We are an organization designed to contribute in an extraordinary way to a variety of communities world-wide. There are thousands of ‘individuals’ that feel isolated as a result of a particular experience and we are all about tying these individuals to shoestring tight communities!

Well, shoes are everyday things we probably all take for granted…I guess they’re like you and I and what we could be sharing to help each other out! Also, like the trillions of ways one can tie their laces (whether your a rabbit loop with a crossover, a loop and lace around it lacer, or perhaps a double knotter?!), our journeys have been made up of our individual ways of jumping different hurdles and however we learn to tie them we all end up laced-up and shoestring tight! And shoestrings, are the brilliant way of keeping shoes ‘together’.
So I guess this shoestrings is our way of sharing and tying communities (you, I, etc.,) together! We can all help each other out and, as far as we’re concerned, there’s no better way than through sharing.
We look forward to hearing from you all so that, all Shoestring tight, we can walk through difficult experiences together.

Shoestrings came from the experiences of Emma Gee. Emma is currently going through rehabilitation post-stroke after being diagnosed with a congenital AVM (arteriovenous malformation). Prior to her stroke and consequent brain surgery, at 25 years of age, she was an avid runner and a practicing Occupational Therapist. Throughout her rehabilitation journey Emma has been using her experience in a positive way, attempting to use her found insight of ‘life as patient’ to share new possibilities for health professionals, their families and patients themselves. She is currently writing a book and will publish this in 2007 and also has a started a blog to share her story and invite others in stroke communities to get on board the ’sharing’ game too! Shoestrings as an organization stems from all Emma’s sharing and is a hub others can now plug into so they can be connected to the sharing of communities world-wide!

So Em had an AVM

Medical definition: An AVM (arteriovenous malformation) is a congenital disorder (one present at birth) of blood vessels in the brain, brainstem, or spinal cord that is characterized by a complex, tangled web of abnormal arteries and veins connected by one or more fistulas (abnormal communications).

Shoestrings definition: Em’s brain was like a heap of shoelaces…one just had a knot in it! All the blood pumped into that…instead of flowing through her normal laces…and the pressure of all that blood going into the one knot meant that surgeons had to clamp it to avoid it bursting!