Michael Mariant

Michael is loved by many.  He is a talented photographer and an incredible teacher. He has the gift of sharing his knowledge and guiding others  to express their own inner light through photography. He is a gentle soul, who is kind and sincere, and has positively impacted so many others. 
The outpouring of love and support has been so wonderful for this sweet family and they want you to know it is greatly appreciated! 

A single event can change the course of your life and you may never see it coming. On Dec. 4, 2015, while dining at a wedding anniversary dinner with his family, Michael suffered a stroke. What started out as a single ischemic stroke with right-side paralysis had become a series of 6 strokes in 13 months. With the arrival of 2017, another "big one" hit, with Michael spending most of January in the hospital. For the next five months, Michael worked hard with specialists, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy as he recovered and once again found a "new normal".  Today he is able to perform basic tasks alone, but is still unable to drive or sustain his attention. He has cognitive deficits in areas that are difficult to retrain the brain to bypass the damaged areas. Short term memory, planning, balance and vision are all areas that he struggles with daily. They have not found a cause for these strokes, and are running out of options. Next step is to travel to the big university hospitals to get a diagnosis and go to a specialized rehab center.

It has been overwhelming to try to keep in contact with everyone individually, so we decided to use this CaringBridge website to keep family and friends updated in one place about Michaels's progress.  Michael, Dawn, Rachael, and Riley appreciate your love, support, and encouraging words.  Please visit this site for updated information and to continue to support them through this journey of strength and healing.  

Thank you for continuing to support the Mariant Family on their road to recovery!