By Satina Tolman
For The New Era
When a flock of pink flamingos marches down Main Street during this year’s Sportsman Holiday Parade, spectators may see a cheerful group promoting the Sweet Home Community Pool.
What they may not see is the story behind the feathers.
For 65-year-old Susie Moore, who leads one of the pool’s water aerobics classes, the flamingo has become a symbol of her story: one of perseverance, recovery and community following a stroke that changed her life three years ago.
For the past three years, Moore has volunteered as a water aerobics instructor at the Sweet Home Community Pool, teaching classes three mornings a week.
“I just love the pool,” she said.
That love was tested in May 2023 when Moore suffered a stroke less than a year after moving to Sweet Home. The stroke left her with weakness, blurred vision, speech difficulties, walking difficulties and limited movement in one arm.
Many people might have stepped away from teaching. Moore chose to return.
“I love them and they love me, and it’s all right,” she said of her students. “We just kept going together.”
Speaking was difficult at first. Instead of leading classes as she had before, Moore relied on simple verbal cues and demonstrations while participants followed along.
“They just watched me,” she said with a laugh.
Not long after her stroke, Moore was back in the pool.
“I told the lifeguards, ‘Just keep an eye on me, just in case,'” she recalled.
While physical therapy played an important role in her recovery, Moore believes movement itself has been one of her greatest tools for healing.
“That’s the best thing, to keep moving,” she said. “It hurts. It hurts a lot. But you must keep moving.”
Today, Moore occasionally uses a cane or walker for stability, but she remains grateful she continued pushing herself through the difficult months following her stroke.
The water provided something she could not find elsewhere.
“I can do things in the water that I cannot do on land,” she said. “It’s freeing.”
Recovery, she said, involves more than physical rehabilitation.
Because the stroke affected her vision and made reading and writing more challenging, Moore began exercising her mind through crossword puzzles, Sudoku, coloring and audio Bible studies.
“I might be slow and methodical, but that’s what I have to do,” she said.
She also believes social connection is essential, especially for older adults.
“It’s so easy to become a hermit,” Moore said. “Get out of the house. Go to church. Take a class. Get involved.”
Her support network includes her three children, nearly eight grandchildren, fellow water aerobics participants and a weekly prayer group.
“Older people need to be connected,” she said.
Faith has remained central throughout her recovery.
“Christ is my healer,” Moore said. “I believe that I am healing and healed.”
Although she continues to face challenges, her outlook remains hopeful.
“One day I believe I’ll be completely restored,” she said. “But even if not, my faith is still very important to me.”
Moore also encourages others facing health setbacks to advocate for themselves and remain engaged in their recovery.
“Don’t give up,” she said. “Be proactive.”
The friendships formed through water aerobics eventually gave the group an unexpected identity.
During one balance exercise, participants stand on one leg like a flamingo. Before long, class members began calling themselves “The Flamingos.” The nickname stuck.
This year the group of friends plans to appear in the Sportsman Holiday Parade as the Pink Flamingos to promote both the community pool and active living.
The pink flamingo represents more than a balance exercise or a parade costume.
Female flamingos often lose much of their vibrant pink coloring while raising their young. The energy required to care for others temporarily depletes the pigments that give them their signature color. Over time, as they regain their strength and begin caring for themselves again, their bright pink feathers return.
Moore sees a reflection of her own journey in that image.
After her stroke, she lost many of the activities that had shaped her identity. An artist, swimmer, choreographer and longtime caregiver, she suddenly found herself unable to do many of the things she loved.
“It was really hard,” she said. “You realize your identity is more than what you can do because all of that can be taken away.”
Like the flamingo slowly regaining its color, Moore gradually rebuilt her life by focusing on physical activity, mental engagement, meaningful relationships and faith. While her recovery continues, she said she has rediscovered joy, purpose and parts of herself she feared were gone.
Now she hopes her story encourages others facing their own challenges.
Whether someone is recovering from a stroke, managing a chronic health condition or simply looking for a way to stay active, Moore offers the same advice she follows every day.
“Love yourself by being physically active, keeping your mind sharp, being social, serving others and loving God,” she said.
Then, with a smile, she adds a simple invitation:
“Get moving.”
And if a flock of pink flamingos passes by during this year’s parade, Moore hopes people will do more than wave. She hopes they remember that healing, like recovery, often begins with taking one step forward.