Spend just a few minutes chatting with Nicole Gillott, and you’ll likely catch her positivity. e Prunedale resident is always ready with words of support: “Hang ten on the now” is something she’s been repeating for awhile, a surfing term that is more generally associated with encouraging others to try something they might think is hard. “You should always look at the champion within yourself and beat your personal record,” she says, or: “Sometimes we fall o , but we got to get back on and do it”—Gillott knows how to raise anybody’s spirits. at positivity grew from a negative part of her life that forever changed her future. A decade ago, Gillott was at home when she realized something was wrong with her voice. She couldn’t communicate with others, but when she tried to pick up a pen to write, she couldn’t control her arm. She was having a massive stroke. At the hospital, Gillott was placed in a coma for three weeks, and when she awoke, the long and arduous process of learning how to speak and walk again began. Years later, Gillott was invited to speak at a women’s empowerment event, and she came away inspired. “ at night when I went home, I was beaming,” she says. “I knew that was what had led me here, to give others the opportunity to be heard.” Gillott founded the Can’t Stop. Won’t Stop. Foundation in 2022, which advocates and provides peer support for people who live with a variety of disabilities, encouraging them and giving them resources to lead a positive lifestyle. e foundation is housed in a boutique gallery, Woodcarver’s Daughter in Moss Landing, where local artists sell their works to raise money for the organization’s programs. e gallery is named in honor of Gillott’s father Tom, who is a woodcarver. Gillott herself is a painter. e foundation o ers a number of regular events, including weekly support groups and a supper club with a live show and food. Gillott refers to the time before her stroke as her “ rst life,” where she worked in the produce industry in a fast-paced environment. But now, Gillott says the stroke has caused her to slow down and nd ways to help others. She points out that anyone’s life can change in an instant—she had a stroke at age 35, after all. “Disability doesn’t discriminate on age, doesn’t discriminate on race, discriminate on money,” Gillott says. “ at is the common denominator for all of humanity.” Beaming with Positivity Stroke survivor Nicole Gillott uses her experience to help others who are facing hardships. By Erik Chalhoub DANIEL DREIFUSS • Programas integrales de salud conductual, que incluyen: • Programas de recuperación y tratamiento residenciales • Programas de tratamiento ambulatorio y con asistencia médica para el abuso de sustancias • Apoyo para padres y familiares M-F/L-V 8:30am-5pm www.doortohope.org 831-758-0181 Health Projects Center Centro de Proyecto de Salud • Multipurpose Senior Services Program (MSSP) - Free social work and nursing services for medically isolated, frail, and underinsured individuals age 65 or older. • Enhanced Care Management • Programa de Servicios Multipropósito para Personas Mayores (MSSP) - Servicios gratuitos de trabajo social y enfermería para personas aisladas médicamente, frágiles y con seguro insuficiente de 65 años o más. • Gestión Mejorada de la Atención M-F/L-V 9am-5pm www.hpcn.org 1-800-624-8304 831-424-4359 Interim, Inc. OMNI Resource Center Interim, Inc. Centro de Recursos OMNI • Affordable housing, residential treatment for those with serious mental illness and dual diagnosis. • Social support, employment training, homeless outreach, and family support • Vivienda accesible, tratamiento residencial para personas con enfermedad conductual grave y doble diagnóstico. • Apoyo social, entrenamiento para empleo, servicios a persoHealthcare Services Servicios de Salud 72 THE BEST OF MONTEREY BAY® LIVING WELL 2025-2026
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