Do you know anyone who survived a stroke? How long did it take to recover?

My mom had a stroke on 7/20/08, she's 47 y/o and smoke cigarettes and also has high BP, they are going to put a trachea in her throat to help her breathe and then she's going to a nursing home. I want to care for her but because of my financial situation I can't right now. But I want to know if anyone's experienced something like this and did the person ever recover. The doctors are not giving any direct answers right now their just saying they are not sure if she'll recover.