Karissa Denae Johnson can still remember the indignity of it all — the day her life fell to pieces.
It came in college, sometime between traveling the country as a childhood performer and traveling the globe as a young adult given a second chance. Between going on mission trips with her family and writing her first book. Between singing Sundays at Omaha-area churches and pursuing a career on stage in New York City.
The moment intersecting those experiences came April 23, 2007, the day 21-year-old Karissa suffered a stroke. The Omaha native was mere weeks away from graduating college, with plans to teach and to sing. Without warning, her plans were suddenly thrown into doubt…