Vaughan woman rowing 1050 km to support Heart and Stroke Foundation in honour of grandmother

Krista Ariello's grandmother has been hospitalized ever since her stroke in February

Yorkreigon.com
June 3, 2021

The granddaughter of a Vaughan woman who suffered from a stroke in February is rowing the distance of the Hudson Bay (1050 km) to support her and the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

Krista Ariello, 22, also from Vaughan, has a rowing machine in her home's garage where she began rowing on March 1 and will do so for 200 days, which is how many days her grandmother was hospitalized after her stroke.

"Things dramatically shifted for us. She was sort of a rock in our family," Ariello said. "It's not a stroke you recover from, it's one of those where it's going to be permanent."

"We had a close relationship, we only lived 10 minutes away and would see her often," Ariello said, adding that not being able to see her grandmother due to the current COVID-19 restrictions has been frustrating.

Ariello said that rowing to support the Heart and Stroke Foundation has given her a sense of doing something for an important cause during a time where she has no control over her grandmother's treatment or being able to visit her.

"It's given me a sense of calm ... It's not necessarily easy not being able to do anything," Ariello said.

As of early June, Ariello is one week away from hitting 100 days into her initiative, and has raised more than $800, so far. The funds will be donated to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.

Ariello has been posting her charitable journey via Instagram (@krisariello) to help raise awareness to the cause.

She rows around seven to eight kilometres per day which amounts to about 45 minutes a day.

Ariello described her grandmother as being independent and functional prior to the stroke. However, ever since she had the stroke, her way of life has completely altered due to losing her mental coherence.

"Now, we are looking at transferring her to a long-term care home. It's been quite a dramatic change for us," Ariello said.

"For the majority of my life, (my grandparents) raised me when my parents were at work," she said.

"My perspective is it really can happen to anyone, and the reality is that it can have devastating effects on people and their families. It's not something uncommon. A lot of people can say it runs in their family, but sometimes you don't understand the gravity of what that means," Ariello said.

For her and her family, her grandmother's stroke came as a complete shock.

According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, a stroke happens when blood stops flowing to any part of the brain, damaging brain cells.

Strokes affect women differently than men, and more severely at different stages in life.

Strokes can happen at any point in a person's lifetime from infancy to adulthood, the Heart and Stroke Foundation states on its website.

Funds donated to the foundation go toward administration, fundraising, and their mission of promoting health, saving lives and enhancing recovery.

In 2020, $21.8 million was allocated to funding research conducted by those in Canada whose work advances science and informs actions that saves lives, prevent disability and improve the health of Canadians.

Due to the pandemic, many of the foundation's key fundraisers have been put to a halt. Most fundraisers have gone virtually during this time.

Ariello was aware of the foundation's many efforts being stopped or altered due to the current circumstances, and encourages others to start their own way of supporting the cause.

To support Ariello's cause, visit her Go Fund Me page: www.gofund.me/4da0a339.

For more information about Heart and Stroke Foundation, visit www.heartandstroke.ca.