In 2005, Beyond Stillness: Stories After Stroke Founder and Host Molly Buccola suffered a stroke due to venous sinus thrombosis.  A clot the size of a whole pinky forced blood into both hemispheres of her brain. When she woke from the coma, her left side was paralyzed.  Molly’s family served as caregivers as she relearned to walk, eat, bathe, on and on.  Once she regained enough abilities to hide the effects, she tried to “move on” with her life.  Now she knows, stroke survivors never fully “move on.” They move beyond.

She served as the Campus Ministry Director at a Benedictine school for 15 years.  She worked closely with the monks and lived on campus.  She planned, organized, and facilitated retreats, led the community engagement program, and orchestrated weekly chapel services for the community.

In 2020, she moved home to Oregon.  There, Stroke Awareness Oregon asked her to facilitate the SAO Caregiver Support Group. Soon after, Ralph Cortese, Founder of Stroke Warrior Radio asked her to host a weekly show.  She has no background in radio or social media, but for fifteen years, assisted faculty, staff, and students in drafting and delivering their talks about “life lessons” in Chapel to the whole school and monastic community, each week.  So, she decided to create a weekly podcast and radio show highlighting stroke survivors and caregivers.  And, Beyond Stillness: Stories After Stroke was born.

Molly finds that stroke offers a powerful, life-changing, shift in perspective.  She founded Beyond Stillness: Stories After Stroke to offer pause for storytelling and reflection.  Ultimately, Beyond Stillness is a welcoming environment that reveres the movement beyond stroke’s paralysis.  Still moments unite humanity and divinity.

In an interview, Molly shared, “I’m inspired by each and every stroke survivor I meet. I have found a stroke community and our conversations and connections are purposeful. Every story is unique yet there are beautiful threads of insight and growth that tie our community together. Together we cultivate hope. Together we thrive beyond stillness. We are more than supportive. We are inspirational.”