My doctor said i have to be on blood thinners for the rest of my life. is this normal for a stroke survivor?

That depends: If your stroke is because of an embolism (clot in the heart that traveled to your brain), then yes. If there was just a block in the artery in the brain or in the neck then you might not need blood thinners. So it depends on the cause of the stroke.

If due to blood clot: Yes, if your stroke was due to narrowed carotid arteries or blood clots. Should not be used if stroke was due to bleeding into the brain.