Using a craft business to get the word out about strokes

September 25, 2014, was a day that changed Contessa (Preul) Siders’s life in a way she couldn’t have imagined at the time.

At age 33, she suffered a stroke.

Today, she runs a business that she named as a way to find something good in the experience.

“I can only use one hand – that’s why it’s named ‘One-Handed Crafts,’” Contessa said.

Her husband, Aaron, helps her run the business from their home in Vermillion, South Dakota.

Contessa is a Kiron native and a 1999 graduate of Denison High School.

She has a 2004 marketing degree from Iowa State University.

Contessa and Aaron met when they both worked at the Staples in Ames; they were married in 2006.

Aaron is a promotions producer for South Dakota Public Broadcasting.

Contessa said she faced dark days following her stroke.

“I was like, ‘Oh my God, what am I doing? What’s happening?’ I didn’t have a clue what was going on two or three weeks into having my stroke,” Contessa said.

She was sent to Madonna Rehabilitation Hospitals in Lincoln, Nebraska.

“From there, my life has changed completely,” Contessa said.

She was a 2016 recipient of the Madonna Rehabilitation Hospitals GOAL Awards, which recognize “exceptional strength, determination and positivity” in patients undergoing rehabilitation.

Contessa and Aaron decided they wanted to use her experiences as a way to inform others about the dangers of stroke.

‘Right after her stroke, we took it upon ourselves to get a stroke support group going in Sioux City, and because of that we were able to work with the American Heart Association on getting legislation through to help stroke survivors and families in Iowa,” Aaron said. “We also worked with the logistics of the ambulance services in the state to make sure a person gets the correct care in a speedy time.”

Aaron said he recognized that Contessa was having a stroke and was able to get her treated quickly, but not everyone is so fortunate.

“That is why we worked so hard to make sure all care is done efficiently and with urgency,” he said.

For their efforts, Contessa and Aaron were the recipients of the American Heart Association’s “Passion Purpose Action Award,” for exceptional service and dedication.

“We got to go out to Washington, D.C. to help a large group of people with the American Heart Association try to get more funding for the National Institutes of Health for tele-healthcare and devices that can help a person do better in life after a stroke, or in that case, stroke and heart attack,” Aaron said.

Contessa and Aaron have continued to move forward with their lives in the last nine years.

They have a four-year old boy named Soren.

Contessa said having a child was a good life experience, though she wishes she could still carry him around.

“He got to a point where he’s too heavy for her to be able to pick up with one arm and move around,” Aaron said. “Plus, he wiggles a lot.”

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For Contessa, a big part of the reason she wanted to start her business was to inform people that strokes don’t only happen in older individuals.

At present, they go to about one craft show per month; she enjoys talking to the people they meet.

“I wanted to get my name out there and my story,” she said. “A lot of people are thinking of stroke in that direction; that it is for old people. I’m not an old person. From the ages of 18 to 40 there is a 40% increase of people like me to have a stroke.”

“Stroke doesn’t care what age you are – it could still happen to anybody,” Aaron said.

Through their business, Contessa makes wood décor, signage, and items such as towels and grocery bags with printed designs.

“My dad helps me with the actual cutting of the woodwork, but sanding, painting, priming; that is done by me,” she said.

“For the woodwork, I do the heavy lifting, but that’s about it,” Aaron said. “I help on days of craft shows and events, and we work the booth together.”

Aaron has told her, “I don’t know how you do it, because with two hands, I don’t even think I could do it,” she said.

It’s “to be determined” if they decide to expand the craft business in the future, but Contessa said she gets real satisfaction from working on her projects.

They recently attended the Market at the Farm event in Denison and will have a table of One-Handed Crafts items for sale at the craft show during Schleswig Calf Show days on September 15 and 16.

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