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From student to stroke survivor to educator

One Lenoir-Rhyne student’s path to graduating college took a significant detour after suffering a stroke.

Meagan Rufty, a first-generation student, had her future mapped out. She planned to earn her bachelor’s degree in elementary education before moving into the classroom as a teacher to make a difference and serve as a role model to children.

But Rufty’s path took a detour Aug. 13, 2018, when she suffered a stroke. It was exactly two weeks before Rufty planned to return to LR for her sophomore year.

“I was on vacation at the time, and all of a sudden, I couldn’t move my right side,” Rufty said. “My body felt paralyzed, and I couldn’t talk.”

Rufty’s boyfriend at the time, now her husband, serves as a firefighter with her father, also a firefighter, and they recognized the immediate need for medical attention.

The local hospital determined Rufty suffered a stroke and airlifted her to Mission Hospital in Asheville, where she was in a medically induced coma in ICU for nearly a week.

A stroke occurs when blood supply to the brain is interrupted or reduced, depriving the brain of oxygen and nutrients. The longer a stroke goes untreated, the greater the potential for brain damage and disability. 

As Rufty began to recover, she was moved to a regular room and started on the path to rehabilitation and physical therapy. During that time, Rufty learned that her birth control pills and an undetected hole in her heart since birth caused the incident.

“It was a perfect storm waiting to happen,” she said.

As a result, Rufty took a year off from her classes, but not from LR.

“When I was doing inpatient rehab, Dean Katie [Fisher] and many of the education faculty visited me to check on me,” Rufty stated. “They told me they saved me a spot [in the Teaching Scholars program], and I was emotional. It was a pivotal moment. At Lenoir-Rhyne, the faculty really get to know the students, and the professors are phenomenal. We are like a family.”

Fighting her way back

Not letting the setback alter her future, Rufty was determined to complete her studies and returned to the Hickory campus in 2019. She is currently completing her student teaching at Balls Creek Elementary School and will graduate May 6, 2022.

“Everyone was supportive to get me back on campus,” Rufty said. “As I got stronger and pushed through, I kept my 4.0 GPA, and my determination was like ‘I’m all in’ because teaching is my passion, and I’ll do whatever it takes to get back to that goal.”

As part of her recovery, Rufty also has a service dog, Minnie, to support her. A Goldendoodle, Minnie will be used as a registered therapy dog in the classroom once she is certified. Due to the stroke, Rufty also wears a brace on her foot to help her walk, and her right hand is non-functioning. Fortunately, she’s left-handed and hasn’t let anything slow her down.

“I want to create a classroom community that is welcoming and makes my students feel safe and loved,” Rufty said. “I want them to gain a sense of determination when they think ‘if she can do it, I can do it.’ I want to be an inspiration to my students when I share my story and tell them how I pushed through college to be their teacher.”