"In late 2011, Orlena experienced a massive hemorrhagic stroke while driving her then twenty-one month old daughter on the freeway. It was then that her Moyamoya diagnosis came to light. After an extended ICU stay and acute rehab hospitalization throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, Orlena came home for Mother's Day. At that point, she put her law career on hold to focus on her rehab and her family. She is now an author and speaker in the community, raising awareness about rare brain disease, proving that not only can you survive stroke, but that you can also thrive and inspire others."

"On the 10th anniversary of her stroke due to Moyamoya Disease, a rare congenital condition named "puff of smoke" in Japanese, Orlena Fong Shek has now banded with twenty other survivors who have "emerged from the smoke" as warriors, bringing to light poetry from the heart and soul of their collective survival. These poems of hope and endurance will empower you to find your inner strength to get up, to walk, and even to run, but ultimately, to never give up."