Cadence Stamper, a 7-year-old stroke survivor, had her world changed drastically overnight when she went to bed with a headache only to wake up the next day with no movement on her left side of her body.

Now fully recovered and able to walk, Stamper participated in the Causeway Classic coin toss between the Sacramento State and the UC Davis on Nov. 23.

With both athletic departments supporting the Children’s Hospital of UC Davis, it was only fitting to have the “cause” in the Causeway Classic mean something more this year for both teams.

Stamper, a gymnastics enthusiast, was rushed to the hospital by her parents Leroy and Amy Stamper.

“It started with the headache, but after I gave her some Children’s Tylenol the headache got worse,” Leroy Stamper said. “In the morning, I saw that she had not moved and I asked her to say something and that’s when I noticed that her whole left side was not working.”

A week after she had her stroke and had tests ran at the local Kaiser Permanente emergency room, she was admitted into the UC Davis Children’s Hospital in July 2013.

Leroy Stamper said the doctors had trouble finding the cause of the stroke.

“When we took her to the UC Davis Children’s Hospital, the doctors did some more tests on her,” Leroy Stamper said. “The doctors there also found no reason why she had the stroke.”

It was there that at UC Davis Children’s hospital, physical therapy nurse, Kay Mulberry, helped Stamper rehab to almost full mobility in her left side of her body.

Mulberry and Cadence Stamper spent five weeks together doing daily rehabbing of speech, occupational and physical therapy.

Mulberry said it was different working with Cadence because of her age.

“She was my first 7-year-old patient, so it was difficult programming the sessions geared to a child. I had to incorporate some fun into the sessions,” Mulberry said. “I had to make the exercises like games so she is distracted with all the work with the fun she wants to have.”

She was also surprised in Stamper’s ability regain most of her mobility.

“Cadence was a tough cookie she was a very determined girl in getting better from the stroke she suffered,” Mulberry said.

Cadence Stamper regained enough ability to be discharged in August and walked out of the UC Davis Children’s Hospital Pediatrics Unit on her own.

In front of more than 12,000 fans, Cadence Stamper and her family walked out to the middle of the field to do the honorary coin toss.

Leroy Stamper said once the refs said it was time to go out on the field, his daughter was the first one at the 50-yard line.

“Cadence was brave walking out there with the football teams and refs,” Leroy Stamper said. “She actually chickened out of actually doing the coin toss on the field.”

The coin toss was made possible by Michelle Thompson, the associate director of development for Children’s Miracle Network at UC Davis Children’s Hospital. Thompson saw how positive Cadence Stamper was during the rehabbing in the Pediatrics Unit.

Leroy Stamper said his family was chosen out of four families to attend events to raise money for the Children’s Miracle Network.

“We appeared in a commercial, appeared on the radio station Hot 103.5,” Leroy Stamper said. “Promoting a dance-off at UC Davis to raise money for the Children’s Hospital and doing the coin toss at Saturday’s football game.”

Although Cadence Stamper is continuing to improve everyday, it has not been easy on the Stamper family as a whole. The family who used to have their day planned out must work with a fluctuating schedule due to Cadence Stamper’s doctor appointments.

Cadence Stamper’s mother Amy, had to make the appointments and meet with the school district in order to get her daughter back into school.

Leroy Stamper said with everything that has gone on is taking a toll on the family, including the smallest member of the family his 4-year-old son, Triston.

“The stroke has changed our lives completely, especially my wife’s and Triston’s [because] he was being traded off between family members,” Stampers said. “It traumatized him so much that he thought he was never going to come back home.”

With all the problems Cadence Stamper has dealt with, Leroy Stamper said his daughter has been positive about everything that has happened.

“Even with the stroke Cadence has a beautiful outlook on life,” Leroy Stamper said. “She says to me now ‘I’m glad I had this stroke so we can raise money for other kids who have the same happen to them’.”

Clifton Jones III can be reached at [email protected]