Battling back from stroke with a mother’s will

It’s a typical 21st-century mother-daughter moment. But for Larkin, moments like these seem like miracles. Seventeen hours after Alexa’s birth, Larkin, then a 28-year-old marathon runner and fitness trainer, suffered a massive stroke that nearly ended her life, and then her dream of motherhood. When she finally awoke from a two-month medically induced coma, Larkin was unable to eat, speak, walk, or use her arms to hold her infant.

Two years later, Larkin has surprised everyone, including her doctors and nurses, who weren’t sure she’d survive, let alone play an active role raising Alexa. “They didn’t know who they were dealing with,’’ said Larkin’s younger sister, Heather Ham wey.

“She’s a very special, one-of-a-kind person.’’

Having gained significant strength in her upper body and right arm, Larkin can now sit up on her own and hold her child — something she was unable to do for nearly a year.

“When I couldn’t hold her, it killed me inside,’’ Larkin said.

Last November, Larkin left Cedar Hill Healthcare Center in Randolph and moved back to her one-story home in Walpole to be with her husband and daughter. For the past seven months, she has been going to Spaulding Rehabilitation Center in Boston for therapy at least twice a week.

“I can’t tell you how many sleepless nights were had while Andrea was in both Spaulding and Cedar Hill. There was this void for 17 months,’’ said Tim Larkin, 31. “Now, with Andrea home again, that void’s been filled, and we’ve started to get into a routine as a family.’’

Though Larkin’s doctors and therapists were reluctant to give a prognosis for her recovery, they said in a written statement: “Andrea is fortunate to have a family that is so supportive, and that will be vital for her long-term care. . . . We wish the Larkins the best as they pursue their goals.’’

Larkin can stand with assistance, and stay up for 17 minutes with the help of a “standing frame’’ at Spaulding. Though incredibly self-driven by nature, she has a strong support system of friends and family that keeps her motivated; chief among them is 2-year-old Alexa, who, at the sight of Larkin on her feet, says excitedly, “Mom’s standing!’’

She still lacks the ability to move her left arm, but its range of motion has increased tremendously. It is her speech, however, that has undergone the most dramatic improvement.

“When I first started helping Andrea, I would almost have to read her lips, and now, I could be at the sink running some water, and not be looking at her, and understand her,’’ said cousin Nicole Farah.

Larkin, who studied speech pathology in college and worked as a personal trainer, draws on her background to enhance the therapies she receives.

“It’s almost freaky, or ironic, that the path she chose prior to her injury has lined her straight up for this journey she’s on now,’’ said cousin Aimee DeCristoforo.

Larkin relies on a wheelchair to get around. When she first returned home, her husband would lift her in and out of their four-door sedan. During the day while he was at work, she could not leave home without the help of at least two caregivers. “She was beginning to feel a bit confined,’’ said Tim Larkin. A few weeks ago, the couple decided to take out a loan and buy a handicapped-accessible van.

Her brother, Stephen Hamwey, has put together a fund-raiser scheduled for Sept. 18, “A Night for Andrea,’’ to help cover the cost of the new van, home improvements, and future medical bills. “If you knew Andrea at all, she was always giving to other people and never doing anything for herself,’’ said Hamwey.

The Vanderbilt Club in Norwood will also hold events beginning next Thursday, such as a “Fun Run’’ and a “Spin-a-Thon’’ to benefit Larkin, who used to run the “Fit Kid Program’’ and teach classes at the health club off Route 1. Larkin will go back on the microphone for the first time since her injury to help lead the exercise-cycle Spin-a-Thon with her sister.

Larkin’s short-term goals are to stand on her own and move her left arm. However, she and her husband are starting to run into some roadblocks. “They’ve started to scale the therapies back because they haven’t seen the gains that would qualify her for more therapy,’’ says Tim. “We’re trying to get insurance to pick up some more sessions.’’

In the meantime, the Larkins hope to obtain some equipment, such as a standing frame, for their home, so Andrea can continue to improve and be reevaluated for insurance purposes.

Larkin’s jogging stroller, a shower gift from the gym crowd of her old 5:30 a.m. spin class, remains untouched.

“Alexa would have loved to go on runs with me. It makes me upset to not be able to do something I am so passionate about with her,’’ said Larkin. Now, she dreams of simply being able to take a walk with her daughter. But her progress is slow, and at times discouraging.

“I have my good days and my bad days. Some days I think I’ll walk again, and some days I think differently,’’ she said.

Still, Larkin loves being a mother. Her friends and family, — including her parents, Tim’s mother and his siblings, her aunt, and cousins — all pitch in to help take care of Alexa.

Larkin, though, remains in charge. “She’s a very hands-on mom,’’ said sister Heather, picking out Alexa’s outfits and directing family and friends regarding how to style Alexa’s hair each day. “Sometimes I feel useless, but then I say, ‘No, no, no!’ ’’ said Larkin. She may not be able to play on the floor with her daughter, but she is able to give much-loved wheelchair rides to Alexa.

Before her injury, Larkin had hoped to have a big family. Now, she is uncertain whether pregnancy will be in the picture again. “If I can get out of the wheelchair and be active again, I would have another baby. I love being pregnant. If not,’’ Larkin said as she looked at her curly-haired toddler, “She’s my girl.’’

For more information or to make raffle donations for the sold-out Sept. 18 fund-raiser, e-mail teamandrea1@gmail.com. To register for the Vanderbilt Club events, call 781-769-2340 or sign up in person. Donations can also be made online at mysite.verizon.net/vzexzmoh. Molly Rosenman can be reached at rosenmam@bc.edu.