Young stroke survivor finds passion in theater despite disability

March is brain injury awareness month, and WJZ is highlighting a Baltimore high school student who suffered a stroke at the age of 9.  

Rowan Schober-Levine is an 11th-grade student at Baltimore School for the Arts, where they share a love for theater production. However, the journey to get to this point has been far from easy; in fact, it’s been rare, after Levine suffered a stroke at the age of 9.   

“Rowan had a fall and was noticed to have right-sided weakness and appropriately taken right to the hospital where the stroke was diagnosed,” Dr. Stacy Suskauer of the Kennedy Krieger Institute said. 

“It’s going to be hard, it’s going to be frustrating…things aren’t going to as planned, they never do,” Rowan explained.

Nonetheless, thanks to a loving family and the compassionate care of Dr. Suskauer, Rowan has been able to rehabilitate his desire to chase his passion in the arts despite having a disability.   

“Kids are kids, and as much as possible, we need to keep rehabilitation fun and motivating and working toward their own goals,” Suskauer told WJZ’s Stephon Dingle. 

Rowan says it helps him,”…having that person that sort of oversees all of my care so I can focus on doing the things that I enjoy instead of focusing on making a million doctor’s appointments.” 

Now, for Rowan, it’s about continuing to overcome his disability while normalizing a safe space for those who think they can’t, especially in the theater and fashion space. 

“Especially fashion design that doesn’t hide mobility aids but instead makes them an active participant in the fashion,”  he explained.

 “Their future is super bright, and I’m delighted to have been a part of it,” Suskauer affirmed.