After Stroke At 20, Caldwell University Student Gains Perspective

CALDWELL, NJ — The residents of Hillside Senior Citizens Center say that Kimberly Valladares has a beautiful smile. It’s something that’s not lost on the Hillside resident, who is majoring in nursing and minoring in public health at Caldwell University.

After all, it means that she has “perspective.”

That perspective comes from Valladares’ own medical struggles, which have given her a wisdom not typically gained until the later years of one’s life. When Valladares was just 20 years-old, she experienced a stroke following brain surgery to repair an arterial venous malformation. She laid in a coma for two days. When she emerged, she suffered from vision and hearing distortion, and had to learn to feed herself and walk again.

But after a hard-scramble rehabilitation and “many therapies,” Valladares has made a remarkable recovery, Caldwell University administrators said.

Now, the junior dreams of helping elderly and underprivileged community members live full, enriching lives, including the senior residents at Hillside Center where she interns.

Her reward is in their smiles… which she can’t help but mirror.

“They inspire me,” Valladares said. “They are older and they have gone through many life situations. And despite their aches and pains, they still smile and laugh… it gives me perspective.”

Valladares has made it her goal to redirect the pain that she endured into positive change for others battling through their own health challenges. For example, during her time at Hillside Center, she met an elderly woman who was feeling “helpless and alone” after being diagnosed with leukemia last year. But by lending a compassionate ear, Valladares was able to help lift the woman’s spirits… as well as her own.

Mary Dawkins, director of senior services at Hillside Center, praised the Caldwell University student for overcoming her own personal challenges, which she freely shares with residents and visitors at the facility.

Brenda Petersen, associate dean of the Caldwell University School of Nursing and Public Health, said Valladares is an inspiration to everyone who meets her.

“Her story of recovery from a stroke and a coma touches all of us deeply at Caldwell University. We are grateful for the work she has done to enrich the lives of older adults in our community.”

According to university administrators, Valladares’ internship was made possible through a grant the university received from the Council of Independent Colleges for its Intergenerational Connections: Students Serving Older Adults program, which sustains activities that enhance connections between undergraduate students and older adults in the community.

The program was started to help establish best practices for engaging students in ensuring that older adults in the communities surrounding college campuses have nutritious food, affordable housing, a steady income, and strong and sustaining social bonds, administrators said.

In the fall, Valladares will start her first medical job at a hospital. But she plans to stay on at Hillside Center, where her internship has reinforced her dream of being a caregiver.

“It ties in with what I really am meant to do – to help the underprivileged,” Valladares said. “This job has helped me find my path.”

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Photos: Caldwell University