Nashville Woman Walks 5K Seven Years After Devastating Stroke

When Tina Wittman woke up seven years ago and collapsed on her bathroom floor, she couldn't have imagined she'd one day be teaching cooking classes and walking 5Ks. But that's exactly what the Nashville stroke survivor is doing today, bringing hope to others facing the same difficult journey.

It started on an ordinary May evening. Wittman had worked a full day, cooked dinner, walked her dog Blitz, and gone to bed feeling fine. Hours later, a carotid artery stroke left her with paralysis on her entire left side.

"I thought old people have strokes," Wittman said. She had to relearn basic words, starting with the ones that mattered most: her children's names, carefully written at the top of a clipboard by her family.

But alongside those relearned words, Wittman wrote down something else. A goal: walk a 5K.

For seven years, she worked toward that dream while refusing to give up the things she loved, like cooking for Blitz, who still inches closer to the kitchen every time meat sizzles in the pan. Wittman developed her own techniques, including a cutting board with three nails that hold fruits and vegetables in place while she cuts them with one hand.

Her adaptations became lessons. Now she teaches "Cooking With Confidence" classes at Neuro Therapy Nashville, showing other stroke survivors how to prepare meals using just one hand. She demonstrates how to cut melons, pineapple, and cantaloupe, sharing every improvisation she's learned.

Last Saturday morning, Wittman arrived at Long Hunter State Park for the SASS Strut 5K (Seriously Awesome Stroke Survivors). The event benefits Brain Injury and Stroke Charity of Tennessee, an organization Wittman believes in deeply.

"You're already at 100 feet!" her daughter told her as they began walking together. "Praise the Lord!" Wittman smiled back.

Why This Inspires

Wittman's journey shows what's possible when determination meets community support. She didn't just achieve her own goal; she's helping countless others find their path forward. Her cooking classes give survivors practical skills and confidence, while her presence at the 5K proves that healing continues, even years after a stroke.

Her message to other survivors is simple but powerful: "Continue fighting every day. Find a support group. Count your blessings. Healing is possible."

Today, Wittman keeps setting goals, from 5Ks to fajitas, proving that life after stroke isn't about what you've lost but what you're determined to keep doing.