in The Cache Valley Daily on February 10, 2026: Logan Poet Shanan Ballam Rebuilds Life and Language After Devastating Stroke.
Video of dorsiflexion for the first time, May 2022
Hiking near Thermopolis, Wyoming, 2023
My husband Brock has been my greatest support.
He is my hero.
Walking for the first time unassisted for a long distance in the wetlands, Cache Valley, Utah, August 2025
Snowshoeing at our new house in Maine, February 2026