17

My name is Tara Ennen.  It's been 20 years since I had two major strokes.  In October of 1998, I had a fetal demise and lost my daughter. I had been diagnosed with Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome during my pregnancy with her. No one knew much about this disease back then. They called it sticky blood disease, because that's what it is. My blood clots for no reason basically.  No one knows why I have it, if it's genetic or just some secondary disease to my Lupus.  Two weeks after what I

December

2018

17

I was living overseas and about to see my family on a shared holiday to Bali, when the unthinkable happened, I was 27 at the time and this is my story. I thought it was a migraine at first, I recall a headache the first day in Bali, but grew worried over the next day, when I couldn’t drink a sip of water, my speech slurred, and my face drooped. Before I go any further, I need to let you know this is a story of impatience. To this day I’m still impatient. Impatient to live. To experience all

December

2018

12

I had my stroke on August 22, 2012 when I was 25. About five months earlier I had moved back to my home state of Minnesota from New Orleans where I had moved to after I graduated from college in 2009 and worked for a section of the PGA of America as their junior golf director. In May I had started a new job at the Target Corporation. On August 22nd I was at work like every other day and developed a massive headache later in the day which wasn't unusual. That evening I was supposed to have

December

2018

05

My name is Kristie Lynn Young. I am 38 years old, from Edmonton, Ky. I now reside in Glasgow, Ky. In July, 2015 I was involved in a horrible firework accident. A motar firework exploded in my face, resulting in the loss of my left eye, my girl, my job, my ability to drive, etc. I lost my independence, and my life as I knew it.  I was not expected to live to the local hospital - especially to the university trauma hospital 2 hours away. They told my father not to expect me alive upon arrival. I

December

2018

02

My mom didn’t really like me after I had my stroke. I’m sure there’s some psychological reasoning for her distancing herself from me, but that doesn’t mean it hurt any less when she demanded that I “get over it” and “stop using it as an excuse.” In my final attempt to work things out with her (over the phone because we live many states away from one another), she criticized me for my slow, measured speech. My fellow survivors will understand that this type of deliberate speaking comes from

December

2018