We need your help to make life-changing differences for children who have suffered a stroke or been diagnosed with brain vessel disease. Your support empowers hope and healing through AVM Alliance. This organization was started by Brazos Valley resident Kyler Lewis (the American Heart Association 2022 pediatric stroke hero of the year) and his family after Kyler was misdiagnosed locally as having a severe migraine headache when in fact he was suffering from a hemorrhagic stroke. Story Here: www.strokehasnoagelimit.com This short 2 minute youtube video shows what AVM Alliance is all about: www.avmawareness.org and we have a podcast: www.avmalliancepodcast.com

While on a search for a cure, Kyler's family realized there is little assistance to support & navigate through a diagnosis of pediatric brain vessel disease & childhood stroke. Doctors needed a place of support to refer families & most of the general public had no idea that a child could have a stroke just like an adult. AVM Alliance was created to fill the needs of the Pediatric AVM / Aneurysm / Stroke community by helping doctors connect parents & families who have been affected by brain vessel disease, traumatic brain injury, and stroke to the support they need. Children who have suffered a stroke need support, hope, and encouragement on their journey toward recovery. This is a huge focus of AVM Alliance.

Currently, there are no local programs to educate parents stroke has no age limit, yet stroke is the #6 cause of death of children. The signs of stroke in a child can be different than those of an adult and many doctors don't think STROKE when they see a child arrive with stroke-like symptoms. When it comes to stroke, time = brain.

Children who have suffered a stroke or other brain injury are often misunderstood by other kids and feel alone. One of our big goals is to help in this regard. Through providing education and easy to understand explanations, we can help encourage inclusivity.

We have three mascots that help tell the story of pediatric stroke: Artie V. is our butterfly pig who reminds people about brain vessel disease. His wings are primarily green as a green butterfly is the international symbol of a brain bleed survivor (green is also the awareness ribbon color for cerebral palsy) . Annie A is our magical unicorn fox whose focus is to teach about brain aneurysms. She wears a red aneurysm ribbon in her hair. Dash is our very special dragonfly rabbit whose main colors are purple and blue the colors of the ribbon for pediatric stroke. He reminds and teaches the story: BE FAST for the symptoms of stroke. B=Balance, E=Eyes F=Face A=Arms S=Speech T=Time to call 911.